Edited Breeders’ Cup Release ― Blue Rose Farm’s Arcangelo, winner of the Belmont Stakes (G1) and the Travers Stakes (G1), has finished first in the final poll of the 2023 Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic Rankings, a weekly rating of the top 10 horses in contention for the $6 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic. This year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic will be run Nov. 4 at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California.
Trained by Jena Antonucci, the 3-year-old son of Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Arrogate took the top spot in the rankings following his victory in the Aug. 26 Travers at Saratoga, and held the lead for the next seven weeks. Arcangelo received 312 votes in the final poll, registering 23 first-place votes.
Three-year-olds also secured the next two spots in the rankings. Pin Oak Stud LLC’s Geaux Rocket Ride, winner of the TVG.com Haskell Stakes (G1) and runner-up in the FanDuel Racing Pacific Classic (G1), finished second with 261 votes. Zedan Racing Stables, Inc.’s Arabian Knight, the Pacific Classic winner, finished third with 245 votes.
C2 Racing Stable, LLC and La Milagrosa Stable, LLC’s White Abarrio, who won Saratoga’s WhitneyStakes (G1), finished fourth, accumulating 222 votes. Jeff Drown’s 4-year-old Zandon, winner of the Woodward (G2) at Aqueduct, finished fifth with 136 votes. Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable’s 4-year-old Bright Future, winner of the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1), finished sixth with 116 votes.
Kenji Ryotokuji’s 6-year-old Ushba Tesoro (JPN), who won the Dubai World Cup (G1), rose from 11th place to seventh with 103 votes. Godolphin’s 5-year-old Proxy, runner-up in the Jockey Club Gold Cup, finished eighth with 101 votes. FMQ Stable’s 3-year-old Saudi Crown, winner of the Pennsylvania Derby (G1), finished in ninth place with 97 votes. Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable’s Forte, second in the Belmont Stakes and winner of the Jim Dandy Stakes (G2), finished 10th with 90 votes.
The 2023 Longines Breeders’ Cup Rankings began on July 18 and concluded today after 13 weeks of voting. Forte grabbed the lead in the rankings in the fourth week, following the defeat by White Abarrio of Cody’s Wish in the Aug. 5 Whitney. However, Forte relinquished the top rating to Arcangelo after finishing fourth in the Travers.
The Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic Rankings were determined by a panel of leading Thoroughbred racing media, horseplayers, and members of the Breeders’ Cup Racing Directors/Secretaries Panel. A list of voting members can be found here.
In the Breeders’ Cup Classic Rankings, each voter rated horses on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 system in descending order.
Final Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic Rankings – Oct. 10, 2023*
| Rank | Horse | Votes | First-Place Votes | Previous Week |
| 1 | Arcangelo | 312 | 23 | 1 |
| 2 | Geaux Rocket Ride | 261 | 1 | 2 |
| 3 | Arabian Knight | 245 | 4 | 3 |
| 4 | White Abarrio | 222 | 3 | 4 |
| 5 | Zandon | 136 | 0 | 6 |
| 6 | Bright Future | 116 | 0 | 8 |
| 7 | Ushba Tesoro (JPN) | 103 | 2 | 11 |
| 8 | Proxy | 101 | 0 | 9 |
| 9 | Saudi Crown | 97 | 2 | 9 |
| 10 | Forte | 90 | 0 | 5 |
