Forever Young closes in on Sovereignty's lead in the NTRA poll
The Japanese superstar climbed to second place after capturing the Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes (G1) and secured the highest number of first-place votes in the poll. Sovereignty retains top billing by a narrow 12-point margin, while Knightsbridge rounds out the top three
ELMONT, New York (Special for Turf Diario).— Forever Young scored once again in the United States, and the impact of his return is already reverberating through the rankings. His victory in the Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes(G1), during the grand reopening of Belmont Park, propelled him to second place in the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) weekly Top 10 poll, significantly narrowing the gap on Sovereignty (Into Mischief), who narrowly retains top billing.
The Susumu Fujita representative, conditioned by Yoshito Yahagi, earned 250 points and, more notably, secured the highest number of first-place votes in the poll: 13, compared to the 12 garnered by Sovereignty.
However, when totaling the complete ballots from the 30 panel members, the reigning American champion held onto the top spot with 262 points.
The margin is now down to just 12 points with little more than a month remaining until the Breeders’ Cup Classic(G1), scheduled for October 31 at Keeneland.
The poll results take on added intrigue given that Yahagi himself acknowledged that Forever Young was not yet at peak fitness when capturing the Jockey Club Gold Cup. The son of Real Steel was making his first start in nearly six months, drawing away to a 3 1/4-length victory to mark his second win on American soil, following his triumph in the 2025 Breeders’ Cup Classic.
Sovereignty, meanwhile, was forced to skip the anticipated clash at Belmont due to a foot issue. The Bill Mott trainee, last year's Horse of the Year, retains the No. 1 spot largely on the strength of a campaign highlighted by his victory in the Whitney Stakes (G1) on August 8.
The NTRA poll carries a broader scope than a simple Breeders’ Cup Classic division ranking, seeking to reflect the overall standing of top Thoroughbreds in active training ahead of year-end honors, including Horse of the Year.
For that reason, Forever Young's ascent carries implications that reach far beyond his next start at Keeneland.
Knightsbridge (Nyquist), winner of the Pacific Classic Stakes (G1) and also trained by Mott, remains steady in third with two first-place votes. Close behind sits Nitrogen (Medaglia D'Oro), the highest-ranked female in the poll, who returns this Friday in the Beldame Stakes (G2) after finishing runner-up to Sovereignty in the Whitney.
Fifth position belongs to Magnitude (Not This Time), hero of the Dubai World Cup (G1), who collected three first-place votes.
Among other notable moves over the past week was the rise of Notable Speech (Dubawi), recent winner of the Woodbine Mile Stakes (G1). The Godolphin runner swapped positions with Golden Tempo (Curlin), winner of both the Kentucky Derby (G1) and the Belmont Stakes (G1), moving up to seventh and dropping the sophomore colt to eighth.
Outside the top ten, another significant addition surfaced.
The Puma (Essential Quality), who captured his maiden G1 victory last Saturday in the Pennsylvania Derby at Parx Racing, surged to 15th position. The Gustavo Delgado trainee is now rated as the fifth highest-ranked 3-year-old colt, trailing only Englishman (Maxfield), Golden Tempo, Leading Change (Gun Runner), and Napoleon Solo (Liam's Map).
The rankings set up a compelling narrative for the coming weeks. Forever Young holds the edge in first-place votes, but Sovereignty maintains a razor-thin advantage in overall points. Both target the Breeders’ Cup Classic, keeping alive the showdown that proved elusive at Belmont.
Yahagi expects an even sharper version of Forever Young next time out. The NTRA voters, however, have already found plenty of reason to put him virtually on par with Sovereignty.
