Secretariat's owner Penny Chenery created the award in 2010 to annually recognize the racehorse whose popularity and racing excellence best resounded with the public and gained recognition for the sport.

Though he retired to stud duty with 11 wins and career earnings of $3,106,030, it was the Godolphin homebred's connection to Cody Dorman that elicited widespread admiration and affection from fans.

“Cody's Wish embodies all that the Secretariat Vox Populi Award represents. He has wowed us with his performances on the racetrack and touched countless people's hearts with his profound connection with Cody Dorman,” said Kate Chenery Tweedy, daughter of Secretariat's late owner Penny Chenery.

Representatives of the Cody's Wish team will return to Santa Anita Park Jan. 13 for the Vox Populi Award trophy presentation as part of the day's activities.

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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.

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Fans can vote on one of six nominees selected by the award's committee or choose a write-in option. This year's nominees, along with their most recent winning race, are: GI NetJets Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies winner Echo Zulu (Gun Runner); GI Travers S. champ Essential Quality (Tapit); GI Pennsylvania Derby winner Hot Rod Charlie (Oxbow); GI Breeders' Cup Classic winner Knicks Go (Paynter); GI Spinster S. victress Letruska (Super Saver); and GI Big Ass Fans Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile scorer Life Is Good (Into Mischief).

“Our nominees this year represent some of the brightest moments for the sport in 2021,” said Chenery's daughter, Kate Chenery Tweedy. “We look forward to the fans celebrating their favorites by voting for the horses who thrilled them, who inspired them, and who provided them the most joy during another challenging year.”

In addition to 2020's Authentic, previous Vox Populi winners have included inaugural 2010 winner Zenyatta (Street Cry {Ire}), Ben's Cat (Parker's Storm Cat), and two-time honoree California Chrome (Lucky Pulpit).

For more information about the Vox Populi Award, visit Secretariat.com. Voting will be open through Nov. 30 and the winner will be announced in December.

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Winner of the GI Kentucky Derby and GI Breeders’ Cup Classic, Authentic bested nominees Monomoy Girl, Swiss Skydiver, Tiz the Law and Whitmore. All five nominees were selected by the Vox Populi committee and presented to thousands of voters in more than 50 countries who spoke as the “Voice of the People” in online polls on both Secretariat.com and America’s best Racing, where the Vox Populi was featured in the Fan Choice Awards.

“Offering racing fans the opportunity to share in the joy of horse ownership is an innovation that holds much promise for the industry and an idea that my mother would have applauded,” said Kate Chenery Tweedy, family historian and daughter of Penny Chenery, of Authentic co-owner and microshare venture MyRacehorse. “These Authentic interests and the affection they share for their personal champion have parlayed into widespread attraction and support for the sport. Authentic’s athleticism speaks for itself, but in a resounding and new way, Authentic has emerged as a horse of the people.”

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A frontrunning favorite among the record number of fans who voted in the year-end online poll, Authentic burst onto the racing scene early in 2020. In the unusual calendar that followed for 3-year-olds, the speedy colt by Into Mischief returned five wins and two second-place finishes in his seven starts.

Authentic is owned in a partnership with B. Wayne Hughes' Spendthrift Farm, Madaket Stables and Starlight Racing. In March, Spendthrift offered an interest in Authentic to My Racehorse Stable, a new venture that sells affordable micro-shares of racehorses to casual fans. Thus, when Authentic was victorious in this year's Run for the Roses, he fulfilled the Derby dreams of more than 5,300 racing enthusiasts with a vested interest in him.

“Offering racing fans the opportunity to share in the joy of horse ownership is an innovation that holds much promise for the industry and an idea that my mother would have applauded,” said Kate Chenery Tweedy, family historian and daughter of Penny Chenery. “These Authentic interests and the affection they share for their personal champion has parlayed into widespread attraction and support for the sport. Authentic's athleticism speaks for itself, but in a resounding and new way, Authentic has emerged as a horse of the people.” 

Hughes, representing the ownership interests, expressed gratitude for the honor, given the talented field of nominees.

“We were so pleased with the ride that Authentic gave us this year,” Hughes said. “He carried with him the hopes and dreams of all of us who love horse racing, and he delivered time and again on racing's largest stages. We'll remember that thrill for a long time to come — one of the few good stories of 2020. And I, for one, am hopeful that this new kind of partnership will lead to more fans taking an active interest as owners in our magical sport.” 

Authentic was retired to Spendthrift following the Breeders' Cup and will enter stud in 2021.

Trained by Bob Baffert and piloted by jockey John Velazquez in his final three starts, Authentic was one of a select group of five nominees submitted by the Vox Populi Committee and presented to thousands of voters in more than 50 countries who spoke as the “Voice of the People” in online polls on both Secretariat.com and AmericasBestRacing.net, where the Vox Populi was featured in the Fan Choice Awards. Other nominees were Monomoy Girl. Swiss Skydiver, Tiz the Law, and Whitmore. Voters also had the option to write in their own favorite candidate, where other exceptional horses were noted.  

Authentic now joins a list of cherished racing stars who have also received the Vox Populi Award: 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).  

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Fans can vote on one of five nominees selected by the award’s committee, or choose a write-in option, through Nov. 30. The nominees are: GI Kentucky Derby and GI Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Authentic (Into Mischief); GI Breeders’ Cup Distaff winner Monomoy Girl (Tapizar); GI Preakness S. winner Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil); GI Belmont S. and GI Travers S. winner Tiz the Law (Constitution); and 7-year-old GI Breeders’ Cup Sprint winner Whitmore (Pleasantly Perfect).

“In a peculiar year that upended both the horse racing calendar and its traditions, we still have equine athletes who have persevered and admirably performed, oblivious to human concerns,” said Kate Chenery Tweedy, family historian and daughter of Penny Chenery. “Each of our Vox Populi nominees has captured the hearts of horse racing fans at a time when we are all are in need of inspiration.”

The recipient of the Secretariat Vox Populi Horse of 2020, along with the winners of the other Fan Choice Awards categories, will be announced Dec. 3. A trophy presentation for the 2020 Vox Populi winner is planned for January.

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The Secretariat Vox Populi Horse of 2020 tops the ticket for the America's Best Racing (ABR) Fan Choice Awards in a partnership that allows fans to vote in the online poll at Secretariat.com as well as AmericasBestRacing.net for one of five nominees selected by the Vox Populi Committee. Voters also have the option to write in a racehorse of their choice at Secretariat.com. Voting will be open on both sites through Nov. 30.

The recipient of the Secretariat Vox Populi Horse of 2020, along with the winners of the other Fan Choice Awards categories, will be announced Thursday, Dec. 3. A trophy presentation for the 2020 Vox Populi winner is planned for January.

This year's nominees are: Authentic, the speedy 3-year-old colt who led wire-to-wire in both the 2020 Kentucky Derby and the Breeders' Cup Classic; Monomoy Girl, the classy 5-year-old mare and 2018 Vox Populi nominee who was undefeated during her 2020 comeback campaign that culminated with a win in the Breeders' Cup Distaff; Swiss Skydiver, the electrifying and well-traveled 3-year-old filly whose multiple stakes wins included beating the boys in the second fastest Preakness Stakes; Tiz the Law, the impressive 3-year-old colt whose four wins in six starts included the Belmont Stakes, the Travers and Florida Derby; and Whitmore, the veteran 7-year-old gelding whose first-place finishes included the Breeders' Cup Sprint and his third career win in the Count Fleet Spring Handicap.

“In a peculiar year that upended both the horse racing calendar and its traditions, we still have equine athletes who have persevered and admirably performed, oblivious to human concerns,” said Kate Chenery Tweedy, family historian and daughter of Penny Chenery. “Each of our Vox Populi nominees has captured the hearts of horse racing fans at a time when we are all are in need of inspiration.”

The list of previous Vox Populi winners reads as a who's who among the sport's contemporary superstars and beloved equine heroes: 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 2010 inaugural winner Zenyatta.

The nominating committee for the Secretariat Vox Populi Horse of 2020 is comprised of several distinguished personalities from within and outside the racing industry who all share a keen interest and affection for the sport. For more information about the award, visit Secretariat.com, the official website for the legendary Thoroughbred champion. Celebrating racing's past to enrich its future, Secretariat.com is a comprehensive online source for historical information, photography, merchandise, and memorabilia chronicling the enduring legacy of the 1973 Triple Crown winner. Secretariat.com can also be found on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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The categories for the 2020 Fan Choice Awards are the following:

Secretariat Vox Populi Horse of 2020

Favorite Race of 2020

Favorite Jockey of 2020

Favorite Racetrack to Bet

Favorite Racing Radio Show or Podcast of 2020

Favorite Racing Analyst of 2020

Favorite Race Call of 2020

Favorite Betting Site (New Category)

Favorite “Horse Country” Experience (New Category)

Favorite OTTB in Equine-Assisted Therapy (New Category)

Voting for the Vox Populi Horse of 2020 will be jointly available at both AmericasBestRacing.net and Secretariat.com, while voting for the nine remaining categories will be exclusively hosted at AmericasBestRacing.net. Winners for all 10 award categories will be announced on ABR’s website and social media channels Thursday, Dec. 3.

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