IN A NUTSHELL: Wise Dan didn’t race this past weekend. Neither did Shared Belief. Nevertheless, they switched positions, with Wise Dan the new leader of the latest National Thoroughbred Racing Association poll, released this morning.
BY A NOSE: Wise Dan, who will not defend his Breeders’ Cup Mile title because of an injury (here), received 24 first-place votes and tallied 379 points — eight more points than Shared Belief had.
LONELY: Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner California Chrome had one first-place vote. He was the only other horse to receive one.
DEJA VU: Other than Wise Dan edging out Shared Belief, there was no other change in the top ten.
ENTER THE YOUNG: Three of the top four names on the list are sophomores, with seven-year-old Wise Dan, the oldest horse on the list, the lone exception.
AGE AND SEX: The list includes five three-year-olds (Shared Belief, California Chrome, Bayern, Untapable, and Tonalist) and three females (Beholder, Close Hatches, and Untapable).
NTRA TOP THOROUGHBRED POLL
- Wise Dan
- Shared Belief
- Tonalist
- California Chrome
- Main Sequence
- Bayern
- Untapable
- Close Hatches
- Beholder
- Palace Malice
Note: The Racing Biz writers Nick Hahn and Frank Vespe are voters in the NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll.
