AMERICAN QUARTER HORSE ASSOCIATION—JULY 5, 2017— Johnny Trotter’s Bodacious Eagle, who topped the AQHA Racing National Poll for older horses for two months earlier in the year, is making a bid to retake the No. 1 ranking.

After winning this past weekend’s Higheasterjet Handicap (G3) at Ruidoso Downs – his first start since April and third graded stakes win in as many starts this year – the One Famous Eagle gelding moved up to No. 2 in the current rankings behind Zoomin Effortlessly, winner of the Remington Park Invitational Championship (G1). Bodacious Eagle was the No. 1-ranked horse in the first older-horse poll of the year in April and remained there for eight weeks before sliding down to third.

BH Lisas Boy, winner of the Vessels Maturity (G1) on Sunday at Los Alamitos, also moved up in the rankings from fifth to fourth, and might be higher ranked next week after pollsters digest his accomplishments. The 5-year-old gelding is now 5-for-5 on the year, with graded stakes wins in the Los Alamitos Winter Championship (G1), Vessels Maturity (G1) and Kaweah Bar Handicap (G3).

Jessies First Down, last year’s world champion, dipped from second to third in this week’s rankings.

The 2-year-old poll was essentially unchanged with Eagle Jazz, winner of the Ruidoso Futurity (G1) in a dead heat last month, still on top. Many of the nation’s top juveniles will be in action this Friday and Saturday at Ruidoso Downs in trials for the $1 million Rainbow Futurity (G1).

Among the 205 juveniles entered are Eagle Jazz and No. 4-ranked Uptown Dynasty, who completed the Ruidoso Futurity dead heat. Other Top-10 horses scheduled to race include No. 5 This Is An Eagle, No. 7 Fire And Sass and No. 9 Suenos Dineros.

NATIONAL RANKINGS, 3-YEAR-OLDS AND OLDER

1. ZOOMIN EFFORTLESSLY (83)
2. BODACIOUS EAGLE (76)
3. JESSIES FIRST DOWN (73)
4. BH LISAS BOY (62)
5. TOUGH TO BEE (59)
6. MAGICAL JESS (48)
7. HOLD AIR HOSTAGE (32)
8. RUNNING DRAGON (20)
9. JESS GOOD REASON (11)
10. APOLLITCAL SCOUT (7)

HIGH PLAINS PERRY (5), IMPERIAL EAGLE (5), POLITICALLY CORRUPT (3), TIME FOR WINE (3), IMAQTPIE (2), SKY BO DASH (2), ZOOMIN FOR SPUDS (2), POUTN ON THE WAGON (1), SO RAPIDO (1).

NATIONAL RANKINGS, 2-YEAR-OLDS

EAGLE JAZZ (87)

NYMERIA (76) 3. KVN CORONA (71)

UPTOWN DYNASTY (66)

THIS IS AN EAGLE (54)

LA VENCEDORA (42)

FIRE AND SASS (27)

IMA CHINA RUSH (24)

SUENOS DINEROS (20)

SIXES FLASH (7)

TOGETHER TO THE END (6), DASHNUNDER AFULLMOON (5), PYC FUN N FANCY (4), BLUE EYED FANCE (2), DADDYS BLUSHING (2), WAGONFULLOFDIVIDENDS (2).

AQHA News and information is a service of the American Quarter Horse Association. For more news and information, follow @AQHARacing on Twitter, watch the AQHA Racing Newscast and visit www.aqharacing.com.