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Thorpedo Anna has been crowned America's Horse of the Year for 2024, becoming only the second 3YO filly to achieve the honour since Rachel Alexandra in 2009. Trained by Kenny McPeek, the outstanding performer secured 193 first-place votes out of a possible 240 at the 54th Annual Resolute Racing Eclipse Awards ceremony at The Breakers Palm Beach.
The daughter of American Pharoah's campaign featured six victories from seven starts, including a memorable triumph in the Gr.1 Longines Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs. Her stellar season also encompassed wins in the Gr.2 Fantasy Stakes at Oaklawn Park, the Gr.1 DK Horse Acorn Stakes and Gr.1 Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga, the Gr.1 Cotillion at Parx Racing, and the Gr.1 Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff at Del Mar.
Her sole defeat came when finishing a close second to Fierceness in the Gr.1 Travers Stakes at Saratoga against colts. Owned by Brookdale Racing, Inc., Mark Edwards, Judy Hicks, and Magdalena Racing, Thorpedo Anna was also unanimously voted Champion Three-Year-Old Filly.
Chad Brown secured his fifth Outstanding Trainer Eclipse Award after amassing more than US$30.8 million in prize money and 47 graded stakes victories. His charge Sierra Leone, owned by Peter Brant and partners, claimed Champion Three-Year-Old Male honours following victories in the Gr.1 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes and Gr.1 Longines Breeders' Cup Classic, with Flavien Prat aboard for the latter triumph.
Prat dominated the riding ranks with 56 graded stakes wins and 82 stakes victories overall, while earning more than US$37 million in the calendar year.
Bob Baffert and Brad Cox each trained two Eclipse Award winners. Baffert's successes came with Citizen Bull (Champion Two-Year-Old Male) and National Treasure (Champion Older Dirt Male), the latter owned by SF Racing LLC partnership and victorious in the Gr.1 Pegasus World Cup and Gr.1 Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan Handicap.
Cox's victories were achieved through Idiomatic (Champion Older Dirt Female) and Immersive (Champion Two-Year-Old Filly), with Juddmonte's mare securing three Grade One wins and Godolphin's juvenile filly landing the NetJets Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies.
Godolphin claimed both Outstanding Owner and Outstanding Breeder awards, with their runners accumulating US$20,234,455 in earnings and securing 10 Grade One victories. Their homebred Rebel's Romance, trained by Charlie Appleby, was crowned Champion Male Turf Horse.
Canadian-bred Moira, trained by Kevin Attard for Madaket Stables LLC, SF Racing, LLC, and X-Men Racing, took Champion Female Turf Horse honours after winning the Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf. Dan Blacker trained Straight No Chaser (Champion Male Sprinter) for MyRacehorse and Saffie Joseph Jr.'s Soul of an Angel (Champion Female Sprinter), owned by C2 Racing Stable LLC, Agave Racing Stable, and Ken Reimer, dominated the sprint divisions.
Snap Decision, trained by Jack Fisher for Bruton Street US, secured Champion Steeplechase Horse following victories in the Gr.1 Calvin Houghland Iroquois and Gr.1 American Grand National .
Special honours were bestowed upon Frank Taylor and the Stable Recovery Program (Special Eclipse Award), while Mike Gillum was named Horseplayer of the Year. The connections of Seize the Grey, trained by D. Wayne Lukas, were recognised for their Gr.1 Preakness Stakes victory in the FanDuel Racing-NTRA Moment of the Year.
Erik Asmussen, son of trainer Steve Asmussen, was named Outstanding Apprentice Jockey after riding 127 winners and earning more than US$5 million during his first season in the saddle.
The Eclipse Awards, named after the legendary 18th-century racehorse Eclipse, who was undefeated in 18 starts, pay tribute to excellence in North American Thoroughbred racing. The awards represent the pinnacle of achievement in the sport, with Eclipse himself having gone on to sire 344 winners, including three Epsom Derby victors.