The retirement of unbeaten Grade 1-winner Nadal due to injury has cleared the way for fellow top-level victor Tiz the Law to reclaim the lead position in this week’s National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) Top 3-Year-Old Poll.
Nadal had held the top position in the poll since his victory in the second division of the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby on May 2. The son of Blame was being pointed to the Belmont Stakes on June 20 but was retired after suffering a condylar fracture in his left front last week.
With Nadal out of the competitive picture, Grade 1 Florida Derby winner Tiz the Law moved back into the poll lead, earning 27 first-place votes and 349 points. Trained by Barclay Tagg, Tiz the Law has won four of five career starts and is expected to be among the favorites for the Belmont Stakes.
Charlatan, winner of the first division of the Arkansas Derby, moved up one spot to second with 286 points. Stablemate Authentic (2 first-place votes, 275 points) climbed two spots to third ahead of his expected run in Saturday’s Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby.
Grade 1-winner Maxfield, who captured the Grade 3 Matt Winn Stakes on May 23 in his seasonal bow, ranks fourth with 270 points followed by King Guillermo (1 first-place vote, 166 points) and Honor A. P. (145 points). Nadal notched 5 first-place votes and 140 points in dropping to the seventh position with
Sole Volante (103 points), Ete Indien (86) and Basin (60) completing the top 10.
Champion distaffer Midnight Bisou continues to be a regular presence on the worktab as she prepares for her first outing since running second in the $20 million Saudi Cup on February 29, and the daughter of Midnight Lute also continues to be the one to catch in the NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll with 27 first-place votes and 354 points.
Mucho Gusto, winner of the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes prior to running fourth in the Saudi Cup, remains second with 283 points with By My Standards (2 first-place votes, 264 points) holding in third. Zulu Alpha (161 points) is fourth with Tom’s d’Etat (1 first-place vote, 137 points) moving up two spots to fifth.
Maximum Security (5 first-place votes, 116 points) is sixth followed by fellow Eclipse Award-winner Monomoy Girl (104 points) and multiple Grade 1-winner Raging Bull (FR) (83). Ce Ce (69 points) dropped four spots to ninth following her third-place run in the Grade 2 Santa Maria Stakes this past weekend while Mr Freeze (56) rounds out the top 10.
Tiz the Law (32 points) was not ranked in the top 10 but did receive two first-place votes.
The NTRA Top Thoroughbred polls are the sport’s most comprehensive surveys of experts. Every week eligible journalists and broadcasters cast votes for their top 10 horses, with points awarded on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. All horses that have raced in the U.S., are in training in the U.S., or are known to be pointing to a major event in the U.S. are eligible for the NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll. Voting in both the Top Three-Year-Old Poll and the Top Thoroughbred Poll is scheduled to be conducted through the conclusion of the Breeders’ Cup in November.
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