Fierceness jumps to no. 1 in NTRA top 3-year-olds poll
Fierceness's 13 1/2-length win in Saturday's Grade 1 Florida Derby vaulted him to the top spot in the National Thoroughbred Racing Association's latest poll of top 3-year-olds.
Sierra Leone was bumped to the no. 2 spot from no. 1 last week.
Undefeated Forever Young, who was no. 22 last week, joined the top 10 after his win in the UAE Derby (G1). Endlessly also is new to the top bunch, moving up a notch to the no. 10 spot.
Voting in NTRA polls is conducted by national media and covers racing performances through Sunday. Rankings are on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-1 basis.
| Horse (first-place votes) | 2024 record | Points | Previous | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Fierceness (18) | 2: 1-0-1 | 299 | 7 | Todd Pletcher |
| 2. Sierra Leone (9) | 1: 1-0-0 | 250 | 1 | Chad Brown |
| 3. Muth (1) | 2: 2-0-0 | 235 | 6 | Bob Baffert |
| 4. Dornoch | 1: 1-0-0 | 182 | 4 | Danny Gargan |
| 5. Catching Freedom | 3: 2-0-1 | 169 | 5 | Brad Cox |
| 6. Nysos (3) | 1: 1-0-0 | 163 | 3 | Bob Baffert |
| 7. Deterministic | 1: 1-0-0 | 68 | 10 | Christophe Clement |
| 8. Forever Young | 2: 2-0-0 | 59 | 22 | Yoshito Yahagi |
| 9. Timberlake | 2: 1-0-0 | 50 | 2 | Brad Cox |
| 10. Endlessly | 2: 2-0-0 | 45 | 11 | Mike Maker |
There was less movement in the poll of top Thoroughbreds.
Laurel River moved into the no. 10 spot after winning the Dubai World Cup (G1) on Saturday.
Saudi Cup (G1) winner Señor Buscador retained the top spot despite his third-place finish in the Dubai World Cup (G1), and Pegasus World Cup (G1) winner National Treasure remained at no. 2 despite his fourth-place finish in the Saudi Cup.
| Horse (first-place votes) | Age-Sex | 2024 record | Points | Previous |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Señor Buscador (20) | 6-H | 3: 1-1-1 | 293 | 1 |
| 2. National Treasure (4) | 4-C | 2: 1-0-0 | 237 | 2 |
| 3. Idiomatic (3) | 5-M | 0: 0-0-0 | 160 | 5 |
| 4. White ABarrio | 5-H | 1: 0-0-0 | 154 | 6 |
| 5. Saudi Crown (1) | 4-C | 3: 1-0-1 | 104 | 3 |
| 6. First Mission | 4-C | 2: 1-0-0 | 92 | 8 |
| 7. Newgate | 4-C | 4: 1-2-0 | 87 | 4 |
| 8. Warm Heart | 4-F | 1: 1-0-0 | 75 | 7 |
| 9. I'm Very Busy | 4-C | 2: 1-1-0 | 64 | 9 |
| 10. Laurel River (3) | 6-H | 3: 2-0-0 | 54 | N/A |