After a dramatic afternoon at the Delaware County Fair in which he captured the 2018 Little Brown Jug, Courtly Choice has made a significant move up the weekly Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown Poll.

Although Manchego – who captured the Moni Maker at Hoosier Park last Friday – still occupies the No. 1 spot after Week 18 voting, Courtly Choice has leapfrogged many positions and is challenging for the lead.

After having been voted into fifth in Week 17, Courtly Choice has moved up to second in Week 18 and sits just 18 points behind Manchego.

The Blake McIntosh-trained and David Miller-driven Courtly Choice etched his name into the Little Brown Jug’s history books last week courtesy of an electrifying performance over the hallowed Ohio racecourse. The Art Major colt had broken stride behind the gate in his opening-heat elimination, but rallied to finish third-placed-second and gained entrance to the Jug final. Courtly Choice proved the best in the final, as he came first-up in the back half of the mile and got up for a well-measured win in 1:49.4.

The results from Week 18 of the poll appear below.

(Rank – Horse [first-place votes] – Total Points – Previous Rank)
1. Manchego (20) - 323 - 1
2. Courtly Choice (14) - 305 - 5
3. Atlanta - 234 - 2
4. Shartin N - 191 - 4
5. McWicked - 189 - 3
6. Marion Marauder (1) - 175 - 8
7. Kissin In The Sand - 130 - 6
8. Lather Up - 79 - 7
9. Crystal Fashion - 65 - 10
10. Stay Hungry - 49 - 9

Also: Lazarus N (30); Green Manalishi S, Hannelore Hanover (23); Stag Party (20); Ariana G (15); Phaetosive (12); Six Pack (10); Caviart Ally, Gimpanzee (9); Plunge Blue Chip, Woodside Charm (7); The Ice Dutchess (4); Captain Ahab, Will Take Charge, Wisdom Tree (3); Mets Hall, Tall Drink Hanover (2); Dorsoduro Hanover, Only Take Cash, Youaremycandygirl (1).

The Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown poll is voted on by harness racing media representatives that cover North American Standardbred racing.

The rankings are based on the votes of harness racing media representatives on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis.

The Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown poll does not determine Horse of the Year. The U.S. Harness Writers Association votes in December on all Dan Patch Award division winners plus Trotter of the Year, Pacer of the Year and Horse of the Year. The Dan Patch Awards are separate from the O'Brien Awards, which recognize Canada's top Standardbreds of a given racing season.