Online voting is now open for the second annual Secretariat Vox Populi Award. Created by Secretariat's owner Penny Chenery, the Vox Populi, or “Voice of the People,” Award recognizes the racehorse whose popularity and racing excellence resounded most with the American public and gained recognition for the sport during the past year.
This year’s nominees are: Rapid Redux, who with 19 wins during 2011 equaled Citation's modern day U.S. record for victories in a calendar year; Goldikova, the international star who attempted to win the TVG Breeders’ Cup Mile (gr. IT) for the fourth consecutive year; Havre de Grace, the 4-year-old filly who captured the Woodward (gr. I) as well as other notable stakes races this year; and Uncle Mo , the 2-year-old champion of 2010 who thrilled fans in 2011 despite battling a liver ailment during the year.
The Secretariat Vox Populi Award was established in 2010 and recognized fan favorite Zenyatta as the inaugural winner. This year the winner will be selected on the equally weighted basis of the public’s online poll results, opinions offered by the Vox Populi Committee, and input from Chenery. Voting in the online poll, which can be found at www.secretariat.com, ends Jan. 2, 2012, with the public presentation to the 2011 winner scheduled for Jan. 15 at Santa Anita Park.
The Vox Populi Committee consists of television horse racing commentator Charlsie Cantey, Hall of Fame jockey Steve Cauthen; Mayhem Pictures’ Mark Ciardi, producer of Disney Studio’s 2010 film Secretariat; Ed Seigenfeld, former executive vice president at Triple Crown Productions; Eric Wing, senior director of media relations for NTRA; and Amy Zimmerman, executive producer for HRTV and producer for NBC and ESPN racing telecasts.
“We are thrilled to have assembled such a distinguished and progressive group of talented individuals for the Vox Populi Committee,” said Chenery in a release. “They all understand the special meaning of this unique award and the vision we have for its place in the industry. I am eager to hear what they have to say as well as to see the results of our fan voting.”