Five Grade 1 wins and a narrow second against the boys in the mid-summer derby. Thorpedo Anna certainly staked her claim to be the 2024 horse of the year. She punctuated her case with a dominating, 2 1/2-length triumph Saturday in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Del Mar.
Saturday’s gate-to-wire performance was textbook. Off at odds of 2-5, Thorpedo Anna rocketed out of post 2 in the field that eroded to seven fillies and mares. Brian Hernandez Jr. took her through pace-setting fractions of 23.81, 47.99 and 1:12.01.
As Thorpedo Anna turned into the stretch with a two-length lead, Hernandez gave her one right-handed touch of his crop to make sure she kept to the task through the finish line. Her winning time was 1:49.10.
