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Japan’s Breeders’ Cup Double Named 2021 FanDuel Racing-NTRA Moment Of The Year

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) announced today that the breakthrough performance by Japanese horses Loves Only You (JPN) and Marche Lorraine (JPN) at the 38th Breeders' Cup World Championships at Del Mar last November has been voted the 2021 FanDuel Racing-NTRA Moment of the Year based on the results of 3,000 votes cast via Twitter and an online poll.

The FanDuel Racing-NTRA Moment of the Year will be recognized this evening at the 51st Annual Eclipse Awards presented by 1/ST Racing, FanDuel Racing Group and the NTRA at Santa Anita Park. The Eclipse Awards ceremony will air live on TVG and Racetrack Television Network (RTN) beginning at 8 p.m. ET.

In addition to TVG and RTN, the ceremony will be streamed live on NTRA.com, americasbestracing.net (ABR), Bloodhorse.com, DRF.com, Equibase.com, MyRaceHorse.com (YouTube), santaanita.com/live Thoroughbred Daily News (TDN.com), TOBA.org and XBTV.com.

In voting concluded Feb. 2, fans voted for #JapaneseDuo as the top Moment of 2021. On 13 previous occasions, Japanese-based horses had failed to win a race at the Breeders' Cup World Championships, but all that changed dramatically at last year's Breeders' Cup at Del Mar. On Nov. 6, DMM Dream Club's 5-year-old mare, Loves Only You, slipped between horses and won the Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf, and gave Japan its first-ever Breeders' Cup triumph. Not to be outdone, but just two hours later, U. Carrot Farm's Marche Lorraine shocked the Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff, winning by a nose at 49-1, and awarding Japan its second win at the World Championships.

Moment of the Year voters chose from 11 occurrences in 2021 illustrating a range of human emotions as well as outstanding displays of equine athleticism. Following #JapaneseDuo in second place was #DiversityStepForward when George Leonard became the first African American trainer to compete in the Breeders' Cup World Championships.

Past Moments of the Year

The first-ever “NTRA Moment of the Year” was the touching scene between Charismatic and jockey Chris Antley following the 1999 Belmont Stakes. The next year's winner was the stretch run of the 2000 Breeders' Cup Classic, which saw Tiznow hold on for a dramatic victory against Giant's Causeway.

Tiznow won again the following year as fans selected his stirring repeat victory in the Classic over Sakhee. In 2002, fans cited the passing of the last living Triple Crown winner, Seattle Slew. In 2003, the popular Kentucky Derby win by Funny Cide was selected. Birdstone's upset win in the Belmont Stakes over Smarty Jones took down top honors for 2004. In 2005, fans selected Afleet Alex's spectacular victory in the 2005 Preakness Stakes.

Voters in 2006 chose Barbaro's gallant struggle to recover from his Preakness injury while at the New Bolton Center. The 2007 Moment of the Year was a historic victory by the filly Rags to Riches over Curlin in the Belmont Stakes. In 2008, it was Zenyatta's win in the Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic. Zenyatta “repeated” in 2009 as fans selected her triumph in the Breeders' Cup Classic.

In 2010, fans selected Blame's narrow Breeders' Cup Classic victory over Zenyatta. Drosselmeyer's hard-fought win over Game on Dude in the Breeders' Cup Classic was the public's choice for 2011. For 2012, the recovery of Paynter from near-deadly battles with laminitis and colitis captured the hearts of voters like no other story. In 2013, fans recognized Mucho Macho Man's nose victory in the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic for his popular connections. The 2014 award went to California Chrome's dominant win in Kentucky Derby 140. In 2015 there was a landslide vote in favor of American Pharoah's historic Triple Crown-clinching Belmont Stakes win. In 2016, California Chrome was again part of the winning moment – a dramatic Dubai World Cup victory that came as Victor Espinoza's saddle slipped out from underneath him.

In 2017, the tragic fire at San Luis Rey and the industry's response led the way among the votes cast while Justify's sweep of the Classics to become just the 13th Triple Crown winner was the clear pick the following year. In 2019, Maximum Security's historic disqualification in the 145th Kentucky Derby — the first winner in Derby history to be demoted for a racing infraction — earned the distinction.

Authentic's stirring triumph in the 146th Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve was voted the 2020 FanDuel Racing-NTRA Moment of the Year.

The Eclipse Awards are sponsored by Roberts Communications, Four Roses Bourbon, Daily Racing Form, Breeders' Cup, FanDuel Group, The Stronach Group and 1/ST Racing, Santa Anita Park, TVG, Dean Dorton, Stonestreet Farm, Keeneland, Racetrack Television Network, Jackson Family Wines, EquinEdge, Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital, Hallway Feeds and the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association.

The Eclipse Awards are named after the great 18th-century racehorse and foundation sire Eclipse, who began racing at age five and was undefeated in 18 starts, including eight walkovers. Eclipse sired the winners of 344 races, including three Epsom Derbies.

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Trophies Stolen From Wesley Ward’s House

A thief broke into Wesley Ward's home in Versailles, Kentucky Tuesday morning and walked off with 12 trophies, including many that the trainer received at the Royal Ascot meet.

The story was first reported by the Lexington TV station WLEX.

The robber did not seem inclined to clear out Ward's house or take such valuable items as his laptop and desktop computer. Rather, only the 12 trophies were taken while several others were left behind, including Eclipse Award trophies. The thief took only the Ascot trophies and the trophy won by Judy the Beauty in the 2015 GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint.

“It's strange they took what they did and that and that only,” Ward said.

To make matters even more confusing, Ward said all the Ascot trophies were kept in a bag in a closet in a spare bedroom and he has no idea how someone knew they were there. Ward said the Versailles Police Department told him the criminal likely had an insider's knowledge of Ward's home and the hours he kept as a trainer.

Ward does not believe that the stolen trophies will bring the thief anything more than a few hundred dollars.

“They're really worth nothing except to my family and I,” he said. “I guess if you melt them down for the silver and gold you could get some money, but it wouldn't be that much. Their street value, what could they be worth? Maybe $50 per trophy.”

The real loss, he said, is their sentimental value.

“I was presented with a trophy from the Queen of England and she only gives out two trophies a year at Ascot,” he said. “One was for when Wes Welker's Undrafted won the (2015 G1) Diamond Jubilee. I had my kids on the podium with me when she gave us the trophy. That's a memory you can never forget. To have a part of it taken away is just terrible.”

Ward said he has already contacted British racing officials inquiring what it would take to order replacement trophies.
A Nest camera captured an image of the burglar entering the house at 10:53 a.m. but there was not a clear picture of the robber's face. The burglar entered through the backdoor, which was not locked.

“I live out in the country, three miles behind Keeneland,” Ward said. “I live on a country road that sits on Elkhorn Creek. Who would think someone is going to come around the back door on a country farm house and come in. In all the years I've been here I've never seen anyone walking around where I live.”

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Gamine to Visit Quality Road in 2022

Michael Lund Petersen's Gamine (Into Mischief) has been booked to Lane's End stallion Quality Road for 2022, bloodstock agent Donato Lanni confirmed Sunday.

“We had a meeting with Michael to decided what to do and we all agreed that Quality Road was the right horse to start off her broodmare career,” Lanni said. “You really can't go wrong with Quality Road–he's a very good sire.”

Acquired for $1.8 million at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale, Gamine won nine of 11 starts, including the 2020 GI Breeders' Cup F/M Sprint, GI Acorn S. and GI Test S. and was named the year's Eclipse champion female sprinter.

In 2021, she added wins in the GI Derby City Distaff and GI Ketel One Ballerina S. and she concluded her career with a third-place finish in the Breeders' Cup F/M Sprint. She is once again an Eclipse award finalist as top female sprinter.

Gamine's retirement was announced in early January and the 5-year-old mare currently resides at Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa Farm in Paris, Kentucky.

“She's happy,” Lanni said. “She's turned out with some fillies, she's really happy to have some buddies now at Xalapa. She's enjoying retirement.”

Asked if the champion might be offered at auction next fall, Lanni said, “We just want to get her bred, get her pregnant. We're not even thinking about that right now.”

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Coinage Looks to Rebound in Kitten’s Joy

Looking to start off his 2022 campaign in the winner's circle, Coinage (Tapit) will be facing a competitive field of sophomores in Gulfstream Park's GIII Kitten's Joy S. on Saturday.

Stakes-placed on dirt in Saratoga's NY-bred Rick Violette S. in July, the $450,000 KEESEP purchase took to the turf and two turns with ease, capturing the GIII With Anticipation S. at the Spa in September in his first try over the surface and a route of ground. The colt was a bothered third in the Sept. 26 Nownownow S. at Monmouth Park and was last seen finishing ninth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Nov. 5 after breaking outwardly and weakening late. The Mark Casse runner enters off a bullet work at Palm Meadows Jan. 28, going five furlongs on grass in 1:00 flat, and has picked up the services of Luis Saez.

“At Monmouth, he had some trouble at the start. He kind of stumbled and didn't get away from there,” Casse said of his colt's recent bout of bad racing luck. “In the Breeders' Cup, it was probably just more about post position. When you go around at Del Mar going a mile and you draw outside, it's kind of brutal. He just had a tough trip. We're just trying to get him back and, hopefully, he'll have a little luck this time.”

Grand Sonata (Medaglia d'Oro) looks to spoil those plans from the rail, last seen winning the Jan 1. Dania Beach S. at this venue after a slow start. The Whisper Hill homebred checked in second to next-out GIII Futurity S. winner Slipstream (More Than Ready) on debut at Belmont in September and broke his maiden next out in an off-the-turf event going two turns at Keeneland Oct. 16. Bumped around at the start of Aqueduct's Central Park S. on the grass Nov. 27, the dark bay was checked hard and asked to close from last to grab fifth. He is joined in the gate by stablemate and Nownownow runner-up Royal Spirit (Into Mischief), who enters off a 1 1/4-length graduation last out in Hallandale Jan. 2.

On the far outside, Red Danger (Orb) looks to pick up his first graded stakes victory and third black-type score overall. A winner sprinting on the turf in both his maiden breaking score Aug. 11 at Saratoga and when winning the Sept. 9 Global Tote Juvenile Turf Sprint S. at Kentucky Downs, he'll be looking to break through at this distance after previously finishing fourth in the GII Castle & Key Bourbon S. Oct. 10 at Keeneland and second in the Oct. 31 Street Sense S. on the main track underneath the Twin Spires. He was last seen closing his 2-year-old campaign in winning style in the Pulpit S. at Gulfstream Park, a race where Speaking Scout (Mr Speaker) finished second for the Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners.

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