AUTHENTIC’S DERBY WIN “MOMENT OF THE YEAR”

Authentic
Authentic won the Kentucky Derby. Photo by Coady Photography.
  • userPress Release
  • dateJanuary 28, 2021

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) announced today that Authentic’s stirring triumph in the 146th Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve has been voted the 2020 FanDuel Racing-NTRA Moment of the Year based on the results of 3,403 votes cast via Twitter and an online poll.

The winning moment occurred on September 5, 2020 at 7:05 p.m. ET on a day that saw the Run for the Roses contested without fans at Churchill Downs due to the coronavirus pandemic. Under handling from Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez, Authentic defeated heavily favored Tiz the Law in the Kentucky Derby to give Spendthrift Farm its first win in the race under the helm of B. Wayne Hughes. The Kentucky Derby triumph also gave Velazquez his 200th career Grade 1 victory and trainer Bob Baffert a record-tying sixth win in the classic.

Adding to the magnitude of the moment was the fact that Authentic’s triumph ignited a celebration from the more than 5,000 owners of My RaceHorse, one of several partners in the ownership of the son of Into Mischief along with Madaket Stables and Starlight Racing.

Represented on Twitter by the hashtag #AuthenticDerby, the winning moment earned 1,363 votes.

The FanDuel Racing-NTRA Moment of the Year will be recognized and memorialized at the 50th Annual Eclipse Awards presented by Spendthrift Farm which will air live on TVG and Racetrack Television Network (RTN) on January 28 at 8 p.m. The ceremony will also be streamed on the following outlets: NTRA.com; America’s Best Racing Facebook page and Twitter feed; XBTV Facebook page; DRF.com; Bloodhorse.com; ThoroughbredDailyNews.com; Equibase.com; Breeders’ Cup Facebook page and YouTube channel; MyRacehorse Facebook page and YouTube channel; and TOBA.org.

Moment of the Year voters chose from 11 occurrences in 2020 illustrating a range of human emotions as well as outstanding displays of equine athleticism. Authentic’s exploits actually accounted for the top two voting choices as his triumph in the November 7 Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic in track-record time, represented by the hashtag #AuthenticClassic, finished second in the balloting with 1,010 votes.

Finishing third in the voting was Greg Harbut and Ray Daniels becoming the first Black owners in 13 years to have a Kentucky Derby starter when Necker Island finished ninth in the Run for the Roses. Signified by the hashtag #RepresentationMatters, that moment garnered 508 votes.

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