Finally, Idiomatic was emphatic. After two close defeats and a narrow victory, Idiomatic put it to them Sunday at Keeneland in the Spinster Stakes, rolling to a 6 1/2-length victory more emblematic of her true, excellent self. Idiomatic won the Grade 1, $600,000 Spinster for the second year in a row and, after drubbing five foes at Keeneland, she might return to California favored to win her second Breeders’ Cup Distaff in a row. The Distaff figures to be among the Breeders’ Cup’s most anticipated races, pitting Idiomatic against the star 3-year-old filly Thorpedo Anna. Idiomatic began her season winning the Grade 1 La Troienne by 3 3/4 lengths. She lost the Ogden Phipps at Saratoga by a head, done in by a wide trip behind a slow pace, struggled to put away an inferior rival, Soul of an Angel, in the Molly Pitcher at Monmouth, then fell victim to a speed duel and was beaten a head in the Personal Ensign. :: Bet with the Best! Get FREE All-Access PPs and Weekly Cashback when you wager on DRF Bets. “If she wins those two, I believe she’d be in contention for Horse of the Year,” said Brad Cox, who trains Idiomatic for her breeder, Juddmonte Farms. From the 5-year-old mare in Lexington to a 4-year-old filly in Paris, it was quite a Sunday for Juddmonte homebreds. This morning – afternoon in France – Bluestocking gave Juddmonte it’s seventh win in the Prix de l’Arc de Triumph. Juddmonte also sponsors the Spinster, which is part of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series, and has won the race three times. Sunday’s contest was not without brief drama. Breaking from the rail, Florent Geroux hustled Idiomatic to the lead, the mare coming inside Candied and Loved to take a lead, going her first quarter-mile in 23.53, her half in a relatively fast 47.03. Going into the turn, Candied and Loved got pushed along by their riders while Idiomatic glided, but between the three-furlong marker and the five-sixteenths pole, Candied and Loved quickly closed on Idiomatic. “I was a little concerned,” Cox said. “They were running at her, making up ground.” Either Idiomatic or Geroux was playing possum. Idiomatic straightened for the finish, kicked clear, and never came close to being challenged again as Candied faded to third, Loved to fourth, with Occult coming late to grab second by three-quarters of a length. “She kept that big stride going and once again was able to finish up. Florent’s rode her plenty of times, obviously, and knows where to ask her,” Cox said. Idiomatic, who paid $2.64, was timed for 1 1/8 miles on a fast track in 1:49.04. Last year, she clocked 1:49.82, and this ranked among the fastest Spinsters of recent vintage, albeit a race run over a quick-playing surface. Idiomatic, a late-developing mare by Curlin out of Lockdown, by First Defense, didn’t emerge as a top horse until the summer of her 4-year-old season. In October of her 5-year-old year, she provided solid evidence that she’s the same horse who won the Distaff a year ago and went on to capture championship honors. Outside observers wondered if Idiomatic had lost a half-step from her peak. Cox all along contended she’d lost nothing. On Sunday, his horse backed him up. On to Del Mar. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.