Two days ago, the reigning Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna was in the headlines for his stakes. The NFL icon Marshawn Lynch has bought stakes in the superstar female horse. “It is extremely rare, if not impossible, to acquire an interest in a mare of this caliber.” This was what John G. Sikura of Hill ‘n’ Dale, who acquired a half-interest, also said while emphasizing the quality of the horse Thorpedo Anna.
Last year, Thorpedo Anna earned the title of Horse of the Year, triumphing in the Longines Kentucky Oaks and the Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff for her owners, Brookdale Racing, Mark Edwards, Judy Hicks, and Sherri McPeek’s Magdalena Racing. And now, as the Breeders’ Cup is crawling closer day by day, Thorpedo Anna is also gearing up for the most prestigious hustle in the horse racing sport.
Although only two of Thorpedo Anna’s 11 career victories have been at Saratoga Race Course, the reigning Horse of the Year has become closely associated with the Spa. She has spent much of her training season there. Per reports by the New York Racing Association, the 4-year-old filly is set to make her eagerly awaited return to Saratoga this Saturday afternoon.
Image via Facebook/Breeder’s Cup World Championships
She will face a talented field in the Grade 1, $500,000 Personal Ensign, a nine-furlong test for older fillies and mares. And why is this an important race? A victory in the Personal Ensign grants the winner an automatic spot in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Distaff on November 1 at Del Mar. Also, the Ken McPeek trainee is entering her fifth start of 2025 following a commanding three-length score in the Grade 2 Fleur de Lis at Churchill Downs on June 28. That victory came as a sharp rebound after her uncharacteristic seventh-place finish in the Grade 1 La Troienne in May, where she was defeated by rival Raging Sea over 1 1/16 miles.
Saturday’s 14-race card is stacked with six graded stakes, highlighted by the Grade 1, $1.25 million DraftKings Travers in Race 13. The program also features three Grade 1, $500,000 seven-furlong sprints: the H. Allen Jerkens Memorial (Race 10), the Resorts World Casino Ballerina (Race 11), and the Forego (Race 12).
It offers a “Win and You’re In” berth for the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. Additionally, the Grade 2, $400,000 Lake Placid (Race 7) rounds out the stakes action. Per NYRA, the first post is 11:10 a.m. Eastern, with the gates opening to fans at 9 am.
Thorpedo Anna has that same excited energy
“It was good,” McPeek said of the Fleur de Lis. “I think the race on Derby week was just a bit of what could go wrong did go wrong, but she’s locked and loaded for this weekend.” The daughter of Fast Anna opened her 2025 campaign with back-to-back victories at Oaklawn Park, first in the Grade 2 Azeri and then in the Grade 1 Apple Blossom Handicap. Those wins built on the momentum she carried from last fall, when she closed out her 3-year-old season by dominating the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Del Mar.
Her sophomore season had already been extraordinary, producing six wins overall and capped by a four-race streak that included the Grade 2 Fantasy at Oaklawn and three Grade 1 triumphs – the Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs, the DK Acorn, and the Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga. After clearing out her female competition, she took on the males in the Grade 1 DraftKings Travers, nearly toppling 2023 Champion Juvenile Colt Fierceness, finishing only a head behind in a thrilling finish at the Spa.
McPeek has seen the same qualities in her this summer as she gears up for another big test at Saratoga. “She’s ultra-consistent. She loves her work, she’s very happy in Saratoga, and has been for a long time,” McPeek said. “As always, she’s been a pleasure to be around. She’s doing great.”
Following the Travers, she added another Grade 1 to her résumé with the Cotillion at Parx Racing before returning to the Breeders’ Cup stage. There, she defeated Raging Sea by 2 1/2 lengths, securing both the Champion 3-Year-Old Filly title and Horse of the Year honors, the first filly or mare to earn that distinction since Havre de Grace in 2011. And so, McPeek wrapped up his thoughts about her upcoming race with a familiar line he first delivered before the Kentucky Oaks: “They better bring a bear, because I’m bringing a grizzly.”
The post Champion Horse Thorpedo Anna Aims for Breeder’s Cup Qualification With $500,000 Saratoga Return appeared first on EssentiallySports.
