Kentucky Oaks Day Undercard Stakes Advances: Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna Returns to Churchill Downs for $1 Million Fasig-Tipton La Troienne

Apr 26, 2025

Reigning Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna makes her return to Churchill Downs on Friday when she headlines a field of seven fillies and mares for the 40th running of the $1 million Fasig-Tipton La Troienne (GI) going 1 1/16 miles on the main track.

Owned by Brookdale Racing, Mark Edwards, breeder Judy Hicks and Magdalena Racing, Thorpedo Anna will be the first reigning Horse of the Year to race Kentucky Derby weekend at Churchill Downs since Wise Dan in 2014. She last raced here a year ago with a 4 ¾-length victory in the Longines Kentucky Oaks (GI).

Trained by Kenny McPeek, Thorpedo Anna capped her championship season with a 2 ½-length victory over Raging Sea in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff (GI) and opened 2025 with victories at Oaklawn Park in the Azeri (GII) and Apple Blossom (GI). Brian Hernandez Jr. has the mount from post 2.

Alpha Delta Stables’ Raging Sea will be making her 2025 debut for trainer Chad Brown. A four-time graded stakes winner last year highlighted by a victory in the Personal Ensign (GI) Raging Sea will be ridden by Flavien Prat from post 4.

Brown also will send out Klaravich Stables’ Randomized. A two-time Grade I winner, Randomized will be making her 2025 debut and be ridden by Joel Rosario from post 5.

The field for the Fasig-Tipton La Troienne (Race 7, post time 2:23 p.m.)

Dorth Vader (John Velazquez, George Weaver
Thorpedo Anna (Brian Hernandez Jr., Kenny McPeek)
Literate (Luis Saez, Martin Drexler)
Raging Sea (Flavien Prat, Chad Brown)
Randomized (Joel Rosario, Chad Brown)
Taxed (Cristian Torres, Randy Morse)
Free Like a Girl (Jose Ortiz, Chasey Deville Pomier)
PLETCHER STANDOUTS FIERCENESS, LOCKED STAND OUT IN SIX-HORSE $750,000 ALYSHEBA PRESENTED BY SENTIENT JET (GII) FIELD – Two powerhouses from the Todd Pletcher barn, Repole Stable’s Fierceness and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Walmac Farm’s Locked, headline a field of six entered for Friday’s 22nd running of the $750,000 Alysheba Presented by Sentient Jet (GII) for 4-year-olds and up going a mile and a sixteenth on the main track.

Fierceness, a three-time Grade I winner, will be making his 2025 debut after closing 2024 with a runner-up finish in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (GI). Highlighting his 3-year-old campaign was a victory over Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna in the Travers (GI).

John Velazquez has the mount from post 4.

Locked, an 8 ½-length winner of the Santa Anita Handicap (GI) in his most recent start, won the 2023 Breeders’ Futurity (GI) at Keeneland before a third-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (GI). Off nearly a year, Locked returned with an allowance victory and a win in the Cigar Mile (GII) to close 2024 and opened this year with a runner-up finish in the Pegasus World Cup Invitational (GI).

Jose Ortiz has the mount from post 2.

The field for the Alysheba (Race 6, post time 1:42 p.m.):

Katonah (Antonio Fresu, Doug O’Neill)
Locked (Jose Ortiz, Todd Pletcher)
Hall of Fame (Joel Rosario, Steve Asmussen)
Fierceness (John Velazquez, Todd Pletcher)
Most Wanted (Florent Geroux, Brad Cox)
This Is Uscar (Edgar Morales, Jordan Blair)
VERITY SHOOTS FOR GRADE II STAKES DOUBLE IN $600,000 EIGHT BELLES PRESENTED BY SYSCO – Godolphin’s homebred Verity, fresh off a victory in the slop at Keeneland in the Beaumont (GII), will aim for a second consecutive Grade II score Friday when she takes on 11 rivals in the 70th running of the $600,000 Eight Belles presented by Sysco (GII) for 3-year-old fillies going seven furlongs on the main track.

Trained by Eoin Harty, Verity won for the third time in four starts when she cruised to a 5 ¼-length victory in the Beaumont under Vincent Cheminaud, who retains the mount from post 5.

Expected to vie for favoritism is Stonestreet Stables’ Eclatant. Trained by Brad Cox, who has a record-tying three victories in the race, Eclatant will be making her first start since winning the Forward Gal (GIII) at Gulfstream Park on Feb. 1. Luis Saez has the mount from post 12.

The field for the Eight Belles (Race 9, post time 4:07 p.m.):

Unchained Elaine (Junior Alvarado, Patrick Biancone)
Evanescence (Luan Machado, Eddie Kenneally)
Princess Aliyah (Nik Juarez, D. Wayne Lukas)
Whatintheliteral (Jose Morelos, Jena Antonucci)
Verity (Vincent Cheminaud)
Kimchi Cat (Edgar Morales, Tom Amoss)
Mendela (Rafael Bejarano, Chris Hartman)
Blue Fire (Jose Ortiz, Steve Asmussen)
Bourbon Memory (Gerardo Corrales, Brendan Walsh)
Impulse Buy (Flavien Prat, Rodolphe Brisset)
Look Forward (Umberto Rispoli, Michael McCarthy)
Eclatant (Luis Saez, Brad Cox)
Streaking Nitrogen Headlines Field of Eight for $600,000 Edgewood (GII) Presented by Accenture- D. J. Stable’s Nitrogen, riding a three-stakes winning streak, headlines a field of eight for the 41st running of the $600,000 Edgewood (GII) Presented by Accenture for 3-year-old fillies going a mile and a sixteenth on the Matt Winn Turf Course.

Trained by two-time Edgewood winner Mark Casse, Nitrogen is undefeated in three starts in 2025 with the most recent tally coming in the Appalachian (GII) at Keeneland. Prior to that, she had won the Florida Oaks (GIII) and the Ginger Brew (Listed), all with Jose Ortiz aboard. Ortiz has the Edgewood mount from post 5.

Back to try Nitrogen for the fourth time is her stablemate Vixen, owned by D. J. Stable and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners. Nitrogen owns a 2-1 edge on Vixen with the most recent meeting coming in the Appalachian. Irad Ortiz Jr. has the mount from post 2.

The field for the Edgewood (Race 5, post time 1:03 p.m.):

Gowells Delight (Brian Hernandez Jr., Kenny McPeek)
Vixen (Irad Ortiz Jr., Mark Casse)
Admit (Luis Saez, Tom Drury)
Aterradora (IRE) (Juan Hernandez, Mike Maker)
Nitrogen (Jose Ortiz, Mark Casse)
Hideaway (Dylan Davis, Todd Pletcher)
Lush Lips (GB) (Flavien Prat, Brendan Walsh)
Will Then (Umberto Rispoli, Jonathan Thomas)
Ag Bullet Tops Field of Nine for $400,000 Unbridled Sidney (GIII) Presented by Cygames – Calvin Nguyen and Joey Tran’s Ag Bullet, a close third against the boys in last fall’s Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (GI) headlines a field of nine entered for Friday’s 15th running of the $400,000 Unbridled Sidney Presented by Cygames (GIII) for fillies and mares going 5 ½ furlongs on the Matt Winn Turf Course.

Trained by Richard Baltas, Ag Bullet followed her performance in the 5-furlong Breeders’ Cup race by finishing third in the Matriarch (GI) to close 2024. The Unbridled Sidney will mark her 2025 debut and she will be piloted by Umberto Rispoli, who has been aboard for four of her six victories, from post 4.

The field for the Unbridled Sidney (Race 10, post time 4:51 p.m.):

Cloudwalker (Gerardo Corrales, Brendan Walsh)
Awesome Treat (Luan Machado, Justin Wojczynski)
Gavea (GER) (Flavien Prat, Al Stall Jr.)
Ag Bullet (Umberto Rispoli, Richard Baltas)
Epona’s Hope (Joel Rosario, Tyler Servis)
Bling (Junior Alvarado, Vicki Oliver)
Crown Imperial (Luis Saez, John Ortiz)
Asternia (Brian Hernandez Jr., Randy Morse)
Queen Maxima (Juan Hernandez, Jeff Mullins)
Multiple Grade I Winner She Feels Pretty Returns in $400,000 Modesty (GIII) Presented by Veritas Prime – Lael Stables’ two-time Grade I winner She Feels Pretty will make her 2025 debut when she takes on seven rivals in the 68th running of the $400,000 Modesty Presented by Veritas Prime (GII) for fillies and mares going 1 1/8 miles on the Matt Winn Turf Course.

Trained by Cherie DeVaux. She Feels Pretty closed her 2024 campaign with daylight victories in the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (GI) at Keeneland and the American Oaks (GI) at Santa Anita. Regular rider John Velazquez has the mount Friday from post 7.

The field for the Modesty (Race 8, post time 3:12 p.m.):

Waves of Mischief (Ben Curtis, Brendan Walsh)
Gimme a Nother (SAF) (Jose Ortiz, Graham Motion)
Segesta (Irad Ortiz Jr., Chad Brown)
Pin Up Betty (Juan Hernandez, Mike Maker)
Takemetothebeach (Luan Machado, Doug Cowans)
Birdie Rose (Martin Garcia, Marcelino Salas)
She Feels Pretty (John Velazquez, Cherie DeVaux)
Saffron Moon (Flavien Prat, Chad Brown)