Following his scintillating neck win over Geaux Rocket Ride in the 1 1/4-mile Pacific Classic (G1) at Del Mar Sept. 2, Arabian Knight soared into the latest National Thoroughbred Racing Association Top Thoroughbred poll.
Previously ranked 34th, the son of Uncle Mo has been nothing short of impressive dating to his maiden win on Breeders’ Cup weekend at Keeneland last year. He comes in at No. 7 this week.
Since winning on first asking, the Bob Baffert-trained Arabian Knight is 2-0-1 from three starts—all in graded company.
Even his rival in the Pacific Classic was impressive enough to join Arabian Knight in this week’s NTRA poll. Geaux Rocket Ride was not as far out of the top 10 as Arabian Knight was, but with there having been generally little movement among the horses, a move from 12 to nine is noteworthy nonetheless.
Despite the near-miss at Del Mar, the son of Candy Ride has had a strong first campaign. He’s 3-2-0 from five starts, with a win in the Haskell Stakes (G1) the highlight.
Not to be overshadowed is the news of a new top Thoroughbred.
Previously ranked second, Arcangelo is still riding the momentum of his win in the Travers Stakes (G1) and unseated Cody’s Wish . Arcangelo received 18 first-place votes while Cody’s Wish has eight. Four others also tallied first-place votes: No. 3 Elite Power (1), No. 4 Echo Zulu (2), No. 5 White Abarrio (2), and No. 8 Up to the Mark (1).
The latest poll covers racing performances through Sept. 4. Full rankings can be found online.
Leave feedback about this