(Dornoch / Photo by Coady Media)

From the Breeders’ Cup Media Team:

DORNOCH REMAINS AT THE TOP OF THE LONGINES BREEDERS’ CUP CLASSIC RANKINGS

Son of Good Magic remains No. 1 in the poll of leading contenders for the $7 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic in Del Mar

LEXINGTON, Kentucky. (20 August 2024) ― Multiple Class 1 winner Dornoch maintained his lead in the Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic standings for the fourth consecutive week, receiving 282 votes.

Owned by West Paces Racing LLC, RA Hill Stable, Belmar Racing and Breeding, LLC, former Philadelphia Phillies All-Star Jayson Werth’s Two Eight Racing, LLC and Pine Racing Stables, the 3-year-old son of Good Magic, trained by Danny Gargan, is coming off back-to-back wins in the Belmont Stakes (G1) and Haskell Stakes (G1) and is seeking his third straight Grade 1 victory.

The Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic Rankings are a weekly evaluation of the top ten horses in the $7 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1), which will be run on November 2 at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, California.

Glassman Racing Arthur’s Ride retains second place with 231 votes. The 4-year-old Florida-born son of Tapit won the Whitney Stakes (G1) at Saratoga on August 3 for trainer Bill Mott and earned an automatic berth in the Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic via the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series: win and you’re in.

Forever Young (JPN)Winner of the UAE Derby sponsored by Atlantis the Royal (G2) and third in the Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (G1), moved up to third place this week with 201 votes for owner Susumu Fujita and trainer Yoshito Yahagi.

Winner of the Curlin Florida Derby (G1) and the Jim Dandy Stakes presented by Mohegan Sun (G2) by Repole StableWildness drops one position to fourth place with 198 votes for trainer Todd Pletcher. Fierceness is also entered in the Travers.

The 6-year-old winner of the Saudi Cup (G1) Mr Searcher jumped two places, from seventh to fifth, with 140 votes for trainer Todd Fincher and owner Peacock Family Racing Stable, LLC.

Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, Westerberg, Rocket Ship Racing, LLC, and Peter Brant’s 3-year-old Sierra Leone is in sixth place with 144 votes. Sierra Leone, trained by Chad Brown, second in the Kentucky Derby, third in the Belmont Stakes and second in the last Jim Dandy race, is also entered in the Travers.

The 4-year-old The National ShrineWinner of the Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1), is in seventh place with 142 votes for trainer Bob Baffert and owners SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Robert E. Masterson, Stonestreet Stables LLC, Jay A. Schoenfarber, Waves Edge Capital LLC and Catherine Donovan.

Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith’s 3-year-old City of Troywho won the Betfred Derby (G1) at Epsom and the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown (G1) for trainer Aidan O’Brien, remains eighth with 132 votes. City of Troy leads the field for Wednesday’s Juddmonte International Stakes (G1) at York, a Breeders’ Cup Challenge event for the Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic.

The 7-year-old Ushba Tesoro (JPN)Runner-up in the Saudi Cup and Dubai World Cup (G1), sponsored by Emirates Airlines (G1), rises to ninth place with 101 votes for trainer Noboru Takagi.

Back to the top 10 of 11^th Last week, 4-year-old Hiroyuki Asanuma took first place with 142 votes. Derma Sotogake (JPN)who finished second in last year’s Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic under trainer Hidetaka Otonashi.

In the Breeders’ Cup Classic Rankings, each voter rates the horses in descending order using a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 system.

The Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic Rankings are compiled by a panel of leading Thoroughbred racing media representatives, equestrians and members of the Breeders’ Cup Racing Directors/Secretaries Panel. The Rankings are announced each week until October 8. A list of voting members can be found here.

Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic Ranking – August 20, 2024*

Rank	Horse	Voices	Votes for the first place winners	Previous week
1	Dornoch	282	14	1
2	Arthur’s Ride	231	5	2
3	Forever Young (JPN)	201	2	4
4	Wildness	198	0	3
5	Mr Searcher	147	3	7
6	Sierra Leone	144	0	5
7	The National Shrine	142	2	6
8	City of Troy	132	4	8
9	Ushba Tesoro (JPN)	101	1	10
10	Derma Sotogake (JPN)	75	1	11

*Note: The Breeders’ Cup Classic standings do not affect qualification or selection for the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

The 2024 Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic, which will be run over 1 1/4 miles on the main track at Del Mar, is limited to 14 starters. The race will be broadcast live on NBC.

ABOUT THE BREEDERS’ CUP

Breeders’ Cup Limited organizes the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, the year-end thoroughbred racing championships, the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series: Win and You’re In, which offers automatic entry into the championship races in an 82-race series in 12 countries, and the US-based Dirt Dozen Bonus Series. The Breeders’ Cup is governed by the national uniform rules and regulations of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) and its Horseracing Integrity & Welfare Unit (HIWU).

The 2024 Breeders’ Cup World Championships, which will feature 14 Grade 1 championship races during a two-day festival with over $34 million in prize money, will be held Nov. 1-2 at Del Mar in Del Mar, Calif. The 2025 World Championships will also be held Oct. 31-Nov. 1 at Del Mar. The championships will be televised live by NBC Sports. Press releases will appear on the Breeders’ Cup website, BreedersCup.com. You can also follow the Breeders’ Cup on social media.