
Bud Delp: A Hall of Famer Remembered as a ‘Super Horse Trainer’
Each week a panel of media members, horseplayers, and Breeders’ Cup World Championships officials release a poll tabulating their votes ranking the top contenders for the 2024 Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic. The results are a weekly rating of the top 10 horses in contention and are determined by each voter ranking their top 10 horses with points assigned on a descending 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis.
Week Eight of the 2024 Breeders' Cup Classic rankings is led by DraftKings Travers Stakes winner Fierceness, who has topped the rankings since Week Five.
The rankings will be updated each week. The results of the latest poll are below.
1. Fierceness (21 first-place votes)
Owner: Repole Stable
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Jockey: John Velazquez
2024 record: 5 starts – 3 wins – 0 seconds – 1 third
Last race: 1st, DraftKings Travers Stakes, Aug. 24 at Saratoga Race Course
Next race: Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic, Nov. 2 at Del Mar
2. City of Troy (10 first-place votes)
Owners: Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor, and Derrick Smith
Trainer: Aidan O'Brien
Jockey: Ryan Moore
2024 record: 4 starts – 3 wins – 0 seconds – 0 thirds
Last race: 1st, Juddmonte International Stakes, Aug. 21 at York Racecourse
Next race: Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic, Nov. 2 at Del Mar
3. Forever Young (2 first-place votes)
Owner: Susumo Fujita
Trainer: Yoshito Yahagi
Jockey: Ryusei Sakai
2024 record: 3 starts – 2 wins – 0 seconds – 1 third
Last race: 3rd, Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve, May 4 at Churchill Downs
Next race: Japan Dirt Classic (Derby), Oct. 2 at Ohi Tokyo Racecourse
4. Dornoch
Trainer: Danny Gargan
Jockey: Luis Saez
2024 record: 6 starts – 3 wins – 0 seconds – 0 thirds
Last race: 4th, DraftKings Travers Stakes, Aug. 24 at Saratoga Race Course
Next race: Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic, Nov. 2 at Del Mar
5. Sierra Leone
Owners: Peter Brant, Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, Westerberg, and Brooke Smith
Trainer: Chad Brown
Jockey: Flavien Prat
2024 record: 6 starts – 2 wins – 2 seconds – 2 thirds
Last race: 3rd, DraftKings Travers Stakes, Aug. 24 at Saratoga Race Course
Next race: Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic, Nov. 2 at Del Mar
Owner: Godolphin
Trainer: Brad Cox
Jockey: Flavien Prat
2024 record: 6 starts – 3 wins – 2 seconds – 0 thirds
Last race: 1st, Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes, Sept. 1 at Saratoga Race Course
Next race: Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic, Nov. 2 at Del Mar
7. Ushba Tesoro (1 first-place vote)
Owners: Ryotokuji Kenji Holdings Co. Ltd.
Trainer: Noboru Takagi
Jockey: Yuga Kawada
2024 record: 2 starts – 0 wins – 2 seconds – 0 thirds
Last race: 2nd, Dubai World Cup Sponsored by Emirates Airline, March 30 at Meydan Racecourse
Next race: TBD
Owner: Glassman Racing
Trainer: Bill Mott
Jockey: Junior Alvarado
2024 record: 5 starts – 3 wins – 0 seconds – 0 thirds
Last race: 5th, Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes, Sept. 1 at Saratoga Race Course
Next race: Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic, Nov. 2 at Del Mar
9. Derma Sotogake (1 first-place vote)
Owner: Hiroyuki Asanuma
Trainer: Hidetaka Otonashi
Jockey: Christophe Lemaire
2024 record: 2 starts – 0 wins – 0 seconds – 0 thirds
Last race: 6th, Dubai World Cup sponsored by Emirates Airline, March 30 at Meydan Racecourse
Next race: TBD
10. Senor Buscador
Owners: Sheikh Sharaf Mohammed Al Hariri and Joe Peacock Jr.
Trainer: Todd Fincher
Jockey: Joe Talamo
2024 record: 4 starts – 1 win – 1 second – 1 third
Last race: 4th, Pat O’ Brien Stakes, Aug. 24 at at Del Mar
Next race: California Crown Stakes, Sept. 28 at at Santa Anita
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