Making her seasonal debut after a four-month layoff, the champion cruised to victory in the Azeri Stakes at Oaklawn Park
HOT SPRINGS, Arkansas (Special for TDN).- For the 11th time this century, a U.S. Horse of the Year kicked off their new campaign with a victory. The feat hadn’t been achieved since Gun Runner (Candy Ride) captured the Pegasus World Cup (G1) in 2017 as his swan song, but Thorpedo Anna ended the drought with a commanding performance in the Azeri Stakes (G2, 1700m, fast wet track, $400,000 purse) at Oaklawn Park.
Idle since her triumph in the Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) at Del Mar in early November, the daughter of Fast Anna went straight to the lead, making sure her rivals felt the difference in class. Free Like a Girl (El Deal) briefly tried to make things interesting at the top of the stretch, but as soon as Brian Hernandez Jr. asked for more, the champion filly hit another gear and powered away, crossing the wire 3 1/2 lengths ahead, with Recharge (Gun Runner) another 5 1/2 lengths back in third. The clock stopped at 1:44.22, after solid fractions of :24.27, :48.59, and 1:12.99.
“We had a plan,” said Hernandez Jr.. “The idea was to be in a forward position passing the wire for the first time, and if someone really wanted to send, they were going to have to work for it. With a small field like this, I figured the race would open up. When I didn’t get separation right away like I expected, I thought, ‘Uh-oh, this could turn into a fight.’ But then Thorpedo Anna switched leads and took off, and I got exactly what I wanted.”
Trainer Kenny McPeek added: “As long as everything is fine with her health-wise, she’ll run in the Apple Blossom. I’d say she was about 85 to 90 percent fit today. The hardest part about training a filly like this is finding a workmate who can keep up with her in the morning. Last year, I had Mystik Dan (Goldencents), but this year, I don’t really have a good work partner for her. That’s been the biggest challenge.”
Thorpedo Anna returned and delivered, as expected, against a field that, on paper, was no match for her. It’s never as easy as it looks, though, because, as the saying goes, racing is racing. With the first step behind her, the champion is set for another dominant season—one for which she has talent to spare.
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