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2005 World Thoroughbred Championships Poll

The World Thoroughbred Championships Poll is a weekly listing of the top 10 contenders in all eight Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships races as voted upon by a panel comprised of prominent international journalists and handicappers. Voting will continue weekly through October 10. The panel will rank active and in-training horses, regardless of geographic location. The World Thoroughbred Championships Poll replaces the World Thoroughbred Rankings, which were utilized from 2002-2004.

World Thoroughbred Championships Poll panelists will vote each week on the Top 10 contenders in the following divisions: Emirates Airline Distaff; NetJets Mile; TVG Sprint; Emirates Airline Filly & Mare Turf; John Deere Turf and Dodge Classic. Polling for the Alberto VO5 Juvenile Fillies and Bessemer Trust Juvenile Divisions will begin in September.

Mr. and Mrs. William K. Warren Jr.'s Saint Liam leads the Dodge Classic Division after the first week of voting in the new World Thoroughbred Championships Poll. The 5-year-old Saint Liam, trained by Richard Dutrow, Jr., has won both the Donn Handicap and the Stephen Foster Handicaps this year. Saint Liam leads Preakness and Belmont Stakes winner Afleet Alex and Dubai World Cup winner Roses in May in the Classic Division.

In the John Deere Turf Division, Ken and Sarah Ramsey's 2004 Champion Turf Horse Kitten's Joy leads the way. The 4-year-old came back to the races on July 4 after a long rest to win the Firecracker Breeders' Cup at Churchill Downs. Kitten's Joy is followed by defending John Deere Breeders' Cup Turf champion Better Talk Now, recent winner of the United Nations at Monmouth Park. Third in this division is the 3-year-old English star Motivator (GB), winner of the Epsom Derby and runner-up in the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown.

Starlight Stables, Paul Saylor and Johns Martin's 4-year-old filly Ashado, who won last year's Breeders' Cup Distaff, leads the Emirates Airline Distaff Division coming off her recent triumph in the Ogden Phipps Handicap at Belmont Park. Ashado is followed by the 4-year-old filly Society Selection, runner-up in the Ogden Phipps. Round Pond, winner of Belmont's Acorn Stakes in June, is third.

Harry Aleo's undefeated 3-year-old Lost in the Fog was voted first in the TVG Sprint Division. Trained by Greg Gilchrist, Lost in the Fog is a perfect 6 of 6 this year, including Sunday's stakes record victory in the Carry Back at Calder. Lost in the Fog leads Saratoga County, winner of the Golden Shaheen in Dubai, and Forest Danger, winner of the Carter Handicap.

The Niarchos Family's undefeated Divine Proportions, Europe's leading 3-year-old filly, tops the NetJets Mile Division on turf. Trained by Pascal Bary, Divine Proportions has captured the French 1000 Guineas and the French Oaks this year. She leads the American 4-year-olds Artie Schiller, runner-up in the Manhattan Handicap and Castledale (IRE), who captured the Shoemaker Breeders' Cup Mile at Hollywood Park in May.

Michael Bello's 6-year-old mare Megahertz (GB), trained by Bobby Frankel, leads the Emirates Airline Filly & Mare Turf Division off her West Coast wins in the Santa Barbara and Beverly Hills Handicaps. Divine Proportions is second place, followed by New York Handicap winner, Wend.

The panel of voters in the World Thoroughbred Championships Poll are: John Avello, Director of Race and Sports Book Operations, Bally's Las Vegas; Simon Clare, Coral Racing (U.K); David Gutfreund, Racing Commentator and handicapper; Brad Free, Writer and Columnist, Daily Racing Form; David Hood, William Hill Sports Book (U.K); Tom Law; News Editor, Thoroughbred Times; Dan Liebman, Executive Editor, The Blood-Horse; Jim Mazur, author and handicapper; Ellis Starr, National Handicapper, Equibase; Tom Quigley, Publisher, Horseplayer magazine and Mike Watchmaker, National Handicapper, Daily Racing Form.

Voting by the panel in the World Thoroughbred Championships Poll is calculated on a on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. Total points earned are listed for each horse. Below are the top ten lists for each division.

DODGE CLASSIC DIVISION 1 Saint Liam 102 2 Afleet Alex 100 3 Roses in May 83 4 Rock Hard Ten 61 5 Offlee Wild 42 6 Lava Man 36 7 Southern Image 32 8 Bellamy Road 30 9 Pollard's Vision 24 10 Surf Cat 11 JOHN DEERE TURF DIVISION 1 Kitten's Joy 102 2 Better Talk Now 71 3 Motivator (GB) 70 4 Hurricane Run (IRE) 54 5 Good Reward 41 6 Azamour (IRE) 31 7 Bago (FR) 27 8 Grey Swallow (IRE) 22 9 Request for Parole 20 10 Powerscourt (GB) 20 EMIRATES AIRLINE DISTAFF DIVISION 1 Ashado 105 2 Society Selection 89 3 Round Pond 61 4 Andujar 59 5 Smuggler 41 6 Sis City 39 7 Splendid Blended 38 8 Stellar Jayne 37 9 Summerly 31 10 Madcap Escapade 21

TVG SPRINT DIVISION 1 Lost in the Fog 97 2 Saratoga County 95 3 Forest Danger 59 4 Woke Up Dreamin 56 5 Pico Central (BRZ) 55 6 Egg Head 46 7 Don Six 32 8 Madcap Escapade 27 9 Commentator 24 10 Unfurl the Flag 19 NETJETS MILE DIVISION 1 Divine Proportions 77 2 Artie Schiller 75 3 Castledale (IRE) 67 4 Leroidesanimaux (BRZ) 63 5 Singletary 57 6 Dubawi (IRE) 48 7 Rakti (GB) 31 8 Valixir (IRE) 22 9 Mr. Light (ARG) 19 10 Good Reward 14 EMIRATES AIRLINE FILLY & MARE TURF DIVISION 1 Megahertz (GB) 94 2 Divine Proportions 62 3 Wend 57 4 Ouija Board (GB) 57 5 Cesario (JPN) 49 6 Intercontinental (GB) 48 7 Wonder Again 39 8 Film Maker 37 9 Alexander Goldrun (IRE) 36 10 Eswarah (GB) 25

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