Dornoch, National Treasure Tops BC Classic Rankings

Belmont Stakes (G1) and Haskell Stakes (G1) winner Dornoch and Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1) winner National Treasure are tied for first place in the first week of the 2024 Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic, which includes three Japan-based horses.

The Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic is a weekly ranking of the top 10 horses entering the $7 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1), which will take place on November 2 at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, California.

There were 284 votes cast for 3-year-old Dornoch, trained by Danny Gargan and owned in partnership by West Paces Racing LLC, RA Hill Stable, Belmar Racing and Breeding, LLC, former Philadelphia Phillies star Jayson Werth’s Two Eight Racing, LLC and Pine Racing Stables, and 4-year-old National Treasure, trained by Bob Baffert and owned by SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Robert E. Masterson, Stonestreet Stables LLC, Jay A. Schoenfarber, Waves Edge Capital LLC and Catherine Donovan.

National Treasure will contest Saturday’s Whitney Stakes (G1) at Saratoga, with the winner earning an automatic starting spot in the Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic via the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series: Win and You’re In.

Repole Stable’s 3-year-old Fierceness, trained by Todd Pletcher, finished third with 211 votes, following a 1-length win over Sierra Leone in the Jim Dandy Stakes Presented by Mohegan Sun (G2) at Saratoga last Saturday.

Susumu Fugita’s Forever Young (JPN), winner of the UAE Derby sponsored by Atlantis the Royal (G2) and third in the Kentucky Derby sponsored by Woodford Reserve (G1), was fourth with 200 votes for trainer Yoshito Yahagi. Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, Westerberg, Rocket Ship Racing, LLC and Peter Brant’s Sierra Leone, second in the Kentucky Derby and third in the Belmont Stakes for trainer Chad Brown, were fifth with 171 votes.

Spendthrift Farm LLC’s 4-year-old Kingsbarns was sixth with 143 votes. Also trained by Pletcher, Kingsbarns secured an automatic start in the Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic by winning the Stephen Foster Stakes (G1) on June 29 at Churchill Downs. 6-year-old Senor Buscador, who won the Saudi Cup (G1) for trainer Todd Fincher, was seventh with 132 votes.

Overseas-based horses completed places eight to 10 on the Leaderboard, starting with Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith’s three-year-old City of Troy, who finished eighth with 128 votes. Trained by Aidan O’Brien, the Kentucky-bred Justify colt won the Betfred (UK) Derby (G1) at Epsom and the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown (G1) against older horses this year.

Ryotokuji Kenji Holdings Co. Ltd.’s 7-year-old Ushba Tesoro (JPN), second in the Saudi Cup and Dubai World Cup (G1) sponsored by Emirates Airlines, finished ninth with 126 votes for trainer Noboru Takagi. Hiroyuki Asanuma’s 4-year-old Derma Sotagake (JPN), second in last year’s Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic, finished 10th with 94 votes for trainer Hidetaka Otonashi.

The Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic standings are determined by a panel of leading Thoroughbred racing media, horse players and Breeders’ Cup racing committee members/secretaries. The standings will be published weekly through October 8. A list of voting members can be found here.
In the Breeders’ Cup Classic Standings, each voter rates horses on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 system in descending order.

Breeders’ Cup Classic Standings

* Note – Breeders’ Cup Classic standings do not affect eligibility or selection into the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

The 2024 Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic, which will be a 1 1/4-mile race on the main track at Del Mar, is limited to 14 entrants. The race will be televised live on NBC.

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