Japan's Breeders' Cup successes named NTRA Moment of the Year
The two wins by Japanese-based horses at last year’s Breeders’ Cup event has been voted the National Thoroughbred Racing Association Moment of the Year, the NTRA announced on Thursday.
A plurality of votes among the approximately 3,000 tallied by Feb. 2 chose the two wins, according to the NTRA. Japanese-based horses had run in 13 Breeders’ Cup races without a victory prior to registering the two wins last year, touching off emotional celebrations from the horses’ connections.
The first win came when Loves Only You won the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf as the third choice in the 12-horse field. Two hours later, Marche Lorraine pulled off a shocker when winning the Breeders’ Cup Distaff by a nose at odds of 50-1.
Voting for the Moment of the Year is conducted on-line via Twitter and the NTRA’s website. There were 11 candidates for the award, including George Leonard becoming the first black trainer to enter a horse in the Breeders' Cup.
The Moment of the Year has been awarded every year since 1999. The award will be recognized during the Eclipse Awards ceremony on Thursday night.