Mucho Gusto, Tiz the Law Hold Top Spots on NTRA Polls

With light graded stakes action taking place this past weekend, there was relatively little shifting in the respective top 10 positions in both the National Thoroughbred Racing Association Top Thoroughbred Poll and NTRA Top 3-Year-Old Poll.

The Bob Baffert-trained Mucho Gusto, winner of the Jan. 25 Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes Presented by Runhappy (G1), earned 16 first-place votes and 300 points overall to hold the lead position in the Top Thoroughbred Poll for a second straight week. The son of Mucho Macho Man  is slated to start Feb. 29 in the inaugural running of the $20 million Saudi Cup where he will face, among others, the three horses who occupy the next trio of spots behind him in the poll.

Sackatoga Stable's Tiz the Law leads the Top 3-Year-Old Poll with 24 first-place votes and 326 points following his season-opening triumph in the Feb. 1 Holy Bull Stakes (G3). The son of Constitution  captured the Champagne Stakes (G1) last October and suffered his lone blemish in four career starts when he finished third in the Nov. 30 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2).

NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll

Rank, Horse, Points (first-place votes)

1. Mucho Gusto    300 (16)

2. Maximum Security    287 (14)

3. Midnight Bisou    269 (5)

4. McKinzie    209

5. Zulu Alpha    148

6. Covfefe    112

7. Code of Honor    97

8. Firenze Fire    62

9. Silver Dust    51

10. Hard Not to Love    44

NTRA Top 3-Year-Old Poll

Rank, Horse, Points (first-place votes)

1. Tiz the Law    326 (24)

2. Thousand Words    246 (5)

3. Nadal    191 (2)

4. Sole Volante    160

5. Authentic    148

6. Dennis' Moment    144

7. Mr. Monomoy    139

8. Silver Prospector    95 (2)

9. Maxfield    84 (1)

10. Independence Hall    81