Many of
the year’s most memorable races took place at Aqueduct Racetrack, Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course, and
beginning today and through January 15, 2011, fans can choose from among five
thrilling races and cast their ballots for The New York Racing Association,
Inc.’s (NYRA) “Race of the Year.”
The
five races are highlighted by NYRA Handicapper Andy Serling in an exclusive
video available at www.nyra.com, www.facebook.com/thenyra and NYRA’s
official YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/nyravideo.
The five nominees, in chronological order, are:
- Eskendereya’s
powerhouse victory over a talented field in the Grade 1 Wood Memorial at
Aqueduct on April 3 was a standout among 3-year-old performances in 2010.
Trained by Todd Pletcher and ridden by John Velazquez, the favored son of
Giant’s Causeway stormed to the lead on the turn and pulled clear to a 9
¾-length win over Jackson Bend, covering the 1 1/8 miles in 1:49.97 in a
gallop.
- Proviso
marked herself as one of the top female turf horses in the country with
her hard-fought win over Shared Account and two-time winner Forever
Together in the Grade 1 Diana at Saratoga.
The 5-year-old Dansili mare, owned by Juddmonte Farms and trained by Hall
of Famer Bill Mott, prevailed by a head in a blanket finish under Mike
Smith for her third consecutive Grade 1 win.
- Blame
rallied to overtake favored Quality
Road in deep stretch and win the Grade 1
Whitney at Saratoga
by a head in a thrilling finish. It was the sixth straight win for Blame,
who became the first horse to gain an automatic berth in a race he would
eventually win – the Breeders' Cup Classic on November 6 at Churchill Downs.
- Blind
Luck’s trademark heart-stopping late run carried her from last to
first as she edged a game Havre de Grace in the 130th running of the Grade
1 Betfair TVG Alabama at Saratoga.
The victory, her fifth career Grade 1, established the Jerry Hollendorfer-trained
miss atop the 3-year-old filly division as favored Devil May Care finished
fourth.
- Fans
at Saratoga Race Course saw one of the most dramatic finishes in the
141-year history of the Grade 1 Travers, as 6-1 shot Afleet Express
matched strides with Fly Down through the stretch before prevailing by a
diminishing nose on the wire. So close was the photo finish that it took
five minutes before the race was made official, giving trainer Jimmy
Jerkens his first victory in the “Mid-Summer Derby” and jockey Javier
Castellano, who had won in 2006 with Bernardini, his second.
Fans can vote on NYRA’s “Race of
the Year” on www.nyra.com.