Voting Now Open for NTRA Moment of the Year

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 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 Feb. 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 FanDuel Racing and Santa Anita Park Feb. 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 Apple Blossom Handicap (G1) 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 Sponsored by NYRA Bets (G1). A winner of five of six lifetime starts and coming off an upset loss as the favorite in the Kentucky Derby (G1), 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 Race Course by winning his record-setting 9,446th race, topping the late Dale Baird. (Aug. 7)

#Savage - Firenze Fire  savages Yaupon   in the Forego Stakes (G1). 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 Stakes (G3T) at Keeneland to earn an automatic berth into the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T). (Nov. 5)

#GodolphinApplebyTriple - Yibir  wins the Longines Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T) 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 (G1T) with Space Blues  and Friday's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T) 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 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 Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1). 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 then-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 (G2) at Woodbine. Then-9-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 RUNHAPPY Malibu Stakes (G1) 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 1 attempt. The son of Tapit   has won his three career starts by a combined 37 1/2 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 Feb. 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 (G1).

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 (G1). 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 (G1) 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.