Eleven significant 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.
Votes for the poll must be submitted by Feb. 2 at 11:59 p.m. The winner will be revealed at the Eclipse Award ceremony at Santa Anita Feb. 10.
The moments are as follows:
#FlavienSix – Jockey Flavien Prat wins six consecutive races the Mar. 12 Santa Anita Park card. Prat 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 Mar. 14, 1987. (Mar. 12)
#LetruskaBlossom – Letruska battles back in the final strides to upset two-time Eclipse Award winner Monomoy Girl in the GI Apple Blossom at Oaklawn Park. (Apr. 17)
#EssentialBelmont – Essential Quality holds off Hot Rod Charlie in a battle to the wire in the GI Belmont S. (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. (Aug. 7)
#Savage – Firenze Fire savages Yaupon in the GI Forego S. 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 GII JPMorgan Chase Jessamine WAYI at Keeneland to earn an automatic berth into the GI Juvenile Fillies Turf. (Nov 5)
#GodolphinApplebyTriple – Yibir wins theGI 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 GI FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile with Space Blues and Friday's GI 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 Nov. 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 GI 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. (Nov. 6)
#PinkLloydFinale – Seven-time Canadian champion Pink Lloyd caps a brilliant career with a victory in the GII Kennedy Road S. at Woodbine. Nine-year-old Pink Lloyd, a fan favorite and 2017 Canadian Horse of the Year, wins the Kennedy Road 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 GI Malibu S. to cap a brief but brilliant 3-year-old campaign. Undefeated. Unchallenged. Flightline canters home by 11 1/2 lengths in the Malibu, his first Grade I 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.
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 underne
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