Thorpedo Anna blasts off, runs away to win Grade 1 Acorn

Odds-on favorite Thorpedo Anna added a second consecutive
Grade 1 victory Friday in what is looking like a championship season.

The winner of last month’s Kentucky Oaks (G1) stalked the
early lead and then pounced in the second turn en route to about a five-length
runaway in the $500,000 Acorn Stakes on day 2 of the Belmont Stakes racing festival
at Saratoga.

Click here for Saratoga entries and results.

Trained by Kenny McPeek, the daughter of Fast Anna broke from
the outside post and quickly moved forward into the two path to flank early
leader Just F Y I (3-1). That was where jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. kept
Thorpedo Anna (3-4) until he pushed the button in the second turn to assert an
unmatchable advantage the rest of the way.

Leslie’s Rose (6-1) finished second, Power Squeeze (25-1)
third and My Mane Squeeze (10-1) fourth in the field of eight.

The winning time was 1:49.02 for 1 1/8 miles on the fast
main track after early fractions of 23.53, 46.75, 1:10.24 and 1:35.51.

Thorpedo Anna paid $3.50, $3.00 and $2.50; Leslie’s Rose
$6.10 and $4.80; and Power Squeeze $7.50.

Owned by Nader Alaali, Mark Edwards, Judy Hicks and McPeek’s
wife Sherri, Thorpedo Anna ran her record to 6: 5-1-0, her only loss coming
last fall in the Golden Rod (G3) at Churchill Downs.

This story will be updated with Matt Shifman’s report from
Saratoga.