NTRA Moment of the Year, Part 1

Ah, 2014: the Year of the Horse. And what a year it was! Through the course of the last 365 days, Thoroughbred racing was treated so some majorly memorable moments: some wonderful, some bittersweet.
Fortunately, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association rounds up ten of the most incredible points of the year and lets fans vote for their favorite. The winning moment will receive an Eclipse Award at January 17’s championships at Gulfstream Park in Miami.
In part 1, I’ll give my take on the first five candidates for Moment of the Year; be sure to vote early to make your voice heard – ballots close on January 2! 
Please note: all photos are mine unless I specify otherwise.
Moment 1:  Seven-year-old gelding Game On Dude wins the $750,000 Santa Anita Handicap by 1¾ lengths, becoming the first three-time winner in the Big ’Cap’s rich 77-year history. (March 8)

Oh, Game On Dude. This horse has done absolutely everything a Thoroughbred can do on the racetrack, and when he went to the gate on March 8 at Santa Anita Park to try for an unprecedented third Big ‘Cap (as the Santa Anita Handicap is known) I know I wasn’t the only one with her heart in her throat. But I had no need to be nervous: the Dude romped home, securing his name in the history books with ease. I remember the roar of the crowd as Game On Dude came back to pose in the winner’s circle; fans made so much noise that jockey Mike Smith rode Dude down the homestretch to let people cheer him one more time.

Moment 2:  With his victory aboard We Miss Artie in the Spiral Stakes at Turfway Park, Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez becomes the first North American rider to surpass $300 million in career earnings. (March 22)

Image courtesy of Eclipse Sportswire 
Eclipse Award-winning jockey and known awesome human being Johnny Velazquez hit another career milestone on March 22, when he guided We Miss Artie to victory in the Spiral Stakes at Turfway Park. Not only did the victory ensure that Artie would go on to the Kentucky Derby, but it was the race that pushed Velazquez above the $300-million mark in career earnings. 
It seriously couldn’t happen to a nicer guy  - not only is Velazquez a great rider, but he’s also an advocate for his fellow reinsmen: he’s a board member on the Permanently Disabled Jockey’s Fund and has done extensive work to help out riders who have become catastrophically injured in the line of duty. Plus, he’s not above looking silly to help out: he can be counted on to do anything and everything to help raise funds for the PDJF, including some very brave karaoke performances: 

Moment 3:  California Chrome wins the 140th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in front of a crowd of 164,906, the second-largest in Derby history. He becomes the first horse bred in the Golden State to wear the garland of roses since Decidedly in 1962. It is the second Derby victory for jockey Victor Espinoza and first for Art Sherman, who became the oldest Derby-winning trainer at 77.  (May 3)

Oh, Cal Chrome. I will admit to being a fan of his since I saw him win the San Felipe way back in March. (OK, I realize that I sound like a California Chrome hipster, to the point that this may be the most horse racing-y sentence I’ve ever written.) Anyway, the little chestnut colt with the huge heart stormed his way down the Kentucky Derby trail, winning with ease and collecting fans at every race. By the time the Kentucky Derby rolled around, he had his own paparazzi when he arrived at Churchill Downs to train up to the Derby. 

So when California Chrome won the Kentucky Derby as the favorite (both in the betting and in fans’ hearts) it was a race for the ages that left Chrome fans excited to see what would happen next. 
Moment 4:  California Chrome’s quest to become racing’s first Triple Crown winner in 36 years falls short as the heavy favorite dead-heats for fourth behind winner Tonalist in the 146th Belmont Stakes. The third-largest crowd in Belmont history, 102,199, watches the drama unfold, while another 20.6 million viewers, the second-highest Belmont viewership on record, tune in on NBC. In the aftermath co-owner Steve Coburn tells NBC’s Kenny Rice that the result is “a coward’s way out,” a sound bite that is replayed countless times in mainstream media. (June 7)

Well, what happened soon after was that California Chrome went on to win the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico two weeks after the Derby, and was poised to enter the history books as racing’s 12th Triple Crown winner three weeks later at Belmont Park. As the horses paraded in the paddock before the Belmont the crowd was huge and tensions were running high.

But when the race was over, California Chrome finished fourth and a gallant Tonalist had won the Belmont, putting an end to another Triple Crown quest.
Moment 5:  Trainer Jimmy Jerkens saddles the top two finishers in the $1 million Travers, with V. E. Day besting stablemate Wicked Strong in the Mid-Summer Derby at Saratoga Race Course. (August 23)

Image courtesy of NYRA
The Travers Stakes at Saratoga is known as the Mid-Summer Derby, and it’s one of the biggest races outside of the Triple Crown contests for horses three years of age. It’s hard enough to win the Travers; it’s even rarer for one trainer to finish first and second in the same edition of it! But on August 23, that’s just what trainer Jimmy Jekens did when his charges V. E. Day and Wicked Strong finished 1-2 in Saratoga’s premiere race. Needless to say, Team Jimmy Jerkens had a lot to celebrate that day!

Image courtesy of Eclipse Sportswire
That’s it for part on of 2014’s Moments of the Year – be sure to check back soon for my take on the second half of this year’s biggest horse racing moments, and let me know in the comments what your best memory of 2014 was!