Fan Voting Open for Vox Populi Award
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California Chrome, who won two legs of the 2014 Triple Crown, is one of the nominees for the 2014 Vox Populi Award. (Photos by Eclipse Sportswire)
While the Eclipse Awards have been in the spotlight since the 2014 Breeders’ Cup World Championships, Eclipse voters aren’t the only ones who have a voice during this year’s award season.
For the fifth consecutive year, fans are able to vote for their favorite horse, with the winner getting the Vox Populi, or “Voice of the People,” Award. The Vox Populi was established by Mrs. Penny Chenery, Secretariat’s owner, to recognize the racehorse whose popularity and racing excellence made them a fan favorite while also gaining recognition for the sport during the year.
While the Vox Populi Committee chose six nominees, fans can also write-in a racehorse if their choice is not available on the ballot.
This year’s nominees are headlined by Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner California Chrome and Kentucky Oaks and Breeders’ Cup Distaff winner Untapable. Other names on the ballot include 2013 2-year-old champion Shared Belief, who won all but one start in 2014; two-time Horse of the Year Wise Dan, who was undefeated this year despite mid-season colic surgery; Game On Dude, a fan favorite in California who won his third Santa Anita Handicap in 2014; and the 8-year-old veteran Ben’s Cat, who won his fourth consecutive Mister Diz Stakes this year.
UNTAPABLE WINNING THE BREEDERS' CUP DISTAFF
The Vox Populi winner will be selected on the combined weight of the public poll, Mrs. Chenery’s input, and the opinion of the Vox Populi Committee.
“In the five years since the introduction of the Vox Populi Award, we have been so pleased to see it become such a coveted honor in the racing community,” Chenery said. “We expect the award to garner much attention this year. With a field of accomplished nominees so competitive and diverse, the voting should be delightfully contentious.”
The online poll, which can be accessed here, will allow voting until Dec. 17, with the winner announced at www.Secretariat.com on Dec. 25.
The winner’s connections will be acknowledged and receive a trophy on Jan. 10, 2015 at Santa Anita Park.
Whichever horse wins the Vox Populi will join a distinguished list of recent fan favorites. The award was first given to Zenyatta in 2010 and since then, Rapid Redux, Paynter, and Mucho Macho Man have all joined her as the award’s winners.