Photo:
Melissa Torres / EQUI-PHOTO
Five-year-old Subsanador, the dramatic winner of Saturday’s Grade 1 California Crown at Santa Anita, has zoomed to No. 5 in the Breeders’ Cup Classic rankings, and Fierceness maintains the overall lead after the 10th week of voting.
The Breeders’ Cup Classic rankings are a weekly rating of the top 10 horses in contention for the $7 million Breeders’ Cup Classic, which will be run Nov. 2 at Del Mar.
Fierceness, trained by Todd Pletcher, has been top-rated since capturing the Aug. 24 Travers Stakes (G1) at Saratoga. Last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner and champion 2-year-old male earned 339 votes for trainer Todd Pletcher.
Fierceness is followed by three more 3-year-olds. Epsom Derby (G1) and Juddmonte International Stakes (G1) winner City of Troy, trained by Aidan O’Brien, remained in second place with 288 votes, leading Susumu Fujita’s Forever Young, who was third in the Kentucky Derby. Forever Young, trained by Yoshito Yahagi, is in third place with 223 votes.
Sierra Leone is in fourth place. Trained by Chad Brown, Sierra Leone, second in the Kentucky Derby, earned 179 votes.
Subsanador, trained by Richard Mandella, comes in at No. 5 after being unranked last week. A seven-time winner from 14 starts, including three Group 1 victories in Argentina, the son of Fortify garnered 170 votes after winning his first Grade 1 in the U.S.
Four-year-old Highland Falls, winner of Saratoga’s Sept. 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1), is in sixth place for trainer Brad Cox. Seven-year-old 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), is in seventh place. Four-year-old Arthur’s Ride, winner of the Aug. 3 Whitney (G1) at Saratoga, is eighth for trainer Bill Mott.
Pennsylvania Derby (G1) winner Seize the Grey, trained by D. Wayne Lukas, rose from 11th to ninth place, and Tapit Trice, who captured the Sept 28 Woodward Stakes (G2) at Aqueduct, is in 10th place.
In the Breeders’ Cup Classic rankings, each voter rates horses on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 system in descending order.
The Breeders’ Cup Classic rankings are determined by a panel of leading Thoroughbred racing media, horseplayers, and members of the Breeders’ Cup racing directors and secretaries panel. Rankings will be announced each week through Oct. 8. A list of voting members can be found on the Breeders’ Cup website.
The Breeders’ Cup Classic rankings have no bearing on qualification or selection into the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
Rank | Horse | Votes | 1st-place votes |
Previous week |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Fierceness | 339 | 23 | 1 |
2 | City of Troy | 288 | 9 | 2 |
3 | Forever Young (JPN) | 223 | 2 | 3 |
4 | Sierra Leone | 179 | 0 | 4 |
5 | Subsanador (ARG) | 135 | 0 | 0 |
6 | Highland Falls | 170 | 1 | 6 |
7 | Ushba Tesoro (JPN) | 151 | 1 | 7 |
8 | Arthur’s Ride | 104 | 0 | 8 |
9 | Seize the Grey | 59 | 0 | 11 |
10 | Tapit Trice | 56 | 0 | 18 |
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