SUMMERFIELD, FL (352today.com) – A Marion County-trained Horse of the Year? It’s possible, after Thorpedo Anna’s performance in the $2 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff Nov. 2 at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in California. she’s all but cemented the 3-year-old filly title.
Dominic Brennan first noticed her during the October sale when he was considering Thorpedo Anna for thoroughbred trainer Ken McPeek as a possible racing candidate. McPeek was impressed with the yearling, who, despite having a slight knee issue, presented herself nicely. At that moment, it was difficult to foresee that in 2024, she would have an extraordinary racing season.
Purchased for $40,000 at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October Yearling Sale, Thorpedo Anna has become a star, now boasting $3.8 million in earnings. Owned by Brookdale Racing, Inc., Mark Edwards, Judy B. Hicks, and Magdalena Racing’s Sherri McPeek, she trained with McPeek Racing at Silverleaf Hills Training Center in Summerfield, showcasing the success of her team.
Like many young athletes, she showed promise and potential, but predicting a champion from the start is impossible.
“Did I think she was going to be what she was? No,” said Brennan, trainer and manager at McPeek Racing’s Silverleaf Hills Training Center. “If that was the case, I would have bought a piece of her.”
Thorpedo Anna started at McPeek’s Magdalena Farm in Kentucky before moving to Silverleaf Hills Training Center in Summerfield. From the beginning, she was energetic, playful, and loved training.
“I got her working here, gave her some breezes, sent her north, and basically the rest is history,” said Brennan. “It’s a whole team effort—from the buying process, then she goes to Magdalena in Kentucky, she comes down here, and we break her. She ends up going to Churchill Downs, Keeneland, Saratoga. There were so many people involved: riders, hot walkers, assistants. There’s a lot of people involved in the whole process, making sure that she gets there. That’s the most important thing.”
McPeek, who won the 2002 Belmont Stakes with Sarava and the 2020 Preakness with Swiss Skydiver, made history by becoming the first trainer in 72 years to win the Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby in the same weekend with Thorpedo Anna and Mystik Dan. The last trainer to achieve this was Ben Jones in 1952.
“It’s tough to win one race, let alone both races,” said Brennan. “The Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont, they’re hard races to win. You’re running against the best in the country. We got lucky.”
Thorpedo Anna kicked off the year with a win in the Fantasy Stakes at Oaklawn Park, marking the start of an impressive season. She claimed six graded stakes victories, including five Grade Ones and a Grade Two. However, it was her narrow second-place finish in the DraftKings Travers Stakes, missing by just a head against male horses, that solidified her as the standout of her generation. Her other victories included the Kentucky Oaks, Acorn Stakes, Coaching Club American Oaks, Cotillion, and Breeders’ Cup Distaff. Her Distaff win also ended McPeek’s 0-37 streak at the Breeders’ Cup.
“Kenny was pretty high on her (Thorpedo Anna) for the Oaks,” Brennan said. “She’s stepped every step at every dance. You can’t ask for anything better than that. In the Travers, she lost nothing in defeat. She gave the winner all he could handle. She’s something else. She’s a solid filly; she’s run hard, and she’s never missed a beat.”
The filly has a strong chance of winning the Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year. Her half-brother McAfee won his first race on Nov. 1 at Churchill Downs.
“Look at her resume; there’s nobody close,” said Brennan. “There’s no 3-year-old colt who has a record like she has.”