Nyquist leads the NTRA Top 3-year-old Poll
Nyquist is the valedictorian of the 2016 Triple Crown class. NTRA Top 3-Year-Old Poll hands him his diploma. From now on Nyquist and his classmates will vie for votes with the “big” horses.
Despite having a Triple Crown series that began with winning the Kentucky Derby and ended with missing the Belmont Stakes because of fever, Nyquist remains the leading 3-year-old according to the National Thoroughbred Racing Association’s (NTRA) weekly poll*. Nyquist’s undefeated record through to and including the Derby swayed the voters in his favor.
The NTRA explains, “The Top 3-Year-Old Poll is the sport’s most comprehensive survey of experts ranking the generation of Thoroughbreds that includes all Triple Crown contenders. Every week as many as 50 eligible journalists and broadcasters cast votes for their top 10 horses.”
Exaggerator placed a well-earned second in the poll. His consistency before and obvious brilliance in the Preakness earned the respect of the NTRA voting colony that placed him second despite his off-key performance in the Belmont on Saturday.
Not quite corresponding to their first and second placings in the Belmont Stakes, Creator and Destin stand third and fifth in the poll. Creator’s late drive to cross the wire barely a nostril ahead of Destin, with Lani, stride by stride, gaining on the duo, made the finale of the 2016 Belmont Stakes a finish never forgotten.
Songbird is fourth on the NTRA poll. She came up with a fever and scratched from the Kentucky Oaks. Undefeated as a 2-year-old and 3-year-old, Songbird is one of a string of monster female runners that’s been developed on the West Coast. The records of Zenyatta and Beholder light her way.
The poll’s spots six through ten go to Gun Runner, Mohaymen, Carina Mia, Lani and Unified.
Starting next week, the NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll will include all runners, from war-horses like California Chrome to young sensations like Nyquist. Later in the year, if any of the 2-year-old crop merit the attention, they are eligible too. The last NTRA poll is held the Monday after the Breeders’ Cup in November.
The NTRA Top 3-Year-Olds for 2016 are:
- Nyquist
- Exaggerator
- Creator
- Songbird
- Destin
- Gun Runner
- Mohaymen
- Carina Mia
- Lani
- Unified
*Writer Liz O’Connell is a voter on the NTRA polls.
For more horse racing news, check out our hub page.