NTRA Moment of the Year, Part 2

The Year of the Horse has yielded some huge moments in the Sport of Kings, and once again this year the National Thoroughbred Racing Association has rounded up ten of the most incredible events of 2014 for you to vote on. The winning moment will receive an Eclipse Award at January 17’s championships at Gulfstream Park in Miami, so make sure that you get your vote in to make your voice heard – ballots close on January 2!
In my last blog I gave you my take on the selections from the first half of 2014; let’s dive into the second half now!
Please note: all photos are mine unless I specify otherwise.
Moment 6:  Two-time defending Horse of the Year Wise Dan returns after more than two months of recovery from emergency colic surgery to win the Grade 2 Bernard Baruch at Saratoga Race Course with John Velazquez up.  (August 30)

Image courtesy of NYRA
Well, regular readers of mine will not be surprised to know that this is my Moment of the Year – I am a huge Wise Dan fan, and I will never forget the moment that I found out that his life was in danger from colic: I was in the Grandstand at Pimlico on Black-Eyed Susan day, and when I heard the news I had to find a quiet place to sit down and freak out. At that point, I was just praying to the Racing gods that he would recover; it never occurred to me that he would run again. But that’s just what he did: a little more than three months after the emergency surgery that saved his life, Wise Dan returned to the races at Saratoga and won the Bernard Baruch to the delight of Dan fans the world over. While I wasn’t able to be there for that win, I was watching at home and I’m not ashamed to tell you that I wept like a baby when he crossed under the finish line ahead of the pack.*

*I also just wept like a baby after watching that replay. What can I say? I’m a Dan Fan! 
Moment 7:  Track announcer Tom Durkin calls the final race of his illustrious 43-year career at Saratoga Race Course. Following the featured Spinaway Stakes – in which “Condo Commando was splash-tastic!” – Durkin is treated to a long standing ovation and an emotional retirement ceremony in the winner’s circle, coverage of which makes the front page of The New York Times. (August 31) 

Image courtesy of NYRA
OK, this one was another tearjerker for me: Tom Durkin has been the voice of New York Racing since … well, since forever, in my book: I grew up sitting by my parents listening to his race calls when I was a little girl, and he epitomizes the best of announcing to me. So when he hung up his binoculars for the last time at Saratoga this year, I wasn’t the only one to shed a sentimental tear. Tom Durkin has had so many iconic calls: from the hilarious Arrrrrr calls:

To his narration of Cigar’s Breeders’ Cup Classic win:

He’s become an icon for horse racing fans the world over. While I will truly miss hearing his voice at the New York tracks, I am so grateful to have witnessed his fantastic talents in the announcer’s booth. 
Moment 8:  Two-time Horse of the Year Cigar dies at Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital from complications following surgery for severe osteoarthritis in his neck. The popular member of racing’s Hall of Fame, who once won 16 consecutive races, had resided at the Kentucky Horse Park’s Hall of Champions since 1999. (October 7)

Image by HorsePhotos 
It occurs to me that I should have invested in Kleenex for the second half of 2014, since I spent a lot of time in tears. Losing Cigar was a terrible moment, but another that made me grateful that I was around to watch such an amazing horse with so much heart. Cigar was one of my first Thoroughbred obsessions, and I remember watching as many of his races as I could. He was the kind of horse that always tried his hardest in each race, whether it was the inaugural Dubai World Cup, the Breeders’ Cup Classic or any of his other tremendous wins. After his retirement in 1996, he continued to delight his fans from his home at the Kentucky Horse Park, and I know Cigar will be missed by Thoroughbred lovers around the world for decades to come.
Moment 9:  Jockey Rosie Napravnik announces her retirement and pregnancy live on NBC Sports after winning the $2-million Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff aboard Untapable. (October 31)

Image by Eclipse Sportswire
OK, this was a fun one!  Rosie had an amazing year in 2014: she not only won the Breeders’ Cup Distaff and Kentucky Oaks aboard Untapable, but she did tons of other awesome events, too! For example, did you know that she has an off-the-track Thoroughbred named Sugar and that she gave a symposium on why riders should adopt retired racehorses?

But it was her victory aboard Untapable in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff that I think would have landed her on this list no matter what: it was a perfectly-timed ride, and the pair made a very tough race look like a simple training exercise.

When Rosie came back to the Breeders’ Cup winner’s circle, she was positively glowing: I just assumed it was from happiness.

Wrong! She was delighted for sure, but she also dropped a huge bit of news on us in the post-race interview: we all (including her mother!) found out on live TV that Rosie and her husband are expecting their first child and that Rosie would be hanging up her boots in favor of bassinets for the foreseeable future. It was a lovely moment, and I think her mom’s face as she hugged her Rosie after hearing the news tells the whole story:

Image by Eclipse Sportswire
Moment 10: Bayern survives a tense inquiry into bumping at the start to win a controversial running of the $5-million Breeders’ Cup Classic, the first Classic win for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, owner Kaleem Shah and jockey Martin Garcia. (November 1)

Whew! Like, love, hate or still just don’t get the outcome of the 2014 Breeders’ Cup Classic, it was certainly a memorable occasion! The Breeders’ Cup Classic this year really was a world-class event, with the best Thoroughbreds on the planet competing in the America’s richest horse race. When the gates opened at Santa Anita Park, though, there was a bit of a … kerfuffle, shall we say, involving favorite Shared Belief and eventual winner Bayern. That is, Bayern took a hard left turn coming out of the starting gate and bumped Shared Belief quite hard in the opening strides of the race. 
After crossing the finish line in first, Bayern and runner-up Toast of New York circled outside of the winner’s circle under the setting California sun waiting to hear the judges’ ruling. 

After a long delay, the stewards (another name for horse racing’s official judges at the track) determined that the bump was not enough to negate Bayern’s win, and the colt became the 2014 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner.

That’s it for part two of 2014’s Moments of the Year – let me know in the comments what your favorite memory of the year is!