NTRA Poll: Sovereignty a Unanimous Choice

Sovereignty is a near certainty to earn a second Horse of the Year title, plus an Eclipse Award in the older dirt male category, based on voting results in the final National Thoroughbred Racing Association's Top Thoroughbred Poll released Nov. 3. Godolphin's standout 4-year-old Into Mischief colt, who captured the Oct. 31 Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) at Keeneland and the Whitney Stakes (G1) this summer at Saratoga Race Course for trainer Bill Mott, secured all 29 first-place votes from the media members who participated in the poll. Equine media members are among those who determine year-end championships, which will be announced Jan. 19, 2027, at the Eclipse Awards ceremony at The Breakers Palm Beach in South Florida. The groups that formally vote include representatives from the NTRA, Daily Racing Form, and the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters. Those immediately behind Sovereignty are also likely to earn championships, though not the most prestigious prize of Horse of the Year. Nitrogen, second in the Top Thoroughbred Poll, is on her way to a champion older dirt female honor; third-place Deterministic will likely be champion turf male; and Japanese runner T O Elvis will probably outpoll Englishman (ninth in the poll) for the Eclipse Award as champion male sprinter, though the former made just two starts in 2025, both grade 1 victories in the United States. Knightsbridge, Kathynmarissa, Forever Young (JPN), Ways and Means, Englishman, and Golden Tempo complete the poll's top 10. View the full Week 41 rankings