Eleven major events from the past 12 months of Purebred racing in North America count for the 2021 FanDuel Racing NTRA Moment of the Year, a distinction determined by fan votes and recognized at the Eclipse Awards. Voting is currently open on the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) website, NTRA.com and via Twitter, where each retweets or uses the official hashtags for moments like presented on the @NTRA account will count as one vote.
Votes for the poll must be submitted by February 2 at 11:59 p.m. Winners will be announced at the Eclipse Awards ceremony in Santa Anita on February 10.
The moments are as follows:
#FlavienSix – Jockey Flavien Prat won six straight races with the Santa Anita Park tag on March 12. Prat became the first rider to win six races in a row at Santa Anita since jockey Laffit Pincay, Jr., five-time Eclipse Award winner with the same victory on March 14, 1987. (12 months) 3)
#LetruskaBlossom – Letruska fights back in the final steps to upset two-time Eclipse winner Monomoy Girl in the GI Apple Blossom at Oaklawn Park. (April 17)
#EssentialBelmont – Necessary quality hold off Hot Rod Charlie in battle with the rope at GI Belmont S. (June 5)
#AllTimeSteve – Steve Asmussen became the best coach of all time. The Hall of Fame coach added to his career track record in style on Whitney Day in Saratoga by winning his record 9,446th race, topped by the late Dale Baird . (August 7th)
#Savage – Firenze Fire wreaks havoc on Yaupon in GI Forego S. Unable to outrun the final victor Yaupon in the ramp, Firenze Fire uses it to wreak havoc on his enemies right in front of him. Runhappy Travers Day crowd. (August 28)
#DiversityStepForward – George Leonard becomes the first African-American coach to compete at the Breeders’ Cup World Championship. That moment happened when California Angel won the GII JPMorgan Chase Jessamine WAYI at Keeneland to earn an automatic slot into the GI Juvenile Fillies Turf. (November 5)
#GodolphinApplebyTriple – Yibir won the GI Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf for Godolphin and conditioner Charlie Apple thanks to their third winner at the World Championships. In addition to Yibir, Godolphin and Appleby teamed up to win the GI FanDuel Breeders ‘Cup Mile on Saturday with the Space Blues and the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf with Modern Games on Friday. (November 5-6)
#JapaneseDuo – Japanese runners-up Marche Lorraine and Loves Only You won two races on Saturday Breeders’ Cup. Breeders’ Cup success has kept Japanese athletes dodging as evidenced by a 0-13 record progressing to the 2021 Breeders’ Cup World Championship. That changed dramatically on November 6 when Marche Lorraine (45-1 / Distaff) and Loves Only You (4-1 / Filly & Mare Turf) both won for coach Yoshito Yahagi. (November 6)
#ClassicKnicks – Knicks Go Organized a brilliant campaign by winning the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic. Korea Racing Agency Knicks Go scored impressively against the ill-fated Medina Spirit to end the year with a four-race winning streak for coach Brad Cox. (November 6)
#PinkLloydFinale – Seven-time Canadian champion, Pink Lloyd had a brilliant career with a win in the GII Kennedy Road S. at Woodbine. Pink Lloyd, 9, is a fan favorite and 2017 Canadian Horse of the Year, winning the Kennedy Road for the third time and ending her career with 29 wins from 38 starts.
(November 27)
#TakingFlight – Flightline posted an incredible performance in GI Malibu S. to showcase the short but brilliant 3 year old campaign. Invincible. Unbound. The flight route extended home 11 and a half hours in Malibu, where he was in first grade for the first time. The son of Tapit won three career starts with a total length of 37½ for coach John Sadler. (December 26)
Fans are allowed to vote for multiple moments, but there is a limit of one vote per moment per Twitter account. Subsequent votes from an account will be disqualified.
2015 had a landslide vote in favor American pharoahBelmont Stakes’ historic Triple Crown-clinching victory. In 2016, California Chrome was once again part of the winning moment – a dramatic Dubai World Cup victory occurred when Victor Espinoza’s saddle slid off the undercarriage.
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This story was posted in Top News and tagged FanDuel Moment of the Year, Flavien Prat, Flight route, Godolphin, Japan, Knicks Go, Letruska, Steve Asmussen.
