Journalism Cracks the Top 10 in the NTRA Poll After His Victory at Del Mar

The winner of the San Diego Handicap made a major move in the poll conducted by the American racing press; Magnitude remains out front, with Nysos standing as the sole rival to garner first-place votes, while Forever Young and Golden Tempo stay separated by just a single point

LEXINGTON, Kentucky (Special for Turf Diario).- The solid victory achieved last weekend in the San Diego Handicap (G2) allowed Journalism to continue gaining ground in the race for the Horse of the Year title in the United States. The son of Curlin broke into the Top 10 this week in the poll conducted by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) among the specialized press to evaluate the performance of the top thoroughbreds of the season.

A winner of multiple G1 events, Journalism was looking at Del Mar for his first stakes success of the year after finishing third in both the Metropolitan Handicap (G1) and the Oaklawn Handicap (G2).

The victory did not come easy. The heavy favorite broke noticeably slow and found himself last among the five runners, about four lengths off the pace during the opening stages. However, Umberto Rispoli kept his composure, gradually settled him, and, after making steady progress throughout the run, took control upon hitting the stretch to prevail by three-quarters of a length.

With that result, Journalism brought his record to 7 wins from 14 starts, boosting his earnings past the $4.77 million mark while further bolstering his credentials for the major upcoming targets on the calendar.

At the top of the rankings, there were a few minor shifts without altering the overall picture. Magnitude (Not This Time) continues to lead comfortably with 26 first-place votes, while Nysos (Nyquist) remains in second as the only other horse to receive top votes.

Further back, Japanese contender Forever Young (Real Steel) reclaimed third position, edging out Golden Tempo(Curlin) by just a single point, while Sovereignty (Into Mischief) moved up to fifth in place of Baeza (McKinzie).

With Journalism's entry into the Top 10, the fight for leadership in the U.S. standings continues to gather momentum with several of the season's marquee events still ahead, including the Pacific Classic (G1), the Travers Stakes (G1), and, naturally, the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1)—set for Saturday, October 31 at Keeneland—where the battle for the top year-end honors will likely be settled once and for all.