Renegade, representing the Robert Rowe, Lawana Rowe, and Lepore stables, secured his first victory in the Sam F. Davis Stakes on Saturday, helping trainer Todd Pletcher climb to third place in the recent NTRA Top 3-Year-Old Poll. The Into Mischief colt, guided by jockey Irad Ortiz Jr., stayed behind the pack among nine runners before making a strong move around the field to claim a three-quarter length win, finishing the 1 1/16-mile race at Tampa Bay Downs in 1:43.54. Renegade earned one first-place vote in the poll.
Joining the top 10 with their key wins are Silent Tactic, winner of Friday’s G3 Southwest, and Plutarch, who triumphed in Saturday’s G3 Robert B. Lewis. Trained by Mark Cass, Silent Tactic delivered a commanding performance late in the 1 1/16-mile race at Oaklawn Park. John Oxley, positioned sixth in the rankings, narrowly missed the win in his three-year-old debut at the Smarty Jones Stakes on January 3rd. Plutarch, bred and owned by Coolmore partners and trained by Bob Baffert, sits eighth in the poll and received a first-place vote after his three-quarter length victory in the one-mile Kentucky Derby prep at Santa Anita.
Maintaining his top spot, G3 Holy Bull winner Neary, also trained by Pletcher, collected 15 first-place votes. Paladin, last year’s G2 Remsen winner, holds second with five first-place votes. Looking ahead, Paladin, along with fourth-ranked Golden Tempo and seventh-ranked Father Add, will compete in the G2 Risen Star Stakes over nine furlongs at the Fairgrounds on Saturday, February 14th.
Other contenders mentioned on the ballot include Ted Nophy-4, Commandment, Strategic Risk, Intrepid, Boyd, My World, Canaletto, and several others, each carrying their own number of votes. Meanwhile, the overall NTRA top 10 remains unchanged across all age groups, with Sovereignty, the current Horse of the Year, leading emphatically with 23 first-place votes.
In upcoming high-profile action, fourth-place Naisos and sixth-place Forever Young are set to make their 2026 debuts in the $20 million G1 Saudi Cup on February 14th. Additional horses on the ballot include Baeza, Splendora, Furserano, Sea Fields Pretty, Shisospicy, and others.
This report was originally published by Paulick Report on February 10, 2026.
Fan Take: This update highlights the emergence of new talent and the shifting dynamics among top 3-year-olds, providing horse racing enthusiasts with fresh excitement and potential future stars to watch. The upcoming races, especially the Risen Star Stakes and Saudi Cup, promise to further shape the landscape of the sport and could boost its global appeal.
