Preservationist prevalent in new Breeders' Cup Classic Rankings

Centennial Farm’s 6-year-old Preservationist, a gritty half-length winner of the Woodward Stakes (G1) on Saturday at Saratoga, soared back into the Top 10 in the latest Breeders’ Cup Classic Rankings, claiming the No. 3 position, while Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman’s 4-year-old McKinzie, holds the top spot.

Preservationist, a bay son of Arch trained by Jimmy Jerkens, captured his fourth race in six starts this year with his Woodward win. Splitting rivals in the final yards under Junior Alvarado to prevail over Bal Harbour and Yoshida, Preservationist completed the 1 1/8 miles in 1:48.11 over a fast track. The Woodward triumph followed a fourth-place finish in the Whitney (G1) on Aug. 3. Preservationist also captured the Suburban Stakes (G2) at Belmont Park on July 6.

The 4-year-old McKinzie has been the No. 1 horse in the Classic Rankings for 13 consecutive weeks. Trained by Bob Baffert, McKinzie has won the Alysheba (G2) at Churchill Downs and the Whitney at Saratoga this year. Godolphin’s two-time Dubai World Cup (G1) winner Thunder Snow remained second.

Following Preservationist in third are the two highest rated 3-year-olds in the Classic Rankings: William S. Farish’s Code of Honor, who won the Travers Stakes (G1), remains in fourth place, with Gary and Mary West’s TVG.com Haskell Invitational (G1) winner Maximum Security rounding out the Top 5.

WinStar Farm and Head of Plains Partners’ 5-year-old Yoshida dropped three places to sixth after his third-place finish in the Woodward. Hronis Racing’s TVG Pacific Classic (G1) winner Higher Power slipped one spot into seventh place. There was also a tie this week for eighth place between Robert LaPenta, Madaket Stables, Siena Farm and Twin Creeks Racing Stables’ 4-year-old Catholic Boy and Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable’s 4-year-old Vino Rosso.

Gary and Mary West’s Game Winner, the 2018 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile champion, falls from eighth to 10th place this week.

The Breeders’ Cup  Classic Rankings, a weekly rating of the top 10 horses in contention for the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic Nov. 2 at Santa Anita Park, are determined by a panel of leading Thoroughbred  racing media, horseplayers and members of the Breeders’ Cup Racing Directors/Secretaries Panel. Rankings are announced each week through Oct. 15 and can be found on the Breeders’ Cup website along with the list of voting members.

In the Breeders’ Cup Classic Rankings, each voter ranks horses by assigning their allotted votes on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 system in descending order.

Breeders’ Cup Classic Rankings Top 10 – Sept. 3, 2019 *