Knicks Go Remains No. 1 in BC Classic Rankings

Knicks Go , winner of this year's Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) and Whitney Stakes (G1), stayed atop the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic Rankings, while two of last week's Breeders' Cup Challenge Series winners, Tripoli  and Mishriff , moved into the top 10.

The Longines Breeders' Cup Classic Rankings is a weekly poll of the top 10 horses in contention for the $6 million Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1). This year's Classic will be run Nov. 6  at Del Mar.

The 5-year-old Knicks Go, owned by Korea Racing Authority and trained by Brad Cox, received 307 votes, maintaining the top spot for the third consecutive week.

Godolphin's 3-year-old Essential Quality , winner of the Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1) and Jim Dandy Stakes (G2), is in second place with 273 votes. Also trained by Cox, Essential Quality is expected to run in the Aug. 28 Runhappy Travers Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course.

The 4-year-old Maxfield , also owned by Godolphin, is in third place with 254 votes. Trained by Brendan Walsh, Maxfield earned a free berth into the Classic when he won the Stephen Foster Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs in June.

Three-year-old Hot Rod Charlie , owned by Boat Racing, Gainesway Stable, Roadrunner Racing, and William Strauss and trained by Doug O'Neill, is in fourth place with 204 votes.

Hronis Racing's 4-year-old Tripoli jumped into the top 10 for the first time off a sparkling win in the TVG Pacific Classic (G1) at Del Mar. The victory gave Tripoli an automatic berth into the Classic. Trained by John Sadler, Tripoli is in fifth place with 125 votes.

St. George Stable's 5-year-old mare Letruska  dropped one spot to sixth place with 107 votes. Letruska, trained by Fausto Gutierrez, has won four of five starts this year, including the Ogden Phipps Stakes (G1) at Belmont Park and the Fleur de Lis Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs, both of which are races that awarded berths in the Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1). 

Prince A A Faisal's 4-year-old Mishriff was another "Win and You're In" qualifier for the Classic last week when he captured the Juddmonte International (G1) on turf at York Racecourse in England. Trained by John and Thady Gosden, Mishriff, who is in seventh place with 95 votes, also won the Saudi Cup on dirt and the Longines Dubai Sheema Classic (G1) on turf this year.

Winchell Thoroughbreds and Willis Horton Racing's 4-year-old Silver State  slipped two spots, from sixth to eighth place, with 70 votes. Trained by Steve Asmussen, Silver State won his first four races of 2021 before finishing third in the Whitney.

George Hall and SportBLX Thoroughbreds Corp.'s 4-year-old Max Player , also trained by Asmussen, dropped from eighth to ninth place with 63 votes. Max Player won the Suburban Stakes (G2) at Belmont Park in July.

Another runner moving into the top 10 for the first time is the undefeated 3-year-old Life Is Good . Owned by China Horse Club and WinStar Farm, Life Is Good won both the Sham Stakes (G3) and the San Felipe Stakes (G2) before being sidelined with an ankle injury in the spring. Now back in training, Life Is Good is in 10th place with 58 votes.

Longines Breeders' Cup Classic Rankings—Aug. 24, 2021*

*Note: The Longines Breeders' Cup Classic Rankings have no bearing on qualification or selection into the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic.