Racing Dudes Divisional Rankings 6/14/2017

Each week for the rest of the year, we will rank the best thoroughbred horses in America based on their divisions. Last week was all about Belmont as we saw several tremendous performances. Lets take a look at the impact last weekend had on our weekly rankings.

Older Males

1. Arrogate – THE GOAT

2. Gun Runner – He returns this weekend at Churchill Downs in the Grade 1 Stephen Foster. He’ll be looking to avoid the “Dubai bounce,” which has plagued some in the past.

3. Mor Spirit – His “WOW” performance in the Met Mile officially confirmed that he’s arrived in a major way. His progression from three to four has been impressive.

4. Shaman Ghost – His Santa Anita Handicap and Pimlico Special wins were great this year, but perhaps the best accomplishment was finishing second in the Pegasus World Cup to Arrogate.

5. Cupid – I admit that his Gold Cup at Santa Anita win shocked me. He was awesome in that race and will be very successful in this division if he keeps up that type of effort.

Sleeper: Matt King Coal – He was impressive last time out at Penn National, and two races back, he nearly won the Charles Town Classic. He starts the summer flying under the radar.

Older Females

1. Stellar Wind – She’s earned the number one spot for now after her second Grade 1 win of the season. However, Songbird looms large…

2. Songbird – The CHAMP is BACK in a big way with a very easy win in the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps. I’ll keep her at second for now, but she’ll have every chance to pass Stellar Wind this summer.

3. Vale Dori – She was valiant in defeat in the Beholder Mile, only losing to Stellar Wind by a head. This quality filly has closed the gap on the division’s elite.

4. Finest City – She was never within range of Vale Dori or Stellar Wind in the Beholder Mile, but she’s still a quality filly. She needs to only go one turn from now on.

5. Terra Promessa – She’s been running fantastic this year and recently proved that she can win outside of Oaklawn Park. She may be a small cut below the top two or three, but she has quality.

Sleeper: Forever Unbridled – She’s getting closer to making her 2017 debut and should not be forgotten. At her best, she’s really tough.

3-Year-Old Males

1. Always Dreaming – He’s the only horse in the division to have two Grade 1 wins, including the Kentucky Derby, the division’s biggest race of the year.

2. Cloud Computing – Both he and Classic Empire have one win this year, and Cloud Computing has the bigger of the two, when he beat Classic Empire head-to-head in the Preakness.

3. Classic Empire – It was very disappointing that he had to scratch out of the Belmont Stakes, but he’ll go into the summer fresher than if he would’ve run. He’ll have every chance to take over the top spot with a few wins in the big races coming up this summer.

4. Tapwrit – Happily, this horse won the Belmont Stakes and proved his worth within the division. Just like the top 3 here, Tapwrit will have every chance to move up the rankings with big wins this summer.

5. Irish War Cry – His solid bounce-back effort in the Belmont Stakes proved that, on his best days, he can be pretty tough to beat. Hopefully, he’ll have a big summer campaign.

Sleeper: Timeline – He sat out the Belmont Stakes, but this is one of the horses that I really love as we head into the summer.

New Subscriber Bonus: Access our Top 10 Wagering Angles in Racing to see exactly what we look for when opening up the past performances.

3-Year-Old Females

1. Abel Tasman – Mike Smith gave this filly an incredible ride in the Grade 1 Acorn when she picked up her second huge stakes win in five weeks. Even thought I think that Unique Bella is more talented, Abel Tasman is putting together a big-time resume.

2. Unique Bella – She’s easily number one on talent, but we must respect Abel Tasman for winning the Kentucky Oaks and Acorn. If Unique Bella comes back and wins big races (like Songbird last year), she’ll can still take over the top spot.

3. La Coronel – Her big-time performance at Churchill Downs last time out has her set for a trip overseas to Royal Ascot, where she’ll try to do what Tepin did last year and win at that prestigious meet.

4. Paradise Woods – Her Kentucky Oaks effort was a total joke when she got into a heated speed duel with Miss Sky Warrior. She hasn’t accomplished enough to rank her too high yet, but she has the potential to bounce back and move up the rankings quickly.

5. Miss Sky Warrior – Much like Paradise Woods, throw out the joke that was her Kentucky Oaks.

Sleeper: Lady Aurelia – She looks to be in great form heading to Royal Ascot. It’s always fun to see our horses run at that elite overseas meet.

Sprinters

1. Drefong – He’s number one in the rankings for now, but his long absence is troublesome. Mind Your Biscuits and Whitmore are poised to take over if he doesn’t come back soon.

2. Mind Your Biscuits – What a dramatic run to win the Golden Shaheen at Meydan. He can overtake the top spot with a win over Drefong.

3. Whitmore – I’m giving him a mulligan for his poor True North performance. That was not the “real” Whitmore by any stretch. If he can rebound, he’s still one of the top horses in this group.

4. Sharp Azteca – He gave a solid performance in the Met Mile, finishing second behind Mor Spirit’s freak performance. Seems 7 furlongs might be his perfect distance.

5. A.P. Indian – Though he’s had a couple of tough losses to start the year, you can tell that he’s rounding back into form. Unfortunately, the division is loaded, and he might be a cut below.

Sleeper: Roy H – He’s put together two back-to-back FAST races and proved his class with a great win in the Grade 1 True North.