“The Horse of the Year has to do something extraordinary.”
That forceful decree from D. Wayne Lukas after Lady’s Secret dominated from start to finish in the 1986 Breeders’ Cup Distaff rang true then for the coveted Eclipse Award and remains a reality today.
Six females have been honored as Horse of the Year since the inception of the Eclipse Awards in 1971. Each was exceptional. Their legacies live forever in the Racing Hall of Fame.
Thorpedo Anna galloped to the precipice of joining this select group of female Eclipse Award winners as Horse of the Year by winning six of seven starts in 2024. The 3-year-old filly won five Grade 1 races, including the Longines Kentucky Oaks and the Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff. She lost once, by a head, to champion Fierceness when challenging males in the 1 ¼-mile Draftkings Travers Stakes.
The Distaff win elevated Thorpedo Anna into the Horse of the Year discussion. Two starts…
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