Maximum Security back in top 5 of NTRA poll
Champion Maximum Security, who led the National Thoroughbred Racing Association Top Thoroughbred Poll in early March, has moved back into the top five of the rankings this week following his victory in the Grade 2 San Diego Handicap at Del Mar on July 25.
In his first start since taking the $20 million Saudi Cup on Feb. 29, Maximum Security showed his grit when he prevailed by a nose over Midcourt in the 1 1/16-mile San Diego Handicap. That effort -- which was also his first since joining the barn of Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert -- earned the 2019 Eclipse Award-winner for champion 3-year-old male two first-place votes and 228 points this week, moving him from 10th to fourth overall in the poll standings.
Zulu Alpha (158 points) sits behind Maximum Security in the fifth position, followed by Monomoy Girl, the champion 3-year-old filly of 2018, in sixth with one first-place vote and 129 points. By My Standards, who is also slated to start in the Whitney, is seventh with 113 points while top-ranked sophomore Tiz the Law is eighth with two first-place votes and 112 points. Mucho Gusto (92 points) and Code of Honor (one first-place vote, 83 points) round out the top 10.
Top Three-Year-Old Poll
Blue Grass Stakes (G2) winner Art Collector (254 points) and Los Alamitos Derby victor Uncle Chuck (150) sit fourth and fifth, respectively, with Haskell runner-up Ny Traffic (129) in sixth. King Guillermo, winner of the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby, ranks seventh with 117 points, followed by leading sophomore fillies Gamine (107 points) and Swiss Skydiver. Dr Post (100 points) completes the top 10.
| HORSE | A-S | STATS | POINTS | PVS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MIDNIGHT BISOU (22) | 5-M | 2-1-1-0 | 365 | 1 |
| 2 | TOM'S D'ETAT (10) | 7-H | 2-2-0-0 | 335 | 2 |
| 3 | VEKOMA (2) | 4-C | 3-3-0-0 | 294 | 3 |
| 4 | MAXIMUM SECURITY (2) | 4-C | 2-2-0-0 | 228 | 10 |
| 5 | ZULU ALPHA | 7-G | 4-3-1-0 | 158 | 4 |
| 6 | MONOMOY GIRL (1) | 5-M | 2-2-0-0 | 129 | 5 |
| 7 | BY MY STANDARDS | 4-C | 4-3-1-0 | 113 | 6 |
| 8 | TIZ THE LAW (2) | 3-C | 3-3-0-0 | 112 | 8 |
| 9 | MUCHO GUSTO | 4-C | 2-1-0-0 | 92 | 7 |
| 10 | CODE OF HONOR (1) | 4-C | 2-1-0-1 | 83 | 9 |