Final NTRA Poll goes to Wise Dan

By: SPORTS NETWORK

New York, NY (Sports Network) - Breeders' Cup Mile winner Wise Dan finished in first place in the final NTRA National Thoroughbred Poll of 2012. The 5-year- old gelding is one of six Breeders' Cup race winners to populate the top 10.

Wise Dan, trained by Charles Lopresti, set a stakes and course record on Saturday in winning the turf race and was rewarded as the overwhelming favorite to be named Horse of the Year.

Owned by Morton Fink, the gelding received 45 of 52 first-place votes and 507 points to easily outdistance Ladies' Classic winner Royal Delta.

"He's just a special horse," Lopresti said. "We'll probably take him back to our farm in Kentucky and give him some time. We'll make a plan for him at the first of the year."

Royal Delta, two-time winner of the Ladies' Classic, moved up two spots into second off her victory on Friday. Trained by Bill Mott, the 4-year-old filly picked up four top votes and 421 points.

Breeders' Cup Classic champ Fort Larned made his way back into the top 10 following his half-length win over Mucho Macho Man. Trained by Ian Wilkes, the 4-year-old colt received 400 points without any first-place votes to finish in third.

Groupie Doll, winner of the Filly and Mare Sprint, jumped five spots to fourth with 295 points. The 4-year-old filly won her race on Saturday as the 7-10 favorite.

Breeders' Cup Turf winner Little Mike is fifth off his victory as a 17-1 longshot. The 5-year-old gelding, trained by Dale Romans, was rewarded with one first-place vote and 243 points.

Retired Kentucky Derby champ I'll Have Another is the only horse in the top 10 not to compete in this year's Breeders' Cup. The 3-year-old colt held on to a pair of top votes and 238 points to finish sixth.

Mucho Macho Man, Classic runner-up, dropped a rung to seventh with 207 points.

Turf runner-up Point of Entry received 129 points, good for eighth in the voting.

Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Shanghai Bobby is ninth with 110 points and defeated Classic favorite Game On Dude drops from second to 10th with 90 points.