Wise Dan draws closer to Game On Dude in NTRA Poll

By: SPORTS NETWORK

New York, NY (Sports Network) - A thin line now separates the top two vote getters in the week 29 edition of the NTRA National Thoroughbred Poll. Game On Dude and Wise Dan are basically a nose apart in the latest tabulation.

Defending Horse of the Year Wise Dan has drawn to within four points of Game On Dude in the poll after he won Sunday's Woodbine Mile in course record time. Wise Dan, undefeated in five starts this year, won the Woodbine Mile for the second straight year and established a new record time of 1:31.75.

The voters rewarded the 6-year-old gelding with 23 first-place votes and 473 points versus 27 top votes and 477 points for Game On Dude.

"He is a super horse but he's there because Charlie (trainer LoPresti) takes care of him," said Wise Dan's owner Morton Fink. "When you handle a horse that can run like this the temptation is to run him every couple of weeks. He is a money machine. It will never happen as long as Charlie and I have anything to do with him.

"I'd like to get to 2014 and have the horse in the shape he is in now. All I look forward to is the next race. All probability it will be the Breeders' Cup. Not for sure if we will run between."

The next six positions in the poll remain as last week: Royal Delta (355), Cross Traffic (291), Point of Entry (222), Princess of Sylmar (203), Obviously (182) and Sahara Sky (87).

Exchanging spots at the bottom of the top 10 are Palace Malice and Flat Out. Palace Malice is ninth with 71 points and Flat Out drops a rung with 69 points.