Stuart Janney III and Phipps Racing’s Orb , strong winner of the Besilu Stables Florida Derby (gr. I) March 30, moved to the top of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association’s 3-year-old poll.
Unbeaten in three starts this year, all at Gulfstream Park, Orb garnered 25 of the 50 first-place votes cast by industry insiders and media members. The homebred son of Malibu Moon will likely make his next start as one of the favorites for the May 4 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I).
Verrazano , last week’s No. 1, lowered one notch to second. His next effort is slated to be Saturday in the Wood Memorial Stakes (gr. I) at Aqueduct where he’ll square off with No. 4 Vyjack. WinStar Farm’s Revolutionary , winner of the Louisiana Derby (gr. II) at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, rose from sixth place last week to third.
Dreaming of Julia, runaway winner of the Gulfstream Oaks (gr. II), received one first-place vote and debuts in the 10th slot in the poll.
The poll, released April 1, is scored on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis for the media members' top 10.
NTRA Top Three-Year-Old Poll - April 1, 2013
Rank, Horse, Votes (First-Place), Last Week’s Rank
1, Orb, 464 (25), 2
2, Verrazano, 436 (16), 1
3, Revolutionary, 371 (3), 6
4, Vyjack, 306 (4), 4
5, Itsmyluckyday , 288 (1), 3
6, Hear the Ghost, 179, 7
7, Flashback , 143, 8
8, Oxbow , 108, 10
9, Will Take Charge , 108, 9
10, Dreaming of Julia, 105 (1)
Other horses receiving votes: Beholder (37), Mylute (32), Govenor Charlie (30), Normandy Invasion (29), Rydilluc (16), Midnight Lucky (14), Black Onyx (13), Uncaptured (13), Unlimited Budget (11), Java's War (7), Power Broker (7), Den's Legacy (6), Shanghai Bobby (5), Super Ninety Nine (5), Lines Of Battle (4), Code West (3), Crop Report (3), Goldencents (3), Elnaawi (2), Departing (1), Palace Malice (1).
Game On Dude remained No. 1 in the overall Thoroughbred poll. Animal Kingdom , winner of the $10 million Dubai World Cup Sponsored by Emirates Airline (UAE-I), sprung from eighth position to second. Animal Kingdom outpointed Game On Dude on first-place votes, 23-15.
Graydar , winner of the New Orleans Handicap (gr. II) inched up one spot from sixth to fifth and received one first-place vote. Orb enters the poll in the tenth slot.
NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll- April 1, 2013
Rank, Horse, Votes (First-Place), Last Week’s Rank
1, Game On Dude, 443 (15), 1
2, Animal Kingdom, 407 (23), 8
3, Wise Dan, 335 (6), 3
4, Point of Entry , 313 (2), 4
5, Graydar, 286 (1), 6
6, Fort Larned , 192 (3), 5
7, Royal Delta, 178, 2
8, Suggestive Boy, 113, 7
9, Ron the Greek, 79, 9
10, Orb, 47
Other horses receiving votes: Discreet Dancer (38), Mizdirection (37), Mark Valeski (30), Dreaming Of Julia (26), Joyful Victory (25), Verrazano (25), Comma To The Top (23), Cigar Street (21), Groupie Doll (18), Data Link (16), Successful Dan (14), Bright Thought (9), Twilight Eclipse (9), Vyjack (8), Little Mike (7), Regalo Mia (7), Revolutionary (7), Believe You Can (6), Called To Serve (6), Beholder (5), Dullahan (5), Amira's Prince (4), Unlimited Budget (3), Bourbon Courage (2), Golden Mystery (2), Paynter (2), Midnight Lucky (1), Old Tune (1), Sahara Sky (1)