Maxfield, Raging Bull rising up the NTRA rankings
Godolphin homebred Maxfield came into his seasonal bow carrying the burdens of high anticipation and lofty expectations upon his dark bay shoulders. After validating both with a one-length victory in the Grade 3 Matt Winn Stakes (G3) on Saturday at Churchill Downs, the son of Street Sense took another step forward when he advanced to fourth in this week's National Thoroughbred Racing Association Top Three-Year-Old Poll.
The Matt Winn Stakes, which offered points on a scale of 50-20-10-5 toward the 146th running of the Kentucky Derby scheduled for Sept. 5, marked the first start for Maxfield since his statement-making triumph in the Breeders’ Futurity (G1) at Keeneland last October. The Brendan Walsh-trainee was slated to be among the favorites for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile last November but had to miss the race due to a minor issue in his right front.
In his first outing since that setback, Maxfield rallied in deep stretch to beat Ny Traffic in the Matt Winn, an effort that earned him 228 points from voters this week and moved him up five spots in the poll.
“The most impressive thing about this horse is how he handles everything so well mentally,” Walsh told the Churchill Downs publicity team. “He’s such a cool horse and nothing really bothers him. Along with his athletic ability, his mental state is a really strong one-two punch.”
Unbeaten Nadal, winner of the second division of the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby on May 2, continues to hold the top position in the Three-Year-Old poll with 19 first-place votes and 321 points. Fellow Grade 1 winner Tiz the Law (12 first-place votes, 302 points) remains in the second spot followed by Charlatan (2 first-place votes, 269 points).
TOP THREE-YEAR-OLD POLL
Other horses receiving votes: WELLS BAYOU (32), MISCHEVIOUS ALEX (17), NY TRAFFIC (13), GOUVERNEUR MORRIS (7), THOUSAND WORDS (6), DR. POST (5), MR. BIG NEWS (5), MODERNIST (4), SWISS SKYDIVER (3), MR. MONOMOY (3), ENFORCEABLE (2), PNEUMATIC (1), RUSHIE (1), SHEDARESTHEDEVIL (1), FINNICK THE FIERCE (1).
There is a
new face in the NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll as the Chad Brown-trained Raging Bull enters the fray in the 10th position on the heels of his victory in the Shoemaker Mile Stakes (G1) on Monday at Santa Anita Park. Previously unranked, Raging
Bull earned 46 points from voters after notching his first win since taking the
2018 Hollywood Derby (G1).
Champion distaffer Midnight Bisou still holds the lead position with 23 first-place votes and 322 points while Mucho Gusto (257 points) remains stalwart in the second spot. By My Standards (1 first-place vote, 235 points) ranks third followed by Zulu Alpha (1 first-place vote, 157 points) and multiple Grade 1-winner Ce Ce (141 points).
TOP THOROUGHBRED POLL
| HORSE | A-S | STATS | POINTS | PVS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MIDNIGHT BISOU (23) | 5-M | 1-0-1-0 | 322 | 1 |
| 2 | MUCHO GUSTO | 4-C | 2-1-0-0 | 257 | 2 |
| 3 | BY MY STANDARDS (1) | 4-C | 3-3-0-0 | 235 | 3 |
| 4 | ZULU ALPHA (1) | 7-G | 3-2-1-0 | 157 | 4 |
| 5 | CE CE | 4-F | 3-3-0-0 | 141 | 5 |
| 6 | MAXIMUM SECURITY (7) | 4-C | 1-1-0-0 | 127 | 6 |
| 7 | TOM'S D'ETAT (1) | 7-H | 1-1-0-0 | 115 | 7 |
| 8 | MONOMOY GIRL | 5-M | 1-1-0-0 | 100 | 8 |
| 9 | WHITMORE | 7-G | 3-2-1-0 | 50 | 9 |
| 10 | RAGING BULL | 5-H | 1-1-0-0 | 46 | - |
Other horses receiving votes: MR FREEZE (45), UNITED (30), WARRIOR’S CHARGE (26), TIZ THE LAW-1 (23), CODE OF HONOR (22), OWENDALE (22), MCKINZIE (19), UNI (16), DUNBAR ROAD (14), STARSHIP JUBILEE (13), KEEPER OFTHE STARS (13), MIND CONTROL (12), NADAL (9), SISTERCHARLIE (9), MIA MISCHIEF (8), VEKOMA (7), CHARLATAN (6), HARD NOT TO LOVE (5), SHARING (5), SERENGETI EMPRESS (5), COMBATANT (3), HIGHER POWER (3), JOLIE OLIMPICA (2), SWISS SKYDIVER (1), SPUN TO RUN (1), BELLAFINA (1).