Thorpedo Anna Ready to Roll as Year Starts in Azeri

The champion is back.

After being a presumptive champion for much of her 3-year-old campaign, Thorpedo Anna  will finally enter the starting gate with the title officially under her belt March 8 when she takes on six rivals in the $400,000 Azeri Stakes (G2) at Oaklawn Park.

Her 2024 season was nothing short of sensational, tallying five grade 1 victories, including the Kentucky Oaks (G1) and Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1), as well as proving herself against the males with a narrow neck defeat to Fierceness  in the Travers Stakes (G1). The filly owned by Brookdale Racing, Mark Edwards, breeder Judy Hicks, and Magdalena Racing was crowned by the Eclipse voters as the unanimous champion 3-year-old filly and was an overwhelming choice for Horse of the Year.

Now starts a brand new season as Thorpedo Anna makes her 4-year-old debut going 1 1/16 miles, but if she comes back the way she left—easily taking the field gate to wire in the Nov. 2 Breeders' Cup Distaff at Del Mar—it would be difficult to imagine a scenario in which she'd get beat.

Video: Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1)

Combined with her impeccable race record—eight wins from 10 starts and nearly $4 million in earnings—is a terrific string of workouts at Gulfstream Park and Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots that, according to trainer Kenny McPeek, have the Fast Anna filly "bigger and stronger" off her current four-month layoff than she was making her 3-year-old debut in the Fantasy Stakes (G2), winning by four lengths, off a similar layoff.

"She's doing great; she's the energizer bunny," McPeek said. "She loves what she does every day, so it makes our job easy."

One of the key hopes for her competition may lie in the fact that the champion drew the rail in the seven-horse field. However, McPeek says he is not concerned with the position. She has overcome racing along the rail multiple times already, including in the Cotillion Stakes (G1) when her rivals tried to box her and jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. in.

"She's won from inside and outside before," McPeek said. "I joked the other day that she could have drawn the Central Avenue parking lot and she'll win."

The only minor concern McPeek feels ahead of the race is simply the travel. Storms hitting the region March 4-5 will delay her shipping to Hot Springs, Ark., until March 6.

Asked if there is any added pressure in bringing a filly like Thorpedo Anna back off a layoff, McPeek said he didn't feel any.

"Not any more than any other race we've had in the last year with her," McPeek said. "Every time you lead her over there, there's a lot of eyes watching her."

Rivals Face Tough Challenge

Someone who knows what the experience is like bringing a top 3-year-old filly back for her 4-year-old campaign is Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen, who trained 2009 Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra  and 2014 champion 3-year-old filly Untapable .

"The challenge for me was the respect for who they were and just getting back up to race ready from all that they had done for us," Asmussen said.

Both Rachel Alexandra and Untapable were upset in their 4-year-old debuts, both finishing second, and Asmussen will hope to play the opposite role of spoiler this time with Winchell Thoroughbreds' Recharge .

Recharge suffered the first loss of her career to Thorpedo Anna last spring when fifth in the Fantasy. After a layoff throughout the summer and fall, she's returned in top form this winter and has put together a strong résumé with six wins from eight starts overall.

"She's silently put together a nice race record," Asmussen said. "I'm quite well aware of who she's in against on Saturday. Her confidence level is where it needs to be. She's training really well, but I'm not under the illusion she is Thorpedo Anna."

Recharge will certainly be present early to either contest the lead with Thorpedo Anna or potentially be the champion's target off three wire-to-wire victories, including a last-out neck victory at odds of 42-1 in the Jan. 25 Houston Ladies Classic Stakes (G3) at Sam Houston Race Park.

"Recharge has gotten very favorable race scenarios her last several races, and she's taken advantage of it," Asmussen said. "It would be hard to imagine that scenario against this group of mares happening again, but that's exactly how I felt going into the Ladies Classic."

Another of those horses potentially looking for the lead is 5 Finger Racing's Wild Bout Hilary . In the Feb. 8 Bayakoa Stakes (G3), she took the field gate to wire and gave trainer Tanner Tracy his first graded victory.

Narrowly defeated by a head in that Bayakoa was Gerald Bruno Jr., Chasey Deville Pomier, and Jerry Caroom's Free Like a Girl . Trained by Pomier, Free Like a Girl has already far exceeded expectations since being purchased for $5,500 at the 2020 Equine Sales of Louisiana Yearling Sale. With 19 stakes victories and more than $2 million in the bank, the 6-year-old El Deal  mare is still in search of that first graded win.

"We knew that filly, (Wild Bout) Hilary, was going to get out on the lead and run on," Pomier said. "There wasn't a whole lot to go with her. We said, 'We'll just try to get there.'"

With Thorpedo Anna, Recharge, and Wild Bout Hilary all exhibiting front-running prowess in recent starts, the scenario could fit for an upset from a mare like Free Like a Girl. After all, she has shined in the face of stellar competition, having earned both her grade 1 placings against top talents like three-time grade 1 winner Adare Manor  and dual champion Idiomatic .

Although Pomier knows the Thorpedo Anna challenge will be tough, Saturday would be the best chance at victory.

"If I ever wanted to face her, it's this race coming off a layoff," Pomier said. "But I know (Thorpedo Anna) is training like a monster down at Fair Grounds. It's definitely going to be a tough one for (Free Like a Girl)."

Regardless of whether victory is in reach, just having the opportunity to compete against a champion like Thorpedo Anna is a big moment for the Delta Downs- and Evangeline Downs-based trainer.

"Being on this stage, I'm just happy to be there," said Pomier. "I'm happy to run well, I'm happy to run third or fourth, just happy to be there and represent the smaller people in Louisiana breeding because we do have a nice breeding program.

"(Thorpedo Anna) is an absolute monster. It's going to be an absolute feat to try and beat her. We're going to go in, and we're going to try."