The National Thoroughbred League (NTL) season kicked off at Pimlico with the New York Knights claiming the Pimlico Cup Saturday afternoon.
The Knights won the first heat of the three-race competition when Addy's Laddy TNT (Golden Lad) won the sixth race over Remembering Wilbur (Golden Lad), who was competing for Team Nashville Dreams. Minister for Magic (Malibu Moon), part of the Phoenix Mustangs roster, finished third.
The Dream would turn the tables in the seventh race when King's River (Irish War Cry) rallied late to win with the Knights finishing second via Kendama (Uncle Mo).
Prince Khozan (Khozan) for Team Philadelphia Stallions won the photo for third. Tied with one win and one second apiece, the Knights and the Dreams entered the final NTL race behind the betting favorite, who ultimately won the day for the Miami Thunderbolts. However, with the Knights' Boss Is a Pal (Street Boss) running second while Nashville's Monster Mason (Animal Kingdom) finished in eighth, the former claimed victory in the first league competition of the season.
Jockey Ismerio Villalobos was named the NTL MVP for winning the last two races in the competition aboard King's River and Cactus (Twirling Candy) in the eighth race.
The three NTL races, each worth $75,000 in purse money, featured 3-year-olds and upward who had started for a claiming price of $8,000 or less in their last three starts or were offered for a claiming price range between $12,500 and $10,000. All ten teams entered one horse from their roster in each participating race. Teams competed for 3,000 points. The team with the most points on the day won the Pimlico Cup, and the team with the most points for the year wins the overall NTL Championship.
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