NTRA poll: Belmont winner Golden Tempo debuts in top 10
Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes winner Golden Tempo debuted in the National Thoroughbred Racing Association's top Thoroughbred poll at no. 6, the lone new face in the top 10 of the week 21 rankings released Monday. The Cherie DeVaux-trained colt collected 110 points and one first-place vote after his last-to-first score in the Belmont Stakes on June 6 at Saratoga, his second Triple Crown race win after he passed the Preakness Stakes.
Nysos held no. 1 with 13 first-place votes and a poll-high 281 points. Magnitude stayed second with 11 first-place votes and 273 points, and White Abarrio held third with five first-place votes and 262 points. Sovereignty, the 2025 Belmont winner, ranked fourth with 208 points, and Japan's Forever Young placed fifth with 112 points – two points clear of Golden Tempo.
Book 'Em Danno, Deterministic and Skippylongstocking filled spots seven through nine. Nitrogen, the reigning champion 3-year-old filly now racing at 4, stood as the only distaff in the top 10 at no. 10. The Mark Casse-trained daughter of Medaglia d'Oro earned the spot off a 12 3/4-length romp in the Ogden Phipps (G1) on June 5 at Saratoga, one of her two wins from four starts this year.
Top Thoroughbred poll
| Place | Horse | Age-Sex | Record | Points | Pvs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nysos (13) | 5-H | 2: 1-1-0 | 281 | 1 |
| 2 | Magnitude (11) | 4-C | 2: 2-0-0 | 273 | 2 |
| 3 | White Abarrio (5) | 7-H | 2: 1-1-0 | 262 | 3 |
| 4 | Sovereignty (1) | 4-C | 1: 0-1-0 | 208 | 4 |
| 5 | Forever Young | 5-H | 2: 1-1-0 | 112 | 5 |
| 6 | Golden Tempo (1) | 3-C | 5: 3-0-2 | 110 | 11 |
| 7 | Book 'Em Danno | 5-G | 2: 1-1-0 | 96 | 6 |
| 8 | Deterministic | 5-H | 2: 2-0-0 | 88 | 7 |
| 9 | Skippylongstocking | 7-H | 3: 2-1-0 | 67 | 8 |
| 10 | Nitrogen | 4-F | 4: 2-1-1 | 65 | 9 |
Others receiving votes: Burnham Square (60), Journalism (23), Englishman (19), Baeza (14), Knightsbridge (14), Splendora (13), Corporate Power (11), Formidable Man (9), Lagynos (8), Notable Speech (7), T O Elvis (5), Ways and Means (5), Reef Runner (3), Cornucopian (2), Rhetorical (2), Counting Stars (2) and Renegade (1).
Week 21 of the 2026 NTRA top Thoroughbred poll conducted by the NTRA, covering racing performances through June 14. Voting is conducted by national media.
The top Thoroughbred poll represents horses competing for horse of the year and concludes on Tuesday, Nov. 3, after the Breeders' Cup world championships.