Thorpedo Anna Raring To Go For 4-year-old Debut In Azeri

[Wandering Eyes]

On the road to Oaklawn Park from his barn at Fair Grounds, Kenny McPeek seemed like a man without a care in the world when reached by phone in his car. And why should he? His Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna) will begin her 4-year-old year in the GII Azeri Stakes at Oaklawn and since last seen in the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff she has not missed a step.

“If she's every bit as good as she was as a 3-year-old I think we'd be satisfied,” McPeek said. “I don't know how much better you can get her from three to four. She's ultra special, as we all know. She's done everything right this winter. She's made an easy transition from three to four. We gave her a couple of months at our Magdalena Farm. Then she was able to train in Florida, some more in Louisiana and now she's going to run in Arkansas.”

McPeek is known for taking chances with his horses and accepting challenges most trainers would not. But that won't be the case in the Azeri. Beyond Thorpedo Anna, it's a pretty weak field. Grade III winners Wild Bout Hilary (Midnight Lute) and Recharge (Gun Runner) are the only other higher level winners in the field. Thorpedo Anna is 2-5 in the morning line.

“I thought it was a pretty conservative spot to bring her back in,” McPeek said. “She's only run against older horses one time. She's fond of the Oaklawn strip. We have a division there and, of course, the purse is a good one, $400,000. This race should propel her into the Apple Blossom, if all goes smoothly.”

While McPeek is relatively certain that the Apr. 12 running of the GI Apple Blossom Handicap will be next, he hasn't totally ruled out an appearance in the G1 Dubai World Cup Apr. 5.

“I haven't closed the door on going to the Dubai World Cup,” he said. “If she went out there and won by some silly amount and was ultra impressive, maybe I would be enticed. We've done all the vaccinations and checked in with the shipping companies. We haven't declined the invitation, but if you asked me today, we would probably go to the Apple Blossom.”

Once the spring is in the books, McPeek will consider the GI La Troienne Stakes at Churchill along with the many stakes races for older fillies run in New York.

“We'd like to stack her resume and her earnings,” he said. “You can't assume anything. You've got to hope she stays healthy. At this point everything we've asked her to do she done. That's been her modus operandi. She's just a lovely filly to be around.”

Thorpedo Anna outside of Fierceness in the Travers | Sarha Andrew

McPeek tried the GI DK Travers Stakes last year and Thorpedo Anna lost by a head to the top 3-year-old colt Fierceness (City of Light). Though she was beaten perhaps more so than in any other race, the Travers is what vaulted her to the Horse of the Year title. McPeek has made no decisions yet so far as whether or not she will try males again this year.

“It's too far away to think about running against colts,” he said. “Maybe at the end of the year. Let's see how her season goes. I'm not going to rush her into running against colts. We've got a lovely filly on our hands. Let's get through the spring and we can start worrying about some of those things in the summer. In this business you can't count your chickens before they've hatched. If you do you will be humbled real quick.”

After winning the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff and Horse of the Year, there's not a whole lot left for Thorpedo Anna to achieve. McPeek said the primary goal will be winning again at the Breeders' Cup.

“I'd love to think she can win another Breeders Cup race, whether it's the Distaff or the Classic. That would be an ultimate year-end goal,” he said.

And after the Breeders' Cup she may not be done. McPeek said the ownership group is seriously considering running Thorpedo Anna as a 5-year-old.

“We have not ruled out running her next year,” he said. “If you think about it, she is by a modest stallion, Fast Anna. We assume people aren't going to throw money at that at the sales. The fact she was a modest yearling, it's hard to say what she would bring at auction, so we might be more inclined to keep her and race her next year.

“I don't know in the long run if we would sell her,” McPeek said. “The partnership group has not had any notion to sell. We have had a lot of big offers. Its enticing, but at the same time this is the kind of horse where you really want to enjoy having her. We'll let her take us on this fantastic ride she has taken us on, and see how long it's going to last.”

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