Post Jim Dandy and Haskell Top Active 3-Year-Old Rankings

Both the Jim Dandy and Haskell Invitational took place this weekend. Good Magic easily won the $1 million Haskell Invitational. Tenfold took the Jim Dandy. Now that the two biggest preps of the summer for the Travers Stakes are out of the way, it's time to rethink the 3-year-old rankings.

This is especially true because Justify no longer races. Check out my updated rankings.

Post Jim Dandy and Haskell Top Active 3-Year-Old Rankings

1. Good Magic

It's too early to find a clean copy of Good Magic's Haskell Invitational romp. Trust me, he won easily. He didn't just win easily, he crushed a fairly decent field. Good Magic dominated his competition. What was really impressive was how easily ranged up to the front runner before breezing by. At no point did it look like Good Magic was running hard.

He'll be a huge favorite to win the Travers Stakes.

2. Tenfold

Before the Jim Dandy, Tenfold had improved in every race he had run. He was still lightly raced enough that he bounced out of the Belmont Stakes with no issues. The Jim Dandy victory proves that Steve Asmussen knows what he's doing with this horse.

The Jim Dandy performance was yet another where Tenfold improved. If he improves in the Travers Stakes, he could definitely win it.

3. Hofburg

Hofburg only faced 4 other horses in the Curlin Stakes, and he was an odd-on favorite. Still, he, like Good Magic in the Haskell Invitational, won easily. Hofburg could turn into the best active 3-year-old in the nation if he were to win the Travers Stakes.

The beauty of running Hofburg in the Curlin Stakes instead of the Jim Dandy or Haskell is that Bill Mott essentially put in a good work. Hofburg might be the freshest horse on this list come Travers Stakes Day.

4. Once On Whiskey

This is the time of the year when Bob Baffert produces the best 3-year-old in the nation. Yeah, I get it. Bob had the best 3-year-old in the nation. But, now's the time he produces the other best 3-year-old in the nation, the late bloomer that dominates the horses that ran in the Triple Crown events.

Baffert's late bloomer this year should be Once On Whiskey. His Los Alamitos Derby victory was sensational. He beat a tough horse in Draft Pick. Baffert might prep him in the West Virginia Derby on August 4. Should he win that, Bob has no reason not to enter him into the Travers Stakes.

5. Gronkowski

He made up a ton of ground on Justify in the Belmont. He's obviously a talented horse. Without Justify in the Belmont, he would have won a Triple Crown race in his first race in the U.S. That means he's got a lot of quality.

He's also the second Chad Brown trained horse, Good Magic is the other, in my Top 5. Gronkowski has the ability to score a TD in the Travers Stakes.

This year's Travers is setting up to be a dynamite betting race. Because Justify won't run, no less than 11 3-year-olds are listed as probable. Right now, the above 5 horses are my Top 5.  Once On Whiskey could make a significant move up the rankings with a West Virginia Derby win.