From a National Thoroughbred Racing Association release

Firing Line, the runaway 14 1/4-length winner of Sunday’s $800,000 Sunland Derby (G3), moved up to fifth in the latest National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) Top 3-Year-Old Poll results announced today.

Undefeated $400,000 San Felipe Stakes (G2) winner Dortmund remains atop the list, with American Pharoah, last year’s Eclipse Award winner as Champion 2-Year-Old Male and a convincing winner of his last start in the $750,000 Rebel Stakes (G2) at Oaklawn Park, in second.  

Dortmund received 21 first-place votes and 382 points overall in the poll of racing media, while American Pharoah tallied 13 first-place votes and 355 points total. Eligible media cast votes for their top 10 horses, with points awarded on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. The NTRA Top 3-Year-Old poll is conducted weekly through the Monday following the Belmont Stakes.

Firing Line tallied 212 points on the basis of his track record-setting Sunland romp. None of the other top 10 3-year-olds were in action last weekend.

The Sunland Derby was worth 50 points to the winner on the Road to the Kentucky Derby leaderboard thus giving Firing Line a total of 58 points and currently placing the colt sixth on the list for Kentucky Derby eligibility.

Prospect Park, second to Dortmund in the San Felipe, took over the 10th spot in the poll (58 points), which last week was held by the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Texas Red, who is now officially out of Kentucky Derby consideration due to a foot abscess.

Meanwhile, Shared Belief once again was a unanimous leader with 41 first-place votes, good for 410 points, to maintain his firm hold as leader in the NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll open to horses of all ages. The 4-year-old gelding was a dominant winner of his most recent start in the $1 million Santa Anita Handicap (G1). Scored following the same points system as the Top 3-Year-Old Poll, the Top Thoroughbred poll is conducted weekly through the Monday following the Breeders’ Cup World Championships.

For the third straight week, the top three older horses were rounded out by 2014 Champion Older Horse and Champion Turf Horse Main Sequence (351 points), who kicked off his 6-year-old campaign with a win in the Feb. 21, $200,000 Mac Diarmida Stakes (G2) at Gulfstream Park, and 2014 Horse of the Year and Champion 3-Year-Old California Chrome (288), who finished a clear second to Shared Belief in the Feb. 7, $500,000 San Antonio Handicap (G2) at Santa Anita and is set to race this weekend in the world’s richest race, the $10 million Dubai World Cup.

[columns] [column width=”one-half”]

NTRA TOP THOROUGHBRED POLL

  1. Shared Belief
  2. Main Sequence
  3. California Chrome
  4. Honor Code
  5. Constitution
  6. Bayern
  7. Lea
  8. Dortmund
  9. Salutos Amigos
  10. Wise Dan[/column]
[column width=”one-half”]

NTRA TOP 3-YEAR-OLD POLL

  1. Dortmund
  2. American Pharoah
  3. Carpe Diem
  4. Upstart
  5. Firing Line
  6. El Kabeir
  7. International Star
  8. Far From Over
  9. Itsaknockout
  10. Prospect Park[/column]
[/columns]

Note: The Racing Biz writers Nick Hahn and Frank Vespe are voters in the NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll.