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2021 FanDuel Racing-NTRA Moment Of The Year Voting Open

Eleven of the most memorable, significant and reflective events from the last 12 months of Thoroughbred racing in North America are up for the 2021 FanDuel Racing NTRA Moment of the Year, a distinction determined by fan voting and recognized at the Eclipse Awards. Voting is now open on the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) website, NTRA.com, and via Twitter, where every retweet or use of the official hashtag for the moments as presented on the @NTRA account will be counted as one vote.

To vote on the NTRA website, go to: https://www.ntra.com/eclipse-awards/2021-moment-of-the-year/

Votes for the poll must be submitted by February 2 at 11:59 p.m. (ET).

The FanDuel Racing-NTRA Moment of the Year will be revealed during the 51st Annual Eclipse Awards Presented by Fan Duel Racing and Santa Anita Park on February 10, 2022 hosted at Santa Anita Park and streamed on multiple platforms and televised on TVG.

The eligible 2021 moments were selected to illustrate the wide range of human emotions and achievements, as well as outstanding displays of athleticism. Events that fans can choose from are listed chronologically as follows, along with the designated hashtag that can be used to vote:

#FlavienSix – Jockey Flavien Prat wins six consecutive races on the March 12 Santa Anita Park card. Prat, a leading California rider who was born in Melun, France, becomes the first jockey to win six consecutive races at Santa Anita since five-time Eclipse Award-winning jockey Laffit Pincay, Jr. did the same on March 14, 1987. (March 12)

#LetruskaBlossom – Letruska battles back in the final strides to upset two-time Eclipse Award winner Monomoy Girl in the Grade 1 Apple Blossom at Oaklawn Park. Facing Eclipse Award winners Monomoy Girl and Swiss Skydiver in Oaklawn's premier race for older fillies and mares, St. George Stable's Letruska sets the early pace, loses the lead to Monomoy Girl and then rallies to best that foe by a nose. (April 17)

#EssentialBelmont – Essential Quality holds off Hot Rod Charlie in a battle to the wire in the Belmont Stakes. A winner of five of six lifetime starts and coming off an upset loss as the favorite in the Kentucky Derby, Eclipse Award champion Essential Quality regains his winning form by prevailing in a stretch-long battle with Hot Rod Charlie. (June 5)

#AllTimeSteve – Steve Asmussen becomes the all-time winningest trainer. The Hall of Fame trainer adds to his career accomplishments in style on Whitney Day at Saratoga by winning his record-setting 9,446th race, topping the late Dale Baird. (August 7)

#Savage – Firenze Fire savages Yaupon in the Forego Stakes. Unable to get past eventual winner Yaupon in the stretch, Firenze Fire resorts to savaging his foe in front of the large Runhappy Travers Day crowd. (Aug. 28)

#DiversityStepForward – George Leonard becomes the first African American trainer to compete in the Breeders' Cup World Championships. That moment came about when California Angel won the JPMorgan Chase Jessamine WAYI at Keeneland to earn an automatic berth into the Juvenile Fillies Turf. (Nov 5)

#GodolphinApplebyTriple – Yibir wins the Longines Breeders' Cup Turf giving Godolphin and conditioner Charlie Appleby their third winner at the World Championships. In addition to Yibir, Godolphin and Appleby teamed to win Saturday's FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile with Space Blues and Friday's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf with Modern Games. (Nov. 5-6)

#JapaneseDuo – Japanese runners Marche Lorraine and Loves Only You win two races on Breeders' Cup Saturday. Breeders' Cup success had eluded Japanese runners as evidenced by an 0-13 record heading into the 2021 Breeders' Cup World Championships. That changes dramatically on November 6 when Marche Lorraine (45-1/Distaff) and Loves Only You (4-1/Filly & Mare Turf) each win for trainer Yoshito Yahagi. (Nov. 6)

#ClassicKnicks – Knicks Go caps a brilliant campaign by winning the Breeders' Cup Classic. Korea Racing Authority's Knicks Go scores impressively over ill-fated Medina Spirit to finish the year on a four-race winning streak for trainer Brad Cox. The 5-year-old son of Paynter amasses three Grade 1 wins in 2021 and earns more than $7.3 million in purse money. (Nov. 6)

#PinkLloydFinale – Seven-time Canadian Champion Pink Lloyd caps a brilliant career with a victory in the Kennedy Road Stakes at Woodbine. Nine-year-old Pink Lloyd, a fan favorite and 2017 Canadian Horse of the Year, wins the Kennedy Road Stakes for the third time and finishes his career with 29 wins from 38 starts. (Nov. 27)

#TakingFlight – Flightline posts a jaw-dropping performance in the Malibu Stakes to cap a brief but brilliant 3-year-old campaign. Undefeated. Unchallenged. Flightline canters home by 11 ½ lengths in the Malibu, his first Grade 1 attempt. The son of Tapit has won his three career starts by a combined 37 ½ lengths for trainer John Sadler. (Dec. 26)

Fans are permitted to vote for multiple moments but there is a limit of one vote per moment for each Twitter account. Subsequent votes from an account will be disqualified. Votes for the poll must be submitted by February 2 at 11:59 p.m. (ET).

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.

In 2020, Authentic's historic win in the 146th Kentucky Derby, run in September and without fans due to the coronavirus pandemic, was voted as the FanDuel Racing-NTRA Moment of the Year.

The post 2021 FanDuel Racing-NTRA Moment Of The Year Voting Open appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Godolphin, Cox Post Single-Season Earnings Records

With 84 winners from 479 North American starts, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum's Godolphin LLC amassed earnings of $17,403,204, to establish a new single-season record, according to statistics released Monday by Equibase Company LLC. The previous mark of $12.2 million was set in 2012 by Ken and Sarah Ramsey. Additionally, runners sent out by trainer Brad Cox earned a record $31,832,345 in 2021, narrowly surpassing the $31.1 set in 2019 by trainer Chad Brown.

Leading the charge for Godolphin in 2021 was 'TDN Rising Star' Essential Quality (Tapit), a leading contender for Eclipse Award honors with victories in the GI Belmont S. and GI Runhappy Travers S. en route to bankrolling $3,420,000 for the campaign. When factoring in earnings from the Saudi Cup meeting last February and Dubai World Cup night the following month, the stable's North American earnings topped $29.3 million, including 'Rising Star' and G1 World Cup hero Mystic Guide (Ghostzapper) and Rebel's Romance (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), winner of the G2 UAE Derby. The Godolphin blue was carried to victory in three races on Breeders' Cup weekend at Del Mar, highlighted by standout successes from Yibir (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) in the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Turf and from Space Blues (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) in the GI FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile. Godolphin raced 15 North American graded winners in 2021, a number that also includes GI Clark S. hero Maxfield (Street Sense) and Althiqa (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}), victorious in the GI Just A Game S. at Belmont and the GI Diana S. at Saratoga.

Cox unsaddled the winners of 269 races from 1,025 starters in 2021, led by Knicks Go (Paynter), who capped a likely Horse of the Year campaign with a romping victory in the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Classic at Del Mar to go with the GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational and GI Whitney S. Adding in earnings from Saudi Arabia and Dubai, the Cox stable was represented by the winners of $33.3 million. Knicks Go was North America's highest-earning Thoroughbred for the year with seasonal earnings of $5,824,140.

Joel Rosario, the regular rider of Knicks Go, finished the season with 228 victories from 1,083 rides in 2021, good for earnings of $32,944,478, a number that soars to $35.4 million when adding in earnings from the Middle East.

The post Godolphin, Cox Post Single-Season Earnings Records appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Hot Rod Charlie Wins 2021 Vox Populi Award

Horse racing fans have spoken, and they have chosen Hot Rod Charlie, the gutsy 3-year-old colt who was a force along the Triple Crown trail, as the winner of the 2021 Secretariat Vox Populi Award. Created by Secretariat's owner Penny Chenery, the award annually recognizes the horse whose popularity and racing excellence best resounded with the general public and gained recognition for Thoroughbred racing.

Emerging as the favorite among the thousands of fans who voted in the year-end online poll, Hot Rod Charlie started the season as a long shot but consistently showed speed and determination that carried him through the Breeders' Cup Classic.

Hot Rod Charlie is owned in a partnership with Boat Racing LLC, Gainesway Stable, Roadrunner Racing, and William Strauss. Trained by Doug O'Neill and piloted by Flavien Prat, he was a surprise winner of the Louisiana Derby and later finished third in the Kentucky Derby and second in the Belmont Stakes, where his blistering fractions in the first quarter-mile rivaled the record-setting pace set in 1973 by Secretariat. Later in the year, Hot Rod Charlie answered an infamous disqualification in the TVG.com Haskell Stakes with a breathtaking comeback in the Pennsylvania Derby, his first graded stakes win.

The Oxbow colt's thrilling performances and his tenacity on the track endeared him to racing fans. Finishing in the money for five of his seven 2021 starts, Hot Rod Charlie tallied more than $2 million in earnings in 2021 and is poised for a sensational 4-year-old season in 2022. Off the track, his owners have donated a portion of Hot Rod Charlie's earnings to causes such as the Melanoma Research Alliance to honor O'Neill family members who had succumbed to the disease, as well as the Folds of Honor Foundation and the Jake Panus Walk-On Football Endowed Scholarship Fund at the University of South Carolina.

“Hot Rod Charlie represents the heart and purpose of the Secretariat Vox Populi Award, and his feel-good story and grit as a competitor remind us why we love racing,” said Kate Chenery Tweedy, family historian and daughter of Penny Chenery. “Traditional awards may overlook his accomplishments, but this award celebrates his endearing connection with fans.”

Greg Helm of Roadrunner Racing, representing Hot Rod Charlie's ownership interests, expressed gratitude for the honor, given the talented field of nominees.

“This colt has given our team such an incredible ride this year, and we are overjoyed he has been recognized as the winner of the Vox Populi Award,” Helm said. “We saw something special in him early on, and 'Charlie' has validated that time and time again. It means so much to us that fans have connected with him too.”

Hot Rod Charlie was one of a select group of six nominees submitted by the Vox Populi Committee and presented to thousands of voters in all 50 states and more than 40 countries who spoke as the “Voice of the People” in the Secretariat.com online poll. Other nominees were Echo Zulu, Essential Quality, Knicks Go, Letruska, and Life is Good. Voters also had the option to write in their own favorite candidate to recognize other exceptional horses.

Hot Rod Charlie now joins a list of cherished racing stars who have also received the Vox Populi Award: Authentic (2020), Bricks and Mortar (2019), Winx (2018), Ben's Cat (2017), California Chrome (2016 and 2014), American Pharoah (2015), Mucho Macho Man (2013), Paynter (2012), Rapid Redux (2011), and Zenyatta (inaugural 2010).

The trophy presentation for Hot Rod Charlie's connections is scheduled for Jan. 8, 2022, at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., where race fans can also enjoy the official Vox Populi winner's print giveaway and special autograph appearances.

The post Hot Rod Charlie Wins 2021 Vox Populi Award appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Famed Hopes to Live Up to Her Name in Golden Rod

'TDN Rising Star' Famed (Uncle Mo), currently best known as the half-sister to champion Essential Quality (Tapit), looks to forge her own path as she takes on stakes company in the GII Golden Rod S. at Churchill Downs Saturday. Runner-up in her six-panel debut at Churchill Sept. 26, the dark bay broke through next out with a 7 3/4-length decision going seven furlongs at Keeneland Oct. 30.

Famed will have to contend with impressive Rags to Riches S. winner Sandstone (Street Sense). Third behind next-out Debutante S. winner and stablemate Behave Virginia (Unified) in her Churchill unveiling May 28, the dark bay romped by nine lengths next out when extended to a mile beneath the Twin Spires Oct. 3. She ran away with the Rags to Riches last time Oct. 31, cruising home a 10 3/4-length winner over the re-opposing Yuugiri (Shackleford), who adds blinkers this time. McPeek also saddles Hal's Dream (Exaggerator), who rallied from last to first to graduate at first asking at Keeneland Oct. 20.

Dream Lith (Medaglia d'Oro) looks to make amends after finishing fifth in both the Sept. 5 GI Spinaway S. and Oct. 8 GI Darley Alcibiades S. The well-bred filly captured her career bow at Saratoga Aug. 8 and adds blinkers for this start.

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