Blame, Dominguez, Gomez and Velazquez all nominated for
ESPY Award
Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) winner Blame, along with the movie “Secretariat”
and jockeys Ramon Dominguez, Garrett Gomez and John Velazquez were among a wide
array of athletes and sports entities announced Friday as nominees for the 19th
annual ESPY Awards. Presented by ESPN, the ESPY Awards will take place July 13
at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles.
Blame was nominated in the category of “Best Upset” for his victory over
previously undefeated Zenyatta in last November’s Breeders’ Cup Classic at
Churchill Downs. The other three nominees in the “Best Upset” category are
Fabricio Werdum for his Mixed Martial Arts win over Fedor Emalianenko; the
Seattle Seahawks for their win over the New Orleans Saints in the opening round
of the NFC Playoffs; and the Virginia Commonwealth University basketball team
for its long run in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.
“Secretariat” was nominated in the category of “Best Sports Movie.” Other
nominees in that category are “The Fighter,” “Soul Surfer” and “Win Win.”
Dominguez, Gomez and Velazquez were the three nominees in the “Best Jockey”
category. Dominguez won the 2010 Eclipse Award as North America’s top jockey.
Gomez had a strong 2010 highlighted by his winning rides aboard Blame. Velazquez
achieved a personal first earlier this year when he piloted Animal Kingdom
(Leroidesanimaux [Brz]) to victory in the Kentucky Derby (G1).
Final results will be determined by fan balloting now available at
espn.com/espys and
facebook.com/espn.
Voting will continue through July 9.