Thorpedo Anna Targets Apple Blossom as Racing World Delights

The 2024 U.S. Horse of the Year takes center stage this weekend, looking to shine at Oaklawn Park

Thorpedo Anna winning? A classic in the making... / ADAM COGLIANESE / NYRA

After last week’s unforgettable 29th running of the Dubai World Cup at Meydan, Dubai, the global racing stage is once again set for a top-class performance—one of those moments that captures the imagination of racing fans everywhere, this time with a runner in a league of her own.

The best horses are meant to be savored, shared, studied, and admired—and Thorpedo Anna fits squarely in that elite group. She shows up to perform, to prove her status as the world’s top dirt mare, a title earned through a blend of brilliance, boldness, and results.

Crowned 2024 Horse of the Year in the United States, the daughter of Fast Anna remained in training for her 4-year-old season, a decision for which every racing fan is deeply thankful. Alongside her trainer Kenny McPeek, new challenges were set, including a bold long-term target: taking on males in the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic at Del Mar this November—the same track where she captured last year’s GI Breeders’ Cup Distaff in style.

But that’s a long road ahead. The next step comes this afternoon at Oaklawn Park, where Thorpedo Anna will headline the GI Apple Blossom Handicap, contested over 1 1/8 miles on dirt with a purse of $1.25 million.

Having passed her seasonal debut with flying colors in the GII Azeri Stakes, the brilliant filly now faces a slightly tougher test—but one she appears well equipped to handle. With 9 wins from 11 career starts, she’ll carry a field-high 124 pounds, conceding from 4 to 12 pounds to her six rivals. On paper, the task looks manageable.

“We’re 2-5 on the morning line, so it’s her race to lose,” McPeek told The Blood-Horse. “But nothing’s a given. I’ve been close before—just missed with Take Charge Lady against Azeri in 2003,” he recalled, referencing that year’s dramatic Apple Blossom, when the reigning Horse of the Year Azeri reeled in McPeek’s runner in the final strides to win by half a length.

So, who poses the biggest threat to Thorpedo Anna this time around? Likely Where’s My Ring (Twirling Candy), a winner of the GIII Gazelle Stakes in 2023 who returned to take an Oaklawn allowance race by a commanding 12 1/4 lengths in front-running fashion. That said, she has already finished well behind the favorite on two separate occasions.

Veteran mare Free Like a Girl (El Deal), now six, is in good form and brings strong credentials, including a runner-up finish to champion Idiomatic in the GI La Troienne Stakes and a third in last year’s Apple Blossom. She was also a distant second to Thorpedo Anna in the Azeri, beaten 3 1/2 lengths, and there’s little reason to believe she can turn the tables today.

The rest of the field—Sweet Alyssa (Union Rags), Neom Beach (Omaha Beach), Noble Miss (Noble Mission), and Wild Bout Hilary (Midnight Lute)—will be hoping for a piece of the purse, but appear well outclassed.

Thorpedo Anna goes in search of another G1 victory this afternoon, and the racing world will once again be watching—hoping to witness greatness in motion.