Older Dirt Males

With a victory in the Stephen Foster, Mindframe narrowly edges his stablemate Fierceness atop the division. While Fierceness is obviously talented, Mindframe has beaten some of the country’s best horses from seven furlongs to nine furlongs. Fierceness does lead the Grade 1 count but those wins came last year and as a juvenile. Mindframe has done it against the top older horses, where Fierceness has yet to do so. The two might get their first meeting in the Whitney later this summer. The loss in the Met Mile by Fierceness can’t really be counted against him, considering it was short of his best distance. However, the victory in the Met Mile by Raging Torrent has propelled him into that third spot.

1. Mindframe
The list of horses that he’s beaten speaks for itself. Now with two Grade 1 victories, he’s proven at multiple distances and has seemed to fix his issues in the stretch. It’s close between him and his Todd Pletcher-trained, Mike Repole-owned stablemate Fierceness but for now, Mindframe gets the nod.

2. Fierceness
Can’t count the Met Mile loss against him. His seasonal debut win in the Alysheba was solid and at a better distance. His 3-year-old season was very solid and he arguably ran better than Sierra Leone in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. While not fully proven as an older horse, it seems like his best races are ahead of him.

3. Raging Torrent
He beat Fierceness and White Abarrio at his game but that win and his Dubai win were phenomenal. Now a two-time Grade 1 winner, and proven at one mile, it’ll be interesting to see if he’ll target the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile or Sprint.

4. Sierra Leone
His loss in the Foster was better than it looked. In a pace-less race, he made a middle move and stopped and started a couple times. He also put that New Orleans Classic third behind him. He’s pace dependent but going 1 1/4 miles, he’s a threat against anybody.

5. White Abarrio
Needs to get back on track but he has some back races that make him competitive against anybody. The Met Mile was also too short for him and he’ll be a threat stretching back out in the Whitney, which he won two years ago.

6. Nysos
7. Mystik Dan
8. Locked
9. First Mission
10. Just a Touch

Older Dirt Females

It might not be a fair comparison given the distances, but Kopion edges out Thorpedo Anna here. Kopion, the best female dirt sprinter ahead of Ways and Means, grabs the top spot and starts next in the Great Lady M. at Los Alamitos. Her and Ways and Means would contend against any male sprinters too. Thorpedo Anna rebounded nicely in the Fleur de Lis and is the best among female dirt routers.

1. Kopion
Now with two Grade 1 wins after dominating the Derby City Distaff, they eventually want to stretch her back out but for now, she’ll stay sprinting. She easily beat Ways and Means in that race, who came back to crush the Bed o’ Roses. Clearly the best female dirt sprinter and remains to be seen how she’ll do around two turns.

2. Thorpedo Anna
Reigning Horse of the Year, she was solid in the Fleur de Lis and looks like she’s back on track. Trainer Kenny McPeek isn’t afraid to run her and has a tough schedule ahead. She’s the best female dirt router for now.

3. Ways and Means
Her victory in the Bed o’ Roses was one of the fastest by any horse all year. Still has yet to beat Kopion but she could have her best races ahead of her. Not sure when the two will meet next but Ways and Means will pose a stiff challenge.

4. Raging Sea
Landed another Grade 1 in the La Troienne, where Thorpedo Anna finished last, but then disappointed in the Ogden Phipps at Saratoga. The La Troienne came back a slow race but she’s still a contender. Can be a little pace dependent but we’ll likely see her back at Del Mar in November.

5. Cavalieri 
Impressive winning the Grade 1 Beholder Mile but then stopped training and would be higher if that wasn’t the case. She’s undefeated but remains an unknown for right now.

6. Dorth Vader
7. Royal Spa
8. Richi
9. Seismic Beauty
10. Scylla

3-year-old Males

Pretty easy to separate the top three, considering Sovereignty beat Journalism and Baeza in both the Kentucky Derby and Belmont. For now, the only question is when will we see them meet again.

1. Sovereignty
Clearly the best over the next two. It sounds like trainer Bill Mott is willing to run him in the Jim Dandy next, with the Travers as the late-summer goal. If all goes well, he’ll likely take on a tough older male division in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

2. Journalism
Some have also counted him better than Sovereignty but Sovereignty put those thoughts to bed in the Belmont. He’s super talented and has enough tactical speed to match any race flow. Will the third time be the charm against Sovereignty? Who knows, and who knows when we’ll see them square off again.

3. Baeza
Has just a maiden victory on his record but has run solid in three Grade 1 races. He still needs to get faster to beat the top two but remains a threat in the division.

4. Sandman
A controversial pick perhaps but he’s arguably went from one of the most overrated 3-year-olds to one of the most underrated. His Preakness try is better than it looks, though he continued to show his greenness in the stretch. He’s still a Grade 1 winner, and while pace dependent, it looks like his best races are ahead of him.

5. Burnham Square
He gets the nod over East Avenue, despite that one beating him in the Matt Winn. The small field with little pace didn’t suit Burnham Square but he still ran solid. Like most of the horses above him, he’s a little pace dependent. 

6. East Avenue
7. Gosger
8. Patch Adams
9. Mo Plex
10. Strategic Focus

3-year-old Females

After Good Cheer’s flop in the Acorn, the 3-year-old filly division looks somewhat up for grabs. La Cara, who romped in the slop in the Acorn, has reinstated herself as a top contender in the division. Good Cheer, the Kentucky Oaks winner, still belongs at the top, as she may not have cared for the slop and couldn’t make up ground on a speed-favoring track in the Acorn.

1, Good Cheer
Still the leader, despite the Acorn loss. There’s plenty of fillies chasing her and she’ll likely need to get faster again. Even her stablemate Immersive looks like a possible challenger for the top spot.

2. La Cara
Her Acorn victory was an impressive rebound from the Kentucky Oaks and it was her second Grade 1 victory. She’s definitely a contender and is creeping pretty close to Good Cheer.

3. Nitrogen
She didn’t beat much in the off-turf Wonder Again at Saratoga but she’s bred to handle dirt. Trainer Mark Casse has elected for one more turf start before possibly trying the Alabama. Despite being untested on the dirt, she’d be a contender if she goes in the Alabama. Would be happy to move her up if she can prove she’s the goods on dirt.

4. Immersive
An impressive return in the Monomoy Girl has placed last year’s 2-year-old champion back in contention for the division. While she did lose, she was bested by a more seasoned filly and has a running style that can beat anybody.

5. Shred the Gnar
Scratched out of the Acorn, Shred the Gnar still looks like a divisional contender. She may be untested but she’s fast and is a contender wherever she starts next.

6. Look Forward
7. Take Charge Milady
8. Drexel Hill
9. Scottish Lassie
10. Bless the Broken

Dirt Sprinters

In the older sprint division, Book’em Danno grabbed control with a powerful victory in the True North at Saratoga. The New Jersey-bred defeated another top division foe in Mullikin, while Nakatomi got away slow in his return from the Middle East. While Nysos stays in this category until he runs in the San Diego, Mindframe moves out as a proven router with his Stephen Foster win.

In the female dirt sprint division, Ways and Means reasserted herself as a contender with a high-figure win in the Bed o’ Roses at Saratoga. However, the top slot in the division belongs to the powerful Kopion. Vahva is a threat to challenge the top two after an impressive score in the Chicago Stakes, her first trip back to the winner’s circle since last year.

Males
1. Book’em Danno
Gets the slight nod for being a true sprinter. His True North win was impressive over a stellar field. He’s a very cool horse and his owners haven’t been afraid to run him.

2. Nysos
His second to Mindframe in the Churchill Downs Stakes was a heart-breaker coming off a long layoff. Arguably one of the most talented horses in the country, it remains to be seen if he’s a sprinter or router. The San Diego will tell, and most seem to think he’s a router and ready to join a very tough division.

3. Mullikin
A proven Grade 1 winner, Mullikin always seems to put in a solid effort. His tries in the Churchill Downs and True North were solid, though he hasn’t won since last summer.

4. Booth
His loss in the Kelly’s Landing was disappointing, though he did set an honest pace and was pestered on the lead the whole time. Willing to draw a line through it, as he’s also had a string of some pretty tough races.

5. Patch Adams
Seems to have found his home sprinting, as he was stellar in the Woody Stephens. He’s knocked heads with tough horses in his 3-year-old campaign and looks like a serious sprinter going forward.

Females
1. Kopion
Still a sprinter for now and probably the best sprinter in the country over the male division. 

2. Ways and Means
A very talented and impressive filly but has yet to beat Kopion and might not get another chance.

3. Vahva
She’s back and looks like a threat once again. She showed some new early speed in her Chicago victory and, while she might not be better than the top two, she’s still a strong contender.

4. Scylla
Has found a home sprinting but has yet to find that breakthrough victory. Obviously very talented and has run into some tough horses, she likely has her best races ahead of her.

5. Claret Beret
Validated a handicap romp with her second in the Chicago. Couldn’t get to Vahva but proved she belongs and will likely fly under the radar going forward.

Turfers

Think Big, winner of the Shakertown at Keeneland and Turf Sprint at Churchill Downs, was defeated by Ag Bullet in the Jaipur at Saratoga, finishing a lackluster seventh. Ag Bullet, who can be effective from five furlongs to one mile on turf, is probably the leader of the turf sprint division but Think Big still contends with her. Ag Bullet has been the victim of some bad trips but will likely stay sprinting, as she also finished third in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint last year.

Turf routers can be hard to separate but She Feels Pretty takes the top spot over her male counterparts. She’s got three Grade 1 wins to her name and will be favored for another in the Diana. Has yet to take on the boys but that may come in November. Next, Deterministic gets the nod over some rivals he beat in the Manhattan.

Sprinters
1. Ag Bullet
Her Jaipur victory was ultra-impressive and she’s also pretty solid up to a mile, though she’ll likely stick to sprints with her sights on a return to Del Mar for the Breeders’ Cup.

2. Think Big
He was bested by Ag Bullet in the Jaipur but he was the leader in the division before that. He’ll need to rebound from that loss but it’s also not likely anyone else is coming for the top two spots. Interesting to see him entered in the Kelso going one mile Saturday at Saratoga.

3. Queen Maxima
She’s fast and has won five in a row, including stepping out of California for her last-out win in the Unbridled Sydney. She did beat Ag Bullet in the Unbridled Sydney but Ag Bullet clearly didn’t handle the turf. 

4. Future Is Now
Has some solid victories on his ledger but hasn’t beat the top turf sprinters yet. It’ll be interesting to see what path they take this summer, as he didn’t run in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint last year.

5. Patches O’Houlihan
Wandered home in the stretch of the Highlander last out but still edged My Boy Prince, runner up in the Jaipur. Got injured in that run but seems fine. Would love to see this horse run against some better competition but he may just be a Woodbine specialist. 

Routers
1. She Feels Pretty
Has never missed the board with seven wins in 10 career starts. Hasn’t taken on the boys yet but her work against females is good enough for the top spot. It’ll be interesting to see what her ideal distance ends up being.

2. Deterministic
Scored a nice victory in the Manhattan and gets ranked ahead of those he beat, although it was probably too short for Far Bridge and Integration ran a solid second too. Needs to show he can do it again and will likely have to go longer.

3. Far Bridge
Comes in above Integration as that one hasn’t found the winner’s circle recently but did finish ahead of Far Bridge in the Manhattan. Far Bridge took down some solid Grade 1s last year but needs to do it again this year.

4. Integration
Clearly a talented horse but has struggled to breakthrough recently, with his last win coming in last year’s Red Smith in November. He’s been in all the tough races but still lacks that defining victory.

5. Spirit of St Louis
Finally proved himself outside of statebred competition in the Pegasus World Cup Turf, and did so again earning a Grade 1 win in the Turf Classic over Mercante who narrowly misses this list. Such a cool horse but that sixth-place finish in the Manhattan over softer ground raised some questions.

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