Quickly recovering following a slow start, Thorpedo Anna reeled in front-running Leslie's Rose and cruised to victory over Candied in the $465,000 Coaching Club American Oaks (G1) July 20 at Saratoga Race Course.
The victory was her fourth in as many starts this year and her third consecutive grade 1, following comfortable wins in the Acorn Stakes (G1) and Kentucky Oaks (G1).
She raced 1 1/8 miles on a fast track in 1:50.95. The runaway leader in the 3-year-old filly division, she paid $2.50 to win.
Kenny McPeek trains the filly for owners Nader Alaali, Mark Edwards, Judy Hicks, and Sherri McPeek's Magdalena Racing. Hicks also bred the filly, who is 6-1-0 in seven overall starts.
Intricate rallied to grab third over a tired Leslie's Rose.
The daughter of Fast Anna sold for $40,000 to trainer McPeek at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale. Out of the unraced Uncle Mo mare Sataves, she is from the last crop of her sire, who was euthanized in 2021 as a result of laminitis.
"I always knew that she was a very special horse, but she was by a stallion that wasn't real popular," said Hicks. "She was an absolutely gorgeous filly, and when Kenny bought her, I immediately went up to him and said, 'She was a really special filly, and I almost didn't sell her. May I stay in for a part?'"
That was $1.9 million in earnings ago.
"I liked Fast Anna's body style and conformation, and you had to discount the mare's height because she has Uncle Mo's body, and I thought the two of them together would make a champion," said Hicks.
And so, it seems, they will, with Thorpedo Anna heading towards a 3-year-old filly Eclipse Award. The partners plan to race her next year, and with that in mind, Hicks hopes that she'll forgo the Travers Stakes (G1) and run in the Alabama Stakes (G1).
"My desire is that she goes in the Alabama," she said. "Kenny was going to see how she did in this race and obviously she was amazing, overcame an obstacle, didn't faze her. I don't want her to go against the boys and lose because fillies are so temperamental, and if she loses her spirit and desire to run, we might be done."
Known for running fillies against colts, McPeek may be leaning toward the Travers.
"If I run her in the Alabama," he said, "as a wagering (prospect), it's no fun for anybody. Nobody is going to run against her, and what would she be—1-2 or less? I like challenges. I'd be sticking my neck out a little bit, but I think the sport could really enjoy seeing a filly take on the colts. Whether it's Genuine Risk or Winning Colors or Swiss Skydiver—I'll look at the numbers and try to make an educated decision if I think we can run with them. I watched Dornoch today (winning the Haskell Stakes), and he ran 1:50 and change. There's not much separation there, at least on time. It's a good problem."
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