Tizway puts heat on Blind Luck in NTRA Poll

By: SPORTS NETWORK

New York, NY (Sports Network) - The top of the NTRA National Poll has tightened up following Tizway's victory this past Saturday in the Whitney Invitational. The six-year-old moves into second-place, just two points behind Blind Luck.

Blind Luck, the 2010 champion three-year-old filly, remains first in the voting, inspite of losing eight top votes. The four-year-old received six first-place votes and 154 points, a decline of 28 points from last week.

Last Saturday, Tizway posted a three-length win in the Whitney at Saratoga to move into the second spot in the rankings. Trained by Jim Bond, the veteran runner garnered 10 first-place votes and 152 points, an increase of eight and 43 respectively.

On Sunday Bond said that the six-year-old will start in the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park on October 1.

"If he wins the Gold Cup, I feel like he's 2-1 to be the leader," said Bond. "If we win the Breeders' Cup Classic, I feel like he stamps (himself as Horse of the Year). When you win the Met (Met Mile) in the time that he did it and the way that he did it, and he comes back with a pretty crushing race yesterday, if he can win the Gold Cup it's going to take a really good horse to outshine him at the end of the year, as long as he stays together."

Four-year-old filly Havre de Grace fell one spot to third with 128 points. Advancing two rungs into fourth is champion female Goldikova who picked up one first-place vote and 51 points.

Haskell winner Coil jumped two spots to fifth in the voting with 48 points. He is followed by Game On Dude with 44 and First Dude, now retired, with 42 points. Coil and Game On Dude are both trained by Bob Baffert as was First Dude.

Whitney runner-up Flat Out joins the rankings in eighth-place. The five-year- old picked up 37 points off his second-place finish to Tizway and could start in the Gold Cup.

"There's nothing set in stone, either the Iselin (August 20 at Monmouth Park), or Woodward (Saratoga Race Course on September 3)," said trainer Scooter Dickey about Flat Out's schedule. "The Jockey Club Gold Cup, definitely. That will probably be our last one before the Breeders' Cup."

Three-year-old filly Turbulent Descent is ninth with 32 points after winning Saturday's Test Stakes at Saratoga. Based at Del Mar, the filly is being pointed to the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint at Churchill Downs on November 4.

Moving back into the top 10 is It's Tricky. Winner of last month's Coaching Club American Oaks, the three-year-old filly received 27 points.