The 2024 horse racing season was a remarkable one, especially in the American racecourses. Indeed, the Triple Crown of the sport saw huge anticipation, and the equines that participated in those three races delighted everyone with their performances. However, Mystik Dan’s victory in the Kentucky Derby will remain etched in the memories of many fans and a topic of discussion in the coming years. But why is it so?

Indeed, the equine defeated not one, but two pre-race favorites in the Grade 1 race, who were Fierceness at 5-2 odds and Sierra Leone at 3-1 odds. Mystik Dan had the odds of 20-1, and nobody expected him to secure the victory. However, the equine that surprised everyone back at Churchill Downs didn’t secure a major award at the end of the 2024 season, as another horse worth $3 million bagged the prize.

Yes, I’m talking about Thorpedo Anna, the winner of not the Kentucky Derby, but the Kentucky Oaks in 2024. The filly didn’t even participate in any of the American Triple Crown horse racing events, as she was focused on various other major races. Indeed, her career, particularly in the 2024 season, was filled with Grade 1 races, where the four-year-old was a captivating sight.

All of these victories in the 2024 season made Thorpedo Anna, the 2024 Horse of the Year, which was also announced by the official X profile of the Kentucky Derby. And where do we even start? On October 26, 2023, the filly ran her first official race, Maiden Special Weight, at Keeneland and secured a victory. After a few races in the season, her 2024 campaign started with the Grade 2 Fantasy Stakes at Oaklawn Park, and she won the race in style.

However, Thorpedo Anna’s victory merely marked the beginning of a successful season, as she amassed victories in the Longines Kentucky Oaks, DK Horse Acorn Stakes, and the Coaching Club American Oaks. All of these wins came in the Grade 1 races, and the filly raised her standard in the horse racing community. But as all good things come to an end, for the then three-year-old, her streak of winning ended at the DraftKings Travers Stakes.

In no time, though, the horse trained by Kenneth McPeek came back to its winning ways at the Grade 1 Cotillion Stakes. She then secured her final victory in the final race of her 2024 season at the Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff. The 2024 campaign was surely a big success for the filly, as in a single season, she was able to grab $3,653,050 in earnings, making her total career earnings a whopping $3,843,663. However, how are these statistics compared to Mystik Dan?

The reason why the Kentucky Derby winner didn’t grab this award

The fact that both Mystik Dan and Thorpedo Anna were trained by Kenneth McPeek is intriguing. It was a successful season for the horse racing trainer too, but how did the two fare against each other? Even though the two equines never met each other in a race, the statistics showcase a huge difference between the two’s journeys in their respective careers.

For the 2024 Horse of the Year, the campaign was filled with Grade 1 victories and only a single time did she finish in second place, which was in the DraftKings Travers Stakes. But how did the year go for Mystik Dan? Surely, the start of the season was a tricky one as he placed fifth in the Smarty Jones Stakes at Oaklawn Park. However, at the same venue, he secured a victory in the Grade 3 Southwest Stakes.

This specific victory demonstrated his readiness for a Grade 1 challenge, particularly the Kentucky Derby. Prior to the major race, the colt participated in the Arkansas Derby but placed third, which did raise a few questions. And coming to Churchill Downs, he had odds of 20-1 but still was able to secure a victory in one of the most prestigious races in the world. However, apart from coming second in the Preakness Stakes, the rest of the campaign was underwhelming for Mystik Dan, and the anticipation around him faded with time. This could potentially explain why the colt failed to secure the award.