Eleven of the most unforgettable, significant moments from North American Thoroughbred racing last year have been nominated for the 2025 FanDuel Racing-NTRA Moment of the Year. Fans vote for this accolade, which is presented annually at the Eclipse Awards. Voting is open on the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) website and on X (formerly Twitter), where each retweet or use of the official Moment hashtag linked to the @NTRA account counts as a vote. The winning moment will be honored at the 55th Annual Resolute Racing Eclipse Awards on January 22, 2026, held at Breakers Palm Beach, Florida, and presented by John Deere, The Jockey Club, and NTRA.
Fans can cast their votes on multiple moments on the NTRA website but are limited to one vote per X account, with any extra votes from the same account disqualified. Voting ends on January 15th at 11:59 pm ET.
The nominated 2025 moments showcase a range of equine and human achievements and emotions throughout the year, with events including Godolphin’s undefeated Good Cheer winning the Kentucky Oaks (#cheeroaks), Sovereignty’s Kentucky Derby victory giving Godolphin a rare Oaks and Derby double (#sovereigntyderby), Journalism’s dramatic Preakness Stakes win (#journalismpreakness), Sovereignty’s Belmont Stakes triumph over Journalism (#sovereigntybelmont), and the passing of legendary trainer D. Wayne Lucas (#dwayne).
Other highlights include Journalism’s Haskell Stakes win (#journalismhaskell), Sovereignty’s dominant Travers Stakes victory (#sovereigntytravers), champion Fierceness overcoming race trouble to win the Pacific Classic (#fiercenesspacific), Ted Nophy’s undefeated Breeders’ Cup Juvenile win (#tedisperfect), Forever Young becoming the first Japanese-bred Breeders’ Cup Classic winner (#foreverclassic), and Flavien Prat setting a NYRA record with seven wins on Belmont closing day (#flavienwins7).
Reflecting on past winners, moments like the 1999 Belmont Stakes emotional jockey scene, Barbaro’s fight after Preakness injury in 2006, and American Pharoah’s Triple Crown win in 2015 have all captivated fans’ hearts. Recent years saw standout moments including Japanese horses’ first Breeders’ Cup wins in 2021 and the inspiring story of Cody’s Wish winning the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile in 2022 and 2023. The 2024 spotlight performance is Says the Gray’s Preakness win for trainer D. Wayne Lucas and microshare owners MyRacehorse.
Fan Take: This annual celebration of thrilling moments captures the passion and drama that make horse racing uniquely captivating for fans. Highlighting these unforgettable achievements not only honors the sport’s legends but also fuels its future by engaging a new generation of enthusiasts.
