Bodemeister and Dullahan surge in Three-Year-Old Poll

By: SPORTS NETWORK

New York, NY (Sports Network) - Bodemeister and Dullahan, respective winners of Saturday's Arkansas Derby and Blue Grass Stakes, used those victories to climb in the latest NTRA Three-Tear-Old Poll. Leading colt Union Rags had his lead significantly narrowed.

The gap between Union Rags and the now second-place Bodemeister is only 11 points, as the Arkansas Derby champ jumped seven spots in the voting.

Union Rags keeps his top position with 15 first-place votes and 411 points. Bodemeister surged from ninth to second with 14 top votes and 400 points. He won the Oaklawn Park race by 9 1/2-lengths after setting all of the pace.

"I was out front by about a length or so and I set him down just in case anyone was coming," said winning jockey Mike Smith. "I looked up on the board and I was like seven in front. That was ultra impressive."

Blue Grass champ Dullahan enters the top 10 in sixth with three first-place votes and 277 points.

"He did everything that a good horse has to do to win," trainer Dale Romans said after winning the Blue Grass. "When it's time to accelerate, (jockey Kent Desormeaux) had enough horse to split through. He gets the job done. He's just a special horse."

Wood Memorial winner Gemologist is third with nine top votes and 385 points.

In fourth is Creative Cause, Santa Anita Derby runner-up, with two first-place votes and 317 points.

Santa Anita Derby winner I'll Have Another actually fell from third to fifth with seven top votes and 309 points.

Alpha, second in the Wood, is seventh with 183 points followed by Blue Grass runner-up Hansen (1, 174), Florida Derby winner Take Charge Indy (157) and Arkansas Derby runner-up Secret Circle (50).

The National Poll has Mucho Macho Man back on top with 20 first-place votes and 425 points. However, Havre de Grace received seven more top votes, but fell to second with 419 points. The five-year-old mare will start in the La Troienne at Churchill Downs on May 4.

Alternation won Saturday's Oaklawn Handicap and enters the top 10 in third with a single top vote and 244 points.

"It's a race that I've been second in, hit the board in and it was always an out-of-town horse that won it," trainer Donnie Von Hemel said winning the Oaklawn Handicap. "To have a horse, that got the job done is all because of Pin Oak and their breeding program. We knew this was a crossroads race for him. Now, we know we can look at races like the Pimlico Special, the Stephen Foster or maybe something in New York."

Awesome Maria, currently on a six race win streak, is fourth with 243 points.

Oaklawn Handicap runner-up Ron the Greek dropped two spots to fifth with 211 points followed by Game On Dude (199), Awesome Feather (163), Jackson Bend (115), Acclamation (1, 108) and Nates Mineshaft (2, 95).