Thorpedo Anna Back in Winning Form in Fleur de Lis Stakes

With a strong performance, the champion rebounded from her last outing and secured a spot in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff

Thorpedo Anna, back to her true form / CHURCHILL DOWNS

LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (Special for Turf Diario).- If there was anything left for Thorpedo Anna to prove her place among the greatest mares of the century, she made it crystal clear once again on Saturday at Churchill Downs, capturing the 50th running of the historic Fleur de Lis Stakes (G2). In a flawless performance, the 2024 Champion Older Dirt Female bounced back from her unexpected misstep in the La Troienne (G1) with an emphatic 3-length victory that was never in doubt.

Guided confidently by Brian Hernandez Jr. and trained by Kenny McPeek, the daughter of Fast Anna simply outclassed her rivals. Settled in second throughout behind Royal Spa (Violence), the filly owned by Brookdale Racing, Mark Edwards, Judy Hicks, and Magdalena Racing pounced as they turned for home and, within a hundred meters, the race was over. Eased up late, she stopped the clock in 1:48.52 for the 1800 meters over a fast track, the third-fastest time in the race’s history.

“We’re just so happy to have her back to her true self,” McPeek said with a smile. “After the La Troienne, we knew we had to reset and get her confidence back. Today, she did exactly what we hoped for. That La Troienne run was tough to explain – seventh, no run, bothered early, just not her. But today, she was the Thorpedo Anna we know.”

Winner of the Kentucky Oaks 150 (G1) and Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1) in 2024, as well as the Acorn (G1), Coaching Club American Oaks (G1), and Cotillion (G1), the Kentucky-bred, co-owned by her breeder Judy Hicks, took another significant step toward her ultimate goal: defending her Distaff crown on November 1 at Del Mar.

And it wasn’t just any victory. The Fleur de Lis is part of the Breeders’ Cup Win and You’re In program, meaning Thorpedo Anna now has an automatic berth in the Distaff, with entry fees covered and up to $10,000 in travel expenses subsidized.

The numbers continue to impress: with this latest win, she now boasts 11 victories from 14 starts, with 2 seconds, and career earnings of $5,133,413, placing her 83rd all-time among the highest-earning fillies and mares in US history.

As for the race itself, Royal Spa set honest fractions of 23.43 and 47.07 while fending off the field, but when Thorpedo Anna unleashed her move, it was quickly over. Taxed (Collected) finished a distant third.

With her Breeders’ Cup ticket already punched, McPeek looked ahead: “I think we’ll go to the Personal Ensign (G1)at Saratoga next, then maybe the Spinster (G1) at Keeneland. And who knows… if she passes those tests, we won’t rule out taking on the boys in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1). She’s done it before, and done it well.”

Ambition has never been lacking. Neither has talent. Thorpedo Anna is back. And she’s not done yet.