Simply after watching his Longines Kentucky Oaks winner Thorpedo Anna roll to a 5 ½-length victory within the $500,000, Grade 1 DK Horse Acorn Stakes June 7 at Saratoga Race Course, coach Kenny McPeek was all smiles awaiting her arrival into the winner’s circle.
“Might have run her within the Belmont,” he stated with fun, referring to the $2 million, Grade 1 Belmont Stakes Offered by NYRA Bets June 8 at Saratoga.
Most agree she would have fared properly there, although the coach understandably selected to take a seat the ultimate leg of the Triple Crown out, figuring out he has Kentucky Derby Offered by Woodford Reserve winner and Preakness Stakes runner-up Mystik Dan set for the 2024 Triple Crown finale. That traditional, which, just like the Acorn and different Belmont Stakes Pageant races, is at Saratoga this yr as a result of ongoing building at Belmont Park.
Seemingly with out a rival to problem her within the 3-year-old filly ranks, Thorpedo Anna has the credentials to face male rivals sooner or later.
“We’ll see. I’d like one other Alabama first,” McPeek stated, referring to the $600,000, Grade 1 Alabama Stakes Aug. 17 at Saratoga.
The coach is a two-time Alabama winner, taking it first with Eskimo Kisses in 2018 after which with Swiss Skydiver in 2020. The latter would defeat males later within the yr within the Preakness Stakes throughout a COVID-19-impacted yr that delayed that race till October.
McPeek captured his first Acorn on Friday, as did jockey Brian Hernandez. Jr., who delivered one more well-positioned trip, as he did on Thorpedo Anna within the Oaks and on Mystik Dan within the Derby.
Breaking from the far outdoors, Hernandez had his filly in second early, monitoring a stunning pacesetter in reigning 2-year-old filly champion Simply F Y I, who shot to the lead with fractions of :23.53, :46.75, and 1:10.24 within the 1 1/8-mile Acorn. A half-length off the chief after six furlongs, horse and jockey took over the lead coming into the stretch.
“She’s simply doing it effortlessly along with her ears up,” Hernandez stated. “And we turned from residence and I reached again, I slapped her one time simply because she was sort of messing round just a little bit. I didn’t need one thing to essentially run at her and bounce on her. After which as soon as I did that, I used to be like, ‘OK, we’re in good order now.’”
Surging to a three-length lead in midstretch, Thorpedo Anna lengthened her benefit additional to the wire over Central Financial institution Ashland Stakes winner Leslie’s Rose, who got here on from a stalking place to seize the runner-up spot. Leslie’s Rose was 1 ¼ lengths away from Energy Squeeze, who rallied from final to point out, 2 ½ lengths forward of New York-bred standout My Mane Squeeze in fourth.
Regulatory Danger, Simply F Y I, The place’s My Ring, and Gun Tune accomplished the order of end.
All however My Mane Squeeze and Gun Tune had misplaced to Thorpedo Anna within the Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs 5 weeks earlier when Simply F Y I ran closest to her, 4 ¾ lengths behind.
Thorpedo Anna is now 5-1-0 in six begins with earnings of greater than $1.7 million for homeowners Nader Alaali, Mark Edwards, Judy Hicks, and Magdalena Racing. Hicks bred the 3-year-old daughter of Three Chimneys stallion Quick Anna, who was euthanized as a result of laminitis in February 2021. McPeek purchased her for $40,000 from the Grovensale Gross sales consignment to the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale.
“Grizzly,” McPeek stated of Thorpedo Anna, repeating what he referred to as her even earlier than the Kentucky Oaks. “She has a lot excessive power, and he or she does every part so effectively.”
“I consider we’ve got a famous person on our arms,” added Hernandez. “These are put in a uncommon air, however she appears to be a type of fillies. When the announcer (Frank Mirahmadi) calls you good in a Grade 1, you already know it tends to make you consider that you’re a a part of one thing actually magical, one thing actually particular.”
Thorpedo Anna paid $3.50 to win the Acorn, favored among the many Saratoga crowd of 27,529 and people enjoying the race off-track. Saratoga’s all-sources deal with for the Friday card was $38,350,146.
If McPeek and Hernandez can win the Belmont on Saturday with Mystik Dan, they are going to grow to be the primary coach and jockey to tug off the Acorn-Belmont double since Cotton Blossom and Rags to Riches received the Acorn and Belmont, respectively, in 2007 for coach Todd Pletcher and jockey John Velazquez, now Corridor of Famers. Rags to Riches, a filly, defeated Curlin and different males within the Belmont.
Requested about pursuing the Acorn-Belmont double after he and McPeek mixed to seize the Oaks and Derby a day aside at Churchill Downs, Hernandez replied: “It’s an amazing pleasure, and I’m so grateful for Kenny to present us the chance with these good horses like this – to have the ability to wheel off these Grade 1s over the past 5 weeks with these two good horses. It’s a sense that for the final 20 years we labored for and simply such an enormous accomplishment to have the ability to be part of.”
