California Chrome remains on top in NTRA poll

California Chrome retained a tenuous hold on his spot at the top of the weekly NTRA Top 10 Thoroughbred poll two days after suffering his first defeat of the year to Arrogate in Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif.

California Chrome, who has led the voting every week so far this year, topped the pool with 442 total points while receiving 30 first-place votes.

Arrogate, who was fifth in the polling prior to the Breeders’ Cup, received 16 first-place votes and trails California Chrome by 24 points in the poll, with 418.

By and large, the 46 voters in the poll also vote in the Eclipse Awards balloting, making the poll an imperfect but important harbinger for the Horse of the Year vote.

Beholder, winner of Friday’s Breeders’ Cup Distaff, moved up five spots, from eighth to third, while the previously undefeated filly she nosed out in that race, Songbird, dropped from third to fourth.

Filling out the top 10 were a string of other Breeders’ Cup performers: Tepin (second in the Mile), Flintshire (second in the Turf), Drefrong (first in the Sprint), Lady Eli (second in the Filly and Mare Turf), Classic Empire (first in the Juvenile), and Highland Reel (first in the Turf).