Fierceness Remains on Top in NTRA, Breeders' Cup Polls

With a quiet weekend in racing for the current leaders and both of Woodbine's grade 1s for older horses ending in upsets, there was not much movement in Week 34 of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association's Top Thoroughbred Poll. The poll represents leading contenders for the coveted Eclipse Award as Horse of the Year.

Repole Stable's Fierceness has quietly grown his advantage in the number 1 spot following his Aug. 24 triumph over Thorpedo Anna in the Travers Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course. In the first poll voted on by national media following that race, the pair were tied with 285 points, Fierceness receiving the tie-breaker with two more first-place votes.

Now, last year's Eclipse champion 2-year-old male has stretched his lead to 10 points, receiving 17 first-place votes to Thorpedo Anna's eight. Thorpedo Anna returns Sept. 21, the only Top 10 member racing this weekend, in the $1 million Cotillion Stakes (G1) at Parx Racing. 

Other changes to the leaderboard came in a swap of positions for Idiomatic and Dornoch , now ranked seventh and eighth, respectively, and The Chosen Vron rejoining in 10th after getting bumped out last week. Next, who was 10th last week and 11th this week, also runs at Parx Saturday in the Greenwood Cup (G3).

Further down the list, Iroquois Stakes (G3) winner Jonathan's Way became the first 2-year-old this year to appear in the poll, receiving four points to tie him in 31st place.

Fiercess similarly leads the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic rankings distributed Sept. 17. Those rankings appear below.

  *Breeders’ Cup Classic Rankings have no bearing on qualification or selection into the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1).