Saratoga 2024: Thorpedo Anna has 5 challengers in CCA Oaks

Thorpedo Anna
returns to the scene of her dominant Acorn victory to attempt her third
consecutive Grade 1 triumph, this time in Saturday’s $500,000 Coaching Club American Oaks, a 1 1/8-mile route for sophomore fillies at Saratoga.

Owned by Nader
Alaali, Mark Edwards, Judy Hicks and Magdalena Racing and trained by Kenny
McPeek, Thorpedo Anna seeks to maintain her place atop the sophomore-filly
rankings on the heels of a tremendous spring that saw her notch three graded-stakes
victories. They were led by open-lengths romps in the Kentucky Oaks (G1) on May
3 at Churchill Downs and the Acorn (G1) on June 7 at Saratoga as part of the
Belmont Stakes racing festival.

Zipse: Thorpedo Anna has uphill climb to horse of the year.

The daughter of
Fast Anna helped provide McPeek with the historic feat of training both the
Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby winner in the same year, posting her 4
3/4-length victory one day before Mystik Dan captured the run for the roses.
The bay filly, often referred to by McPeek as a grizzly bear, earned her place
in the Oaks starting gate with a similarly dominant effort in the Fantasy (G2)
in March at Oaklawn.

With three strong,
graded victories on her résumé, Thorpedo Anna entered the Acorn as the heavy
favorite in a field of eight that included returning rival Leslie’s Rose.
Piloted by regular rider Brian Hernandez Jr., Thorpedo Anna attended the pace
set by 2023 champion 2-year-old filly Just F Y I before taking command with
ease in the turn. She powered home strongly from rallying Leslie’s Rose and,
despite losing a shoe in the first turn, won by 5 1/2 lengths geared down to a
final time of 1:49.02.

Click here for Saratoga entries and results.

Following her
eye-catching victory, Thorpedo Anna has remained at Saratoga to prepare for the
CCA Oaks and has worked regularly over the Spa’s Oklahoma training track, most
recently covering five furlongs in 1:01.55 in company with Grade 3-placed
Gould’s Gold on Saturday. McPeek described the effort as a “nice, solid work”
and added the talented bay is right at home at Saratoga.

“She’s done great
here and she goes out the first set. She’s been happy,” McPeek said. “She does
everything we ask her. She likes her work, and she’s an easy filly to be
around.”

The sizable filly
is an imposing athlete on the racetrack and stands out against her female
rivals as a heftier individual that more resembles the colts of her crop.
McPeek said those physical attributes have helped Thorpedo Anna to reach her
levels of dominance.

“She eats
extremely well, which is not something that all fillies do,” McPeek said.
“She’s aggressive in the feed tub at night, and that makes our job a lot easier
when she’s like that.”

Hernandez has the
call again from post 3.

Hall of Fame
trainer Todd Pletcher brings two contenders in search of a record-extending
ninth CCA Oaks victory, entering Grade 1 winners Leslie’s Rose in post 4 with
John Velázquez and Candied in post 1 with Manny Franco.

Whisper Hill
Farm’s Grade 1 Ashland-winner Leslie’s Rose finished a game second last out to
Thorpedo Anna in the Acorn, improving markedly from a distant, off-the-board
finish over sloppy and sealed footing in the Kentucky Oaks. The daughter of
Into Mischief earned her way into the Oaks with her three-length Ashland
triumph along with a third in the Davona Dale (G2) in March at Gulfstream.

In the Acorn,
Leslie’s Rose saved ground in third early under Irad Ortiz Jr. and put in a
strong three-wide bid in the far turn but was no match for Thorpedo Anna that
day and settled for second 5 1/2 lengths back while besting Power Squeeze by 1
1/4 lengths for place honors.

Pletcher said he
was pleased to see Leslie’s Rose bounce back from a lackluster Kentucky Oaks
performance.

“Same as always,
very consistent,” Pletcher said of her training. “The only thing we’ve seen
with her is that she doesn’t like a wet track. Unfortunately that’s what we got
in the Oaks, but she rebounded well and gave us a good race in the Acorn. She
was second best on the day, but to her credit, she ran a very good race.”

Eclipse
Thoroughbred Partners’ Candied scored a redemptive victory last out with a 4
1/2-length romp over next-out Delaware Handicap (G2) winner Honor D Lady in the
1 1/16-mile, listed Lady’s Secret on June 8 at Monmouth Park. The daughter of
Candy Ride posted a strong 2-for-3 juvenile campaign with a win in the Alcibiades
(G1) at Keeneland and a close third-place effort in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile
Fillies at Santa Anita.

This year Candied
finished fourth to Leslie’s Rose in the Ashland and was on the outside looking
in at the Oaks when landing on the also-eligible list. She did not draw into
the field and was away from the races until her win in the Lady’s Secret.

“It was good to
get her back (to the winner’s circle), and it was frustrating not to get in the
Oaks with her, so it’s good to get her back on course,” Pletcher said.
“Hopefully that sets her up to make a big move forward.”

Pletcher said he
welcomes another swing at Thorpedo Anna.

“We need to move
forward, and I think with both fillies we are in a position to do that,” he
said. “Sometimes strange things happen in Saratoga.”

Graded-stakes winner
Intricate in post 5 with Tyler Gaffalione seeks her first win since taking the Golden
Rod (G2) in November at Churchill for trainer Brendan Walsh.

Owned by Bradley
Thoroughbreds, Laura Leigh Stable, Scott Estes and Cambron Equine, the daughter
of Gun Runner graduated impressively at second asking in October at Keeneland
ahead of a facile 5 1/4-length victory in the Golden Rod, where Thorpedo Anna
finished second in her lone career defeat. Intricate followed with a runner-up
effort in the Rachel Alexandra (G2) at Fair Grounds en route to a fifth in the Fair
Grounds Oaks (G2) in March.

Intricate was
away from the races until her latest outing when she was a close second to Our
Pretty Woman in the 1 1/16-mile Monomoy Girl on June 15 at Churchill Downs. The
$280,000 OBS spring sale of 2-year-olds-in-training purchase is out of the
winning Distorted Humor mare Complex Analysis, a full-sister to graded-stakes-placed
Abraham.

Stakes-placed
Barbratina in post 2 with Júnior Alvarado completes the field. Owned by Black
Type Thoroughbreds, Swinbank Stables, Big Tufff Stables, Steve Adkisson and
Tommy Humphries, she makes her first start for conditioner George Weaver on the
heels of a determined, head victory in a 1 1/8-mile optional claimer June 1 at
Churchill.

The CCA Oaks is
the 11th of 12 races Saturday, and it is scheduled for 6:17 p.m. EDT. The first
post is at 12:35 p.m.