Following a victory in the prestigious Kentucky Oaks (G1) in May, Kentucky-bred Thorpedo Anna made it back-to-back Grade 1 scores with a romping win in the $500,000 Acorn Stakes (G1) during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga on Friday, June 7.
Ridden by Brian Hernandez, Thorpedo Anna stalked the early pace set by last year’s 2-year-old filly champion Just F Y I. On the far turn, Thorpedo Anna ranged up alongside the pacesetter and took the lead at the head of the lane. Thorpedo Anna pulled away impressively in the stretch to post a 5 ½-length score. She covered 1 1/8 miles over the Saratoga main track in 1:49.02.
Owned by Nader Alaali, Mark Edwards, Judy Hicks and Magdalena Racing and trained by Ken McPeek, Thorpedo Anna became just the 14th filly to register the Acorn-Kentucky Oaks double. Kentucky-bred Pretty Mischievous accomplished the feat last year.
“She’s just got a huge, long hip on her, and combined with her speed, she keeps going,” said McPeek. “Her conformation gets her that. The Uncle Mo broodmare sire is where I think the speed comes from. She is really special.”
There were discussions of running Thorpedo Anna against males in the Belmont Stakes (G1). McPeek related a move against males could be in play at some point.
“I think the first thought was, ‘Dang, I could have run her in the Belmont.’ I really felt I could have,” McPeek said. “She makes it easy. One of our goals coming into the race was to stamp her as the best 3-year-old in America. Whether we take on the colts (later) will be fun, and it will be interesting.”
With the Acorn win, Thorpedo Anna improved her career bankroll to $1.7 million. She has won her five career victories by a combined 31 ½ lengths in a brilliant start to her career.
“She’s an amazing filly,” said winning rider Brian Hernandez. “Today, Just F Y I kind of surprised me by going to the lead, but then my filly, she’s just such a good filly. She settled right off of her outside and we got to the second turn, she was traveling so beautifully.”
Bred in Kentucky by Judy Hicks, Thorpedo Anna is by Fast Anna out of the Uncle Mo mare Sataves. She was purchased for $40,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale.