Monomoy Girl making strong move in Top Thoroughbred Poll

From a National Thoroughbred Racing Association release

Three-year-old superfilly Monomoy Girl moved up to third in this week’s NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll following her fourth straight Grade 1 victory in Sunday’s Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga Race Course. She became the first horse to notch five graded stakes wins on the year and only the second with four Grade 1 scores, joining Triple Crown hero and near-unanimous Poll leader Justify.

Monomoy Girl started her sophomore campaign with an easy win in the Grade 2 Rachel Alexandra Stakes at Fair Grounds before reeling off Grade 1 triumphs in the Ashland (at Keeneland), Kentucky Oaks (Churchill Downs), Acorn (Belmont Park), and the Coaching Club American Oaks.

Trained by Brad Cox for Michael Dubb, Monomoy Stables, The Elkstone Group and Bethlehem Stables, Monomoy Girl is the highest-ranked female in the NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll, while Justify is the top-ranked 3-year-old and No. 2 Accelerate is the nation’s leading older horse.

Justify received 41 of 42 first-place votes (worth 10 points each) and one second-place vote (9 points) in Week 26 of the poll of racing media, with the lone dissenting vote again coming from Horse Racing Radio Network and New York Racing Association broadcaster Anthony Stabile, who opted for Mind Your Biscuits. The winner of the 1,200-meter (about six furlongs) Dubai Golden Shaheen Sponsored by Gulf News (G1) on the Dubai World Cup undercard, Mind Your Biscuits (fifth in the poll with 169 points) will tackle some of the East Coast’s top older horses going two turns in Saturday’s Grade 1 Whitney at Saratoga.

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, which continues until November 5, after the Breeders’ Cup World Championships.