Arcangelo in an August 6 work. (Susie Raisher)
Breeders’ Cup Press Release
LEXINGTON, Ky. ― Blue Rose Farm’s Arcangelo extended his lead in the Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic Rankings to four straight weeks, while fellow 3-year-olds Geaux Rocket Ride and Arabian Knight maintain the second and third-place positions. The Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic Rankings are a weekly rating of the top 10 horses in contention for the $6 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1), which will be run Nov. 4 at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California.
Arcangelo, who won the Belmont Stakes (G1) and the Travers Stakes (G1), registered 330 votes, including 23 first-place votes through Week #10 of the poll. Pin Oak Stud LLC’s Geaux Rocket Ride, runner-up in the FanDuel Racing Pacific Classic (G1), holds onto second place with 266 votes. Zedan Racing Stables, Inc.’s Pacific Classic winner Arabian Knightis in third place with 262 votes.
C2 Racing Stable, LLC, and La Milagrosa Stable, LLC’s Whitney Stakes (G1) winner White Abarrio is fourth with 259 votes. Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable’s Forte, second in the Belmont and winner of the Jim Dandy Stakes (G2),ranks fifth with 186 votes. Godolphin’s 5-year-old Proxy, second in the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1),moved up one spot to sixth place with 135 votes, and is followed by Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable’s Jockey Club Gold Cup winner Bright Future, who is seventh with 129 votes.
Mage, winner of the Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (G1), is eighth with 68 votes. Ryotokuji Kenji Holdings Co. Ltd.’s Ushba Tesoro (JPN), winner of the Dubai World Cup (G1), is in ninth place with 65 votes, and is followed in 10th place by Jeff Drown’s 4-year-old Zandon, runner-up in the Whitney, who has 51 votes.
The Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic Rankings are determined by a panel of leading Thoroughbred racing media, horseplayers, and members of the Breeders’ Cup Racing Directors/Secretaries Panel. Rankings will be announced each week through Oct. 10. A list of voting members can be found here.
In the Breeders’ Cup Classic Rankings, each voter rates horses on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 system in descending order.
Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic Rankings – Sept. 19, 2023*
| Rank | Horse | Votes | First-Place Votes | Previous Week |
| 1 | Arcangelo | 330 | 23 | 1 |
| 2 | Geaux Rocket Ride | 266 | 1 | 2 |
| 3 | Arabian Knight | 262 | 4 | 3 |
| 4 | White Abarrio | 259 | 4 | 4 |
| 5 | Forte | 186 | 1 | 5 |
| 6 | Proxy | 135 | 0 | 7 |
| 7 | Bright Future | 129 | 0 | 6 |
| 8 | Mage | 68 | 0 | 9 |
| 9 | Ushba Tesoro (JPN) | 65 | 2 | 8 |
| 10 | Zandon | 51 | 0 | 10 |
*Note – The Breeders’ Cup Classic Rankings have no bearing on qualification or selection into the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
The 2023 Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic, which will be run at 1 1/4 miles on the main track at Santa Anita, is limited to 14 starters. The race will be broadcast live on NBC and Peacock.
