From a National Thoroughbred Racing Association release

American Pharoah, the likely Kentucky Derby favorite and last year’s Eclipse Award winner as Champion 2-Year-Old Male, remains the leader of his division in the latest NTRA Top 3-Year-Old Poll, results of which were released today. There was very little movement from the previous week among the top 10 as the Kentucky Derby contenders have already run their final races prior the world’s most famous race on May 2.

American Pharoah earned 22 first-place votes and 396 points overall, edging out his undefeated stablemate Dortmund, who tallied 18 first-place votes and 393 points. The top 10 was rounded out by Carpe Diem (1 first-place vote, 338 points), International Star (1, 240), Materiality (215), Frosted (212), Firing Line (197), Upstart (129), Far Right (58) and El Kabeir (40). Frosted moved up one spot, ahead of Firing Line, representing the only changes from the prior week’s top 10.

Eligible media cast votes for their top 10 horses, with points awarded on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. The NTRA Top 3-Year-Old Poll is conducted weekly through the Monday following the Belmont Stakes.

In the concurrent NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll open to horses of all ages, Shared Belief held onto the top spot with 27 first-place votes and 365 points overall despite not finishing in Saturday’s $1.5 million Charles Town Classic (G2) due to a stifle injury sustained during the race. This is the first time in 2015 that Shared Belief has not been a unanimous number one. California Chrome, the 2014 Horse of the Year, checked in second with five first-place votes and 336 points. Others receiving first-place votes: Constitution (3); American Pharoah (3); Dortmund (2); Bayern (1), the 2014 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner who is unraced this year but has been working steadily at Santa Anita; and the filly Untapable (1).

One of the nation’s richest Thoroughbred races, the Charles Town Classic was won by Moreno, who moved into ninth in the poll on the basis of his upset score.

American Pharoah and Dortmund, both trained by three-time Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Bob Baffert, remain the only 3-year-olds to have cracked the top 10 in the Top Thoroughbreds poll.

Scored following the same points system as the Top 3-Year-Old Poll, the Top Thoroughbred Poll is conducted weekly through the Monday following the Breeders’ Cup World Championships.

[columns] [column width=”one-half”]

NTRA TOP THOROUGHBRED POLL

  1. Shared Belief
  2. California Chrome
  3. Honor Code
  4. Main Sequence
  5. Constitution
  6. American Pharoah
  7. Dortmund
  8. Lea
  9. Moreno
  10. Bayern[/column]
[column width=”one-half”]

NTRA TOP 3-YEAR-OLD POLL

  1. American Pharoah
  2. Dortmund
  3. Carpe Diem
  4. International Star
  5. Materiality
  6. Frosted
  7. Firing Line
  8. Upstart
  9. Far Right
  10. El Kabeir[/column]
[/columns]

Note: The Racing Biz writers Nick Hahn and Frank Vespe are voters in the NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll.