Eclipse Award Champion Forte (outside) works 4 furlongs in :50.50 alongside stablemate Bright Future at Saratoga on Saturday, August 19 (Susie Raisher)
Travers Stakes Expected Next Start for NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll No. 7 Forte
NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll – August 21, 2023
NTRA Release/Maribeth Kalinich
Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable’s Forte has been prepping for a start in the Grade 1 Travers on Saturday, August 26 at Saratoga.
After his victory in the Grade 2 Jim Dandy, Forte has risen into the top ten in the NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll to number seven.
The Violence colt won his debut and then proceeded to win all but two starts in all graded stakes taking four Grade 1s, two Grade 2s and finishing second in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes and fourth in the Grade 3 Sanford.
LRE Racing LLC and JEH Racing Stable LLC’s Casa Creed rose to the top ten in position number eight of the Poll last week with his exciting victory for trainer Bill Mott in the Grade 1 Fourstardave Handicap on the turf at Saratoga Race Course Saturday.
Juddmonte’s Elite Power went to the top of the Poll also for trainer Mott based on his victory by a head over Gunite in the Grade 1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap at Saratoga.
Godolphin’s Cody’s Wish remains a strong second with his third-place performance in the Grade 1 Whitney where he was leaning on the right side of the stall a bit unprepared for the start when the latch was sprung and lost his hind footing skidding out of the gate and conceding three to four lengths to the front before settling into stride. Trainer Mott is one, two in the Poll.
The lovely Todd Pletcher trainee Nest sits in third for owners Repole Stable, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Michael House. The Curlin filly won the Grade 2 Shuvee over rival Clairiere who sits at number six.
Nest and Clairiere will meet up again in the Grade 1 Personal Ensign on Friday, August 25 at Saratoga.
C Two Racing Stable and Antonio Pagnano’s Grade 1 Whitney champ White Abarrio is in the number four position for his new trainer Rick Dutrow, Jr., in his first stakes win at Saratoga since being reinstated.
Up to the Mark, owned by Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable and also trained by Pletcher, rounds out the top five for his Grade 1 Manhattan score.
Week 30 of the 2023 NTRA Top Three-Year-Old Thoroughbred Poll and the NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll conducted by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), covering racing performances through August 20. Voting is conducted by national media.
The Top Thoroughbred poll represents horses competing for Horse of the Year. The Top Thoroughbred Poll concludes on Tuesday, November 7 following the Breeders’ Cup World Championships.
TOP THOROUGHBRED POLL
| HORSE | A-S | STATS | POINTS | PVS | |
| 1 | ELITE POWER (26) | 5-H | 3-3-0-0 | 322 | 1 |
| 2 | CODY’S WISH (6) | 5-H | 3-2-0-1 | 256 | 2 |
| 3 | NEST | 4-F | 1-1-0-0 | 230 | 3 |
| 4 | WHITE ABARRIO | 4-C | 4-2-0-1 | 168 | 4 |
| 5 | UP TO THE MARK | 4-C | 5-4-0-1 | 149 | 5 |
| 6 | CLAIRIERE | 5-M | 4-2-2-0 | 140 | 6 |
| 7 | FORTE (1) | 3-C | 4-3-1-0 | 117 | 7 |
| 8 | CASA CREED | 7-H | 4-2-1-1 | 85 | 8 |
| 9T | IN ITALIAN | 5-M | 3-2-1-0 | 41 | 9 |
| 9T | GOODNIGHT OLIVE | 5-M | 3-2-0-1 | 41 | 10T |
Other horses receiving votes: Geaux Rocket Ride (30), Gunite (28), Arcangelo (26), Pretty Mischievous (16), Caravel (15), Set Piece (12), Rattle N Roll (12), Arabian Lion (11), Zandon (9), Echo Zulu (8), New York Thunder (6), Proxy (5), Defunded (5), Adare Manor (3), Art Collector (3), Next (3), Prince Of Monaco (2), The Chosen Vron (2), Anisette (1), Maple Leaf Mel (1), Randomized (1), Senor Buscador (1)
Rankings on both polls are on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-1 basis with first place votes in parentheses, 2023 record and total points. A-S: Age-Sex, Sex: C-colt, G-gelding, H-horse, F-filly, M-mare, R-ridgling.
