Kentucky Oaks Alumni: Reigning Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna Favorite in the $1.25 Million Apple Blossom S. (G1)

Apr 10, 2025 Sara Dacus/TwinSpires.com

Thorpedo Anna wins the Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs. (Photo by Coady Media / Credit to John Gallagher)

Thorpedo Anna, the reigning Horse of the Year, makes the second start of her four-year-old campaign in Saturday’s $1.25 million Apple Blossom S. (G1) at Oaklawn Park—one of the premier two-turn races in the country for older fillies and mares.

The powerhouse filly dazzled in her seasonal debut, the Azeri S. (G2) at Oaklawn, cruising to a dominant 3 1/2-length victory. She’s continued to impress in training, firing a bullet five-furlong workout in 1:00 earlier this week. Regular rider Brian Hernandez Jr. will be in the irons.

Nicknamed “Grizzly,” Thorpedo Anna is the overwhelming 2-5 morning line favorite. The second choice is Where’s My Ring at 5-2. She enters with the field’s top last-race Equibase Speed Figure—a 104 earned for her 12-length romp in an Oaklawn allowance. Free Like a Girl, who finished second in the Azeri, returns for a rematch.

The Azeri marked Thorpedo Anna’s ninth win from 11 career starts, boosting her earnings to over $4 million. Her five Grade 1 victories include the Kentucky Oaks and the Breeders’ Cup Distaff. She’s been nearly flawless in her last eight starts, with her only defeat coming against colts in the Travers S. (G1), where she was a close second to Fierceness, who entered the 2024 Kentucky Derby as the favorite.

Trained by Kenny McPeek, Thorpedo Anna is a daughter of the late Fast Anna and races for a partnership that includes her breeder Judy Hicks, McPeek’s wife Sherri (Magdalena Racing), and Kentucky attorney Mark Edwards. McPeek purchased her for $40,000 at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale.

She and stablemate Mystik Dan, the 2024 Kentucky Derby winner who also followed Oaklawn’s prep path, returned to Oaklawn on March 25 following a stint at Fair Grounds. The duo's Oaks/Derby double marked the first time a trainer swept both races since 1952. Retired two-time Oaklawn riding champion Robby Albarado regularly gallops both stars in Hot Springs.

On Arkansas Derby day, Thorpedo Anna and Mystik Dan received a hero’s welcome as Albarado galloped them between races before an estimated crowd of 68,500.

Mystik Dan breezed a half-mile in 48 seconds on Monday—his second published work since January. McPeek remains cautious with the colt following his ninth-place finish in the Pegasus World Cup (G1), opting to give him time before committing to his next start.

Saturday’s 12-race Apple Blossom card also features the Count Fleet Sprint Handicap (G3), adding even more depth to a stacked day of racing.