Mystic Guide No. 1; see biggest movers in the NTRA poll
Godolphin’s 4-year-old Mystic Guide remained in first place in the latest National Thoroughbred Racing Association poll, but St. George Stable’s 5-year-old mare Letruska and Godolphin’s 4-year-old Maxfield moved up to second and third place, respectively, following dominating victories at Churchill Downs on Saturday.
Mystic Guide, trained by Mike Stidham, received 21 first-place votes and 313 points. On Saturday, Mystic Guide breezed 4 furlongs in 48.2 at Fair Hill in Maryland in preparation for the Suburban Stakes (G2) at Belmont Park on July 3.
A chestnut son of 2004 Horse of the Year Ghostzapper, Mystic Guide will be making his first start since winning the Dubai World Cup (G1) on March 27. Letruska, trained by Fausto Gutierrez, won Saturday’s Fleur de Lis (G2) by 5 3/4 lengths for her fourth win in five starts in 2021. A bay daughter of 2010 Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver, Letruska has two first-place votes and 268 points, moving from third to second place this week.
Equally impressive on Saturday was Maxfield, who swept to a powerful 3 1/4-length victory in the Stephen Foster Stakes (G2). A dark bay son of 2007 Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense, Maxfield jumped from seventh to third place in the poll.
Trained by Brandan Walsh, Maxfield increased his first-place votes from one to five this week, and has a total of 253 points. Winchell Thoroughbreds and Willis Horton Racing’s 4-year-old Silver State dropped from second to fourth place, registering one first-place vote and 229 points. Trained by Steve Asmussen, Silver State is unbeaten in four starts this year, including the Metropolitan Handicap (G1) at Belmont.
Klaravich Stables’ 4-year-old gelding Domestic Spending, the only turf horse in the top 10, is in fifth place with six first-place votes and 219 points. Trained by Chad Brown, Domestic spending won the Manhattan Stakes (G1) at Belmont on June 5.
Godolphin’s 3-year-old Essential Quality, winner of the Belmont Stakes, is in sixth place. Trained by Brad Cox, Essential Quality has one first-place vote and 185 points. Spendthrift Farm LLC and Madaket Stables’ 6-year-old Monomoy Girl, the 2020 older dirt female Eclipse Award winner, rose from ninth to seventh place, and has 87 points. The 4-year-old Gamine (109 points), last year’s champion female sprinter, trained by Bob Baffert, stayed in eighth place.
Korea Racing Stable’s Knicks Go (37 points), winner of the Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1), moved up one spot to ninth place. SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Stonestreet Stables, Frederick Hertrich III, John Fielding and Golconda Stables’ 4-year-old Charlatan (135 points), who finished second in the Saudi Cup (G1) for Bob Baffert, is in 10th place and received 32 votes. Charlatan has subsequently been retired.
NTRA National Thoroughbred Poll
HORSE A-S STATS POINTS PVS 1 MYSTIC GUIDE (21) 4-C 2-2-0-0 305 1 2 LETRUSKA (2) 5-M 5-4-1-0 268 3 3 MAXFIELD (5) 4-C 4-3-0-1 253 7 4 SILVER STATE 4-C 4-4-0-0 229 2 5 DOMESTIC SPENDING (6) 4-G 2-2-0-0 219 4 6 ESSENTIAL QUALITY (1) 3-C 4-3-0-0 185 5 7 MONOMOY GIRL 6-M 2-1-1-0 87 9 8 GAMINE 4-F 2-2-0-0 84 8 9 KNICKS GO 5-H 3-1-0-0 37 10 10 CHARLATAN 4-C 1-0-1-0 32 6