Game Winner Joins Breeders' Cup Classic Rankings Top 10
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Photo: GARY TASICH
Game Winner wins the Los Alamitos Derby at Los Alamitos Race Course
Gary and Mary West's 2018 Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Game Winner rose to No. 8 in the latest Breeders' Cup Classic Rankings following his commanding five-length victory in Saturday's Los Alamitos Derby (G3). Trained by Bob Baffert, Game Winner (53 votes), making his first start since finishing fifth in the Kentucky Derby (G1), joins stablemate and top ranked 4-year-old McKinzie (214 votes), owned by Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman, in the Top 10 for the first time.
Godolphin's 5-year-old Dubai World Cup (G1) winner Thunder Snow (IRE) (175 votes) has maintained the No. 2 slot in the rankings since the poll began six weeks ago. Trained by Saeed bin Suroor, Thunder Snow finished second in the Metropolitan Handicap (G1) at Belmont Park on June 8 in his most recent start.
Charles Fipke's 6-year-old homebred Seeking the Soul (135) votes), winner of the Stephen Foster (G2), improved one spot to third place this week, followed by Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable's 4-year-old Gold Cup at Santa Anita (G1) winner Vino Rosso (128 votes) in fourth.
Both Vino Rosso, trained by Todd Pletcher, and McKinzie, are expected to start the Aug. 3 "Win and You're In" Whitney (G1) at Saratoga, which will be televised live on NBCSN as a part of the "Breeders" Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In—Presented by America's Best Racing."
Centennial Farm's 6-year-old Preservationist (117 votes), winner of the Suburban (G2) at Belmont Park on July 6, is in fifth place, followed by Robert LaPenta, Madaket Stables, Siena Farm and Twin Creeks Racing Stables' 4-year-old Catholic Boy (90 votes), in sixth.
Hronis Racing's 6-year-old Santa Anita Handicap (G1) winner Gift Box (77 votes) is in seventh place, followed by Game Winner. Fox Hill Farms' 3-year-old Omaha Beach (44 votes), winner of the Arkansas Derby (G1), drops one spot to ninth place.
Salomon Del Valle's 5-year-old Gunnevera (43 votes), runner-up in last year's Breeders' Cup Classic (G1), rounds out the Top 10.
The Breeders' Cup Classic Rankings, a weekly rating of the top 10 horses in contention for the $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) at Santa Anita Park, November 2, 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 October 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—July 16, 2019 *
|
Rank |
Horse |
Total Votes |
First-Place Votes |
Previous Week |
|
1 |
McKinzie |
214 |
13 |
1 |
|
2 |
Thunder Snow (IRE) |
175 |
4 |
2 |
|
3 |
Seeking the Soul |
135 |
1 |
4 |
|
4 |
Vino Rosso |
128 |
2 |
4 |
|
5 |
Preservationist |
117 |
0 |
3 |
|
6 |
Catholic Boy |
90 |
1 |
6 |
|
7 |
Gift Box |
77 |
0 |
7 |
|
8 |
Game Winner |
53 |
1 |
15 |
|
9 |
Omaha Beach |
44 |
1 |
8 |
|
10 |
Gunnevera |
43 |
1 |
9 |
*Note—The Breeders' Cup Classic Rankings have no official bearing on qualification or selection into the Breeders' Cup Classic.