Photo:

NYRA / Adam Coglianese / Coglianese Photo

Fierceness, winner of the Grade 2 Jim Dandy Stakes and Travers Stakes (G1), finished in the lead in the final Breeders’ Cup Classic rankings. Last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) winner and champion 2-year-old male earned 304 votes after week 11 voting.

The Breeders’ Cup Classic rankings is a weekly rating of the top 10 horses in contention for the Breeders’ Cup Classic, which will be run Nov. 2 at Del Mar.

Fierceness, trained by Todd Pletcher, was voted in third place during the July 30 first week of voting after winning the Jim Dandy at Saratoga, trailing week 1 co-leaders Dornoch and National Treasure. After his win in the Aug. 24 Travers, Fierceness, the son of City of Light out of the Stay Thirsty mare Nonna Bella, rose to the top of the rankings and stayed there the rest of the way. He earned 339 votes in the 11th and final week of voting.

Fierceness finished ahead of Epsom Derby (G1) and Juddmonte International Stakes (G1) winner City of Troy, trained by Aidan O’Brien, who registering 263 votes. Susumu Fujita’s Forever Young, third in the Kentucky Derby for trainer Yoshito Yahagi, finished second with 255 votes.

Sierra Leone finished fourth. Trained by Chad Brown, Sierra Leone, second in the Kentucky Derby, earned 158 votes.

Highland Falls, winner of Saratoga’s Sept. 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1), finished fifth for trainer Brad Cox. Subsanador, trained by Richard Mandella, came into the rankings after his upset win in the Sept. 28 California Crown (G1) and finished in sixth place in the poll.

Ushba Tesoro, who was second the Sept. 25 Hai at Funabashi in his first start since his second-place finish in the Dubai World Cup (G1), finished in seventh place. Arthur’s Ride, winner of the Aug. 3 Whitney (G1) at Saratoga, finished eighth for trainer Bill Mott.

Tapit Trice, who captured the Sept 28 Woodward Stakes (G2) at Aqueduct, came in ninth.

Newgate, winner of the Santa Anita Handicap (G1) and third in the California Crown, came into the rankings for the first time in 10th place for trainer Bob Baffert.

The Breeders’ Cup Classic rankings were determined by a panel of Thoroughbred racing media, horseplayers and members of the Breeders’ Cup racing directors and secretaries panel. Each voter rated horses on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 system in descending order. The rankings have no bearing on qualification or selection into the Breeders’ Cup Classic.