Belmont win by American Pharoah voted Moment of the Year

The win by American Pharoah in the 2015 Belmont Stakes, which secured the first Triple Crown in 37 years, has been voted the NTRA Moment of the Year, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association announced on Friday.

The Belmont win beat out American Pharoah’s triumph in the Breeders’ Cup Classic and eight other candidates selected by the NTRA. Voting was conducted on Twitter, and “nearly 1,000” people registered their votes through the micro-blogging service, the NTRA said.

An award signifying the achievement was given to Bob Baffert, the trainer of American Pharoah, on Friday morning at the ThoroFan Awards Breakfast in a restaurant near Gulfstream Park in Florida. The award was a glass timepiece set to 6:55 p.m., the time when American Pharoah crossed the finish line in the Belmont Stakes, the NTRA said.

The NTRA has conducted votes for the Moment of the Year since 1999.