Kentucky-bred Thorpedo Anna emerged on the winning end of a thrilling stretch duel with Dorth Vader to take down top prize in the $500,000 Personal Ensign Stakes (G1) at Saratoga. In victory, the reigning Horse of the Year earned a “Win and You’re In” berth in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1), a race she won last year.
The Personal Ensign was Thorpedo Anna’s fourth win from five starts this year and came with a stalking trip engineered by regular pilot Brian Hernandez, Jr. Thorpedo Anna raced wide down the backstretch, clear of any traffic trouble before surviving a thrilling stretch battle to secure the win.
Trainer Ken McPeek said he was comfortable with Thorpedo Anna being wide down the backstretch.
“I think he needed to stay out of trouble,” McPeek explained. “I gave him [Hernandez] instructions, ‘don’t worry about the loss of ground, you are going to lose a little ground, but I’d rather you do that than get her in behind horses and give her a chance to get stopped and blocked.'”
Thorpedo Anna Holds off Dorth Vader
Thorpedo Anna held a half-length lead over Grade 1 Odgen Phipps winner Dorth Vader at the stretch call. But her margin was threatened with every stride as Dorth Vader did everything in her power to pass the Champion in the late stages. The daughter of Fast Anna dug in with great fortitude, however, willing herself to the wire a nose better than her game challenger.
“I don’t know if she was all out, but it’s just the fact of in these Grade 1 races these horses they keep taking shots at you and you gotta respect them all and today’s another version of that,” Hernandez said. “You know, our filly is Horse of the Year, and she showed why she deservingly should be.
“She put herself in a great spot. She showed what a true Champion she was,” Hernandez continued. “You know, all I had to do was kind of stay out of her way. She decided to make her run. I just let her do her thing. She showed the heart of a Champion down the lane to hold Dorth Vader off and be able to get her nose down at the wire. A really special win.”
Praising the Champion
McPeek praised his prized filly for her grit, while also tipping his cap to Dorth Vader, who entered from a pace-pressing fourth in the Grade 3 Molly Pitcher on July 19 at Monmouth Park.
“She just shows how brave she is,” McPeek said. “I thought George Weaver’s filly ran fantastic, she ran really the race of her life, but my filly, maybe, Brian seemed to think she got quite tired out of the race, too. I think that will actually lead her into the next one in even better shape. That wasn’t as easy as we’d want it to be, but she is a champion. That is why she wins.”
Thorpedo Anna is owned by Hill ‘n’ Dale Equine Holdings, Magdalena Racing, Mark Edwards and breeder Judy Hicks. She adds to wins earlier this year in the Grade 2 Azeri and Grade 1 Apple Blossom Handicap at Oaklawn Park, and entered from a win in the Grade 2 Fleur de Lis on June 28 at Churchill Downs. She banked $275,000 in victory while improving her lifetime record to 15-12-2-0. Thorpedo Anna now boasts earnings of more than $5.4 million.