Voting begins for NTRA 'Moment of Year'

Twelve candidates have been selected by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association for its “Moment of the Year” fan poll, with voting opening Friday afternoon.

The candidates include Justify becoming the sport’s 13th Triple Crown winner with his win in the Belmont, Accelerate winning this year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic, and the victory by European superfilly Enable in the Breeders’ Cup Turf.

Other candidates include the retirement of Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens after a nearly 40-year career and the opening of the sports book at Monmouth Park in June.

Votes are being accepted at the NTRA’s website (www.NTRA.com), where a full list of the candidates is available. In addition, voters can retweet a candidate from the NTRA’s twitter account or use a hashtag of the moment for a vote. Only one vote per Twitter account will be accepted, the NTRA said.

Voting will be conducted through Jan. 16. The winner will be revealed at the Eclipse Awards ceremony on Jan. 24 at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.