Breeders' Cup Classic voted NTRA Moment of the Year

The exciting victory by Drosselmeyer and Mike Smith over Game on Dude and

Chantal Sutherland in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic has been voted the 2011

National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) Moment of the Year.

Drosselmeyer's victory also represented the second "Classic" win in as many days

for trainer Bill Mott, who had saddled Royal Delta to win the previous day's

Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Ladies Classic. The connections of Drosselmeyer will be

honored at the Eclipse Award ceremony Monday in Beverly Hills, California, with

the "NTRA Moment of the Year" award. The 2011 winner marks the third straight

year that the Breeders' Cup Classic has accounted for the NTRA Moment of the

Year.

This year's balloting was conducted at the NTRA website, ntra.com, and

offered voters 12 different images illustrating a wide range of human emotions

as well as outstanding displays of equine athleticism. Finishing second was

Blind Luck's narrow victory over Havre de Grace in the Grade 2 Delaware

Handicap. The images and events that fans chose from, with percentage of votes

they received in parentheses, were:

"The NTRA Moment of the Year award and this year's first ever Eclipse Horse

of the Year Fan Vote Sweepstakes presented terrific avenues for the fans to play

an active role in the Eclipse Awards ceremony," said Keith Chamblin, NTRA senior

vice president. "Drosselmeyer's victory had so many interesting aspects to it,

and we are delighted to salute that triumph in the Breeders' Cup Classic as the

latest NTRA Moment of the Year."