Sovereignty, the current Horse of the Year, finishes strong by securing all 29 first-place votes in the last NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll of 2026. The 4-year-old Godolphin homebred, trained by Bill Mott and sired by Into Mischief, sealed his stellar season with a 1¾-length win in the 43rd Breeders’ Cup Classic at Keeneland on October 31.
During his 4-year-old season, Sovereignty ran four times, recording two wins, a second, and a third. Besides the Breeders’ Cup Classic, he claimed victory in the Grade 1 Whitney Stakes at Saratoga in August. He also finished runner-up in the Grade 2 Oaklawn Handicap and placed third in the Grade 1 Stephen Foster.
Following closely is Nitrogen, who claimed the Breeders’ Cup Distaff and lands the No. 2 spot. The 4-year-old Medaglia d’Oro filly, owned and bred by D. J. Stable and trained by Mark Casse, secured four wins out of seven starts this year, including a dominant performance in the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps. Her losses include a second-place finish behind Sovereignty in the Whitney.
Rounding out the top three is Deterministic, the 5-year-old son of Liam’s Map, trained by Miguel Clement. He avenged a prior second place by defeating Notable Speech by three-quarters of a length in the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Keeneland. Deterministic posted four wins in five starts throughout 2026, kicking off the year with victories in the Grade 3 Fort Marcy, and Grade 1 Manhattan and Fourstardave Stakes. He races for St. Elias Stable, Ken Langone, C. Steven Duncker, and Vicarage Stable.
Japan-based T O Elvis surged from 15th to 4th after a dramatic win in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint. The 4-year-old son of Volatile won both his races this season, including a 3¼-length triumph in the Grade 1 Churchill Downs Stakes in May. Trained by Daisuke Takayanagi and owned by Tomoya Ozasa, T O Elvis delivered a standout performance down the stretch.
Godolphin’s Knightsbridge dropped to fifth in the final poll, down from third the previous week. The 5-year-old Nyquist colt, trained by Bill Mott, finished third in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, marking the end of his racing career. His 2026 season included wins in the Grade 1 Pacific Classic, and the Grade 3 Monmouth Cup, Gulfstream Park Mile, and Fred W. Hooper Stakes, with a runner-up spot in the Grade 1 Metropolitan Mile.
Kathynmarissa, a 5-year-old daughter of American Pharoah campaigned by Michael J. Caruso and Michael Dubb, ranks sixth. Trained by Chad Brown, she placed in all five starts this year, headlined by her wins in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf and the Grade 1 Diana Stakes. She also took the Grade 2 Flower Bowl Stakes and Grade 3 Modesty Stakes, finishing third in the Grade 1 New York Stakes.
Forever Young, owned by Susumu Fujita, holds seventh after a fifth-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. The 5-year-old Japanese-bred son of Real Steel claimed wins in the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup and Saudi Cup, and was second in the Grade 1 Dubai World Cup under trainer Yoshito Yahagi.
Ways and Means, trained by Chad Brown, moved up ten places from 18th to eighth thanks to a commanding performance in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint. The 5-year-old Practical Joke mare, bred by Klaravich Stables, won by 6¼ lengths for her second Grade 1 victory, following her G1 Ballerina Stakes win by 5½ lengths in August. She also narrowly won the G2 Bed o’ Roses Stakes and was second in the G1 Derby City Distaff.
The top ten is completed by 3-year-olds Englishman and Golden Tempo. Englishman, who slipped from sixth to ninth after being bested by T O Elvis in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, is campaigned by C R K Stable. The Maxfield colt won the Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens and Woody Stephens Stakes by a combined 9½ lengths. Golden Tempo, owned by Phipps Stable and St. Elias Stables, sits tenth with three wins and three thirds from seven starts, highlighted by front-running victories in the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes, as well as a Grade 3 Lecomte Stakes win.
Other horses receiving votes include The Puma (47), Magnitude (41), Bacio (40), Hughes (39), Further Ado (26), Benvenuto Cellini (24), Notable Speech (20), Splendora (9), Emphatic (7), U. S. S. Valor (5), Tam Tam (3), Sun Goddess (2), and Napoleon Solo (1).
This Top Thoroughbred poll reflects the leading contenders for the Horse of the Year title.
Fan Take: This final poll highlights the remarkable talent and fierce competition in thoroughbred racing as 2026 closes. For fans, it underscores the global nature of the sport and sets the stage for exciting storylines and rivalries in the coming seasons, keeping horse racing thrilling and relevant.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
