Thorpedo Anna Surges to Top of Rankings After Gritty Cotillion Win

It was electrifying to finish in style as 3-year-old Thorpedo Anna secured her place as one of the top race contenders in thoroughbred racing, winning the hearts of fans after a dramatic victory at the $1 million Grade 1 Cotillion Stakes at Parx Racing, and garnering the top spot on the National Thoroughbred Racing Association’s weekly horse racing rankings, finally eclipsing the supremacy of 3-year-old colt Fierceness who reigned over the leaderboard since he won the Travers Stakes.

Thorpedo Anna’s performance in the Cotillion Stakes was nothing short of spectacular. Racing 1 1/16 miles, she put herself at a disadvantage from the start, wedged in against the rail by her rivals. She could only break through too late in the run and finished pulling clear to a narrow neck victory. This was by far the closest of her seven career wins, but it was one that demonstrated her grit, resilience, and tactical acumen.

The race started with Thorpedo Anna running just behind early leader Mystic Lake, while Gun Song and Tarifa pressed on the outside, keeping the favorite boxed in on the inside rail. It was a tough trip for the filly as Mystic Lake dropped in, forcing her to scrape the rail and wait for an opportunity to break free. Trainer Kenny McPeek later commented on the race’s dynamics, explaining how they nearly lost the race due to the tight positioning. “They boxed her in. She got stuck in, and they held her in there as long as they could,” McPeek said. “She scraped the rail when the eight (Mystic Lake) dropped in on her. She had to make her own path, and luckily, she was quick enough to make the winning move.”

Ridden by her regular jockey Brian Hernandez Jr., Thorpedo Anna showed patience and perseverance. “We had a tough trip the whole way around there. We got boxed in, and it seemed like there was no way out. But she found a little seam in the stretch and made her move.” Hernandez explained.

The closely bunched group of four horses was neck-and-neck for most of the race, passing through fractions of 23.94 and 48.01 seconds at stages. Approaching the final furlong, Gun Song, taking over from the tiring Mystic Lake, appeared to be in the ascendancy.

 But Thorpedo Anna, in a moment of brilliance, split between horses and surged ahead to snatch the victory by a neck.

As the overwhelming 1-10 favorite, Thorpedo Anna paid $2.20 for the win, with longshot Gun Song finishing second at 44-1 and completing a $26.80 exacta. Tarifa, at 13-1, rounded out the trifecta with a payout of $127.20, while Mystic Lake finished fourth, completing a superfecta that returned $691.20. The margin of victory may have been small, but the significance of the win for Thorpedo Anna’s career cannot be overstated.

The Cotillion Stakes was Thorpedo Anna’s final tune-up race before her next major goal: the Breeders’ Cup Distaff on November 2 at Del Mar. This race will feature the best female horses in the sport, and all eyes will be on Thorpedo Anna to see if she can extend her winning streak on the sport’s grandest stage. McPeek shared his strategy going into the Cotillion, noting that he did not train her particularly hard for this race, as he wanted to keep her in prime condition for the Breeders’ Cup. “I felt like ‘let’s not squeeze the lemon really hard for this,’” McPeek said. “She is head over heels above the 3-year-old fillies. We really, really want to win the next one.”

Thorpedo Anna’s rise to the top has been a story of perseverance. Just last month, she had narrowly missed victory in the Grade 1 Travers Stakes at Saratoga by a mere head, when Fierceness edged her out. That defeat proved a hard nut to swallow for her crew but also brought a determination to overcome and make a comeback. Fierceness, a talented colt trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, has been a formidable rival for Thorpedo Anna, but their paths are set to diverge as the Breeders’ Cup approaches. While Fierceness is being pointed toward the Breeders’ Cup Classic, Thorpedo Anna will be focusing on the Distaff.

Despite being edged out in the Travers, Thorpedo Anna’s Cotillion Stakes win allowed her to overtake Fierceness in the National Thoroughbred Racing Association’s weekly rankings. The race for the top spot is incredibly close, with Fierceness actually receiving one more first-place vote than Thorpedo Anna, but the overall points awarded for second and lower votes pushed the filly ahead. The difference between them is only two points, highlighting how competitive the horse racing rankings are as both horses eye the prestigious Eclipse Awards.

The Breeders’ Cup Distaff will be the biggest test yet for Thorpedo Anna. Exceptional form, tactical speed, and resilience have fashioned Thorpedo Anna into a favorite, and one feels that she’s got it in her to do it on the world’s stage. Here it comes for racing fans-ticking away for November 2, as they await the next performance from the front-running flyer.

 As McPeek put it, “Good ones overcome everything.” If Thorpedo Anna can maintain her current form, she may very well be on her way to claiming Horse of the Year honors.