The American Quarter Horse Journal, June 1, 2011 – The May 28th mega-program at Remington Park produced not one, but two, new No. 1-ranked horses in the latest AQHA Racing.com-Horseplayernow.com National Top 10 polls. Heritage Place Futurity (G1) winner High Rate of Return zoomed to the top of the rankings for 2-year-olds, while Rylees Boy registered a sharp Remington Park Invitational Championship (G1) score and the top position in the poll for older horses.
Rylees Boy handled one of the strongest fields ever assembled and did it by holding off the late charge of last week’s No. 1-ranked runner Louisiana Senator, who was flying late but came up a head short in defeat. Pollsters rewarded Louisiana Senator with a No. 2 ranking this week. Third-place finisher Streakin Down earned the No. 9 national ranking for his efforts. The Invitational included four of the top seven-ranked horses in the national poll last week and lived up to its billing. Former world champions Freaky and Stolis Winner finished fourth and fifth, respectively, underscoring the race’s quality, which featured the earners of more than $7.1 million lifetime.
The rankings for older horses also got a solid jolt when last year’s All American Futurity presented by Sentient Jet (G1) runner-up and beaten favorite JLS Mr. Bigtime made his 2011 debut in the poll at No. 5. The Louisiana-bred tallied the Delta Downs Louisiana Breeders’ Derby (RG2) by a head on Saturday as the odds-on choice in his first finals appearance of the season. Another 3-year-old who debuted this week in the poll for older horses was Heritage Place Derby (G2) upsetter Capo De Capi, who knocked off stablemate Freighttrain B in Saturday’s final and was rewarded with a No. 8 national ranking.
Undefeated now in three starts, the 2-year-old High Rate Of Return made a successful transition into stakes company for the first time when the Ed Hardy trainee led every call of the $1,029,950 Heritage Place Futurity. He knocked off former No. 1-ranked Mighty B Valiant by a comfortable half-length, denying the Remington Park Futurity winner a sweep of the meet’s two premier juvenile finals. Mighty B Valiant held second in the rankings this week. The 2-year-old rankings figure to get another seismic shift a week from Sunday in the June 12 final for the Ruidoso Futurity (G1), led by fastest qualifier Fly First Down.
NATIONAL RANKINGS, 2-YEAR-OLDS:
1. HIGH RATE OF RETURN (88)
2. MIGHTY B VALIANT (82)
3. SEPARATE FIRE (73)
4. VALIANT WAR HERO (64)
5. ADOLPH TRES KNOCKOUT (49)
6. JESS TEE OFF (42)
7. JLS PARTY WAGON (32)
T8. TOAST TO PATRIOT (14)
T8. OSBALDO (14)
10. PANDORUM (13)
Fly First Down (9), Ranch Candy (7), Fixin To Fly (4), Get Gone Gol (3), DM Strait Up (3), Jessalittlecourage (2), Preacher James (2), Massima (1)
NATIONAL RANKINGS, 3-YEAR-OLDS & UP:
1. RYLEES BOY (88)
2. LOUISIANA SENATOR (80)
3. GOOD REASON SA (81)
4. PROSPECT TO THE TOP (50)
5. JLS MR BIGTIME (38)
6. THE LOUISIANA CARTEL (32)
7. FREIGHTTRAIN B (26)
8. CAPO DE CAPI (23)
9. STREAKIN DOWN (19)
10. STYLISH JESS BR (17)
Stolis Winner (16), Giorgino (10), Fredaville (6), Mark It Famous (6), Strike It Quick (6), A Tincup Cocktail (5), PK Fire (2), Texas Icon (2), De Passem Okey (1)
The nine voters are:
Ed Burgart (Los Alamitos announcer/handicapper)
Martha Claussen (Q-Racing Ace, writer/handicapper)
Mike Cusortelli (writer/handicapper)
Tom Dawson (Q-Racing Ace, network television producer)
Dale Day (Remington Park announcer/handicapper)
Jerry Shottenkirk (Q-Racing Ace, oddsmaker)
Jeremy Plonk (ESPN.com contributor)
Terry Turrell (Horseplayernow.com handicapper)
Ty Wyant (writer, Daily Racing Form and AQHA)
American Quarter Horse Association
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