OP Stakes Preview – $1.25M Apple Blossom (G1)

OP Stakes Preview – $1.25M Apple Blossom (G1)
Compiled by Robert Yates

Thorpedo Anna; Coady Media
Friday, April 11, 2025

Trainer Kenny McPeek used to talk about all the major races he finished second in – misfires, often narrow-headed by the Kentucky Derby, Kentucky Oaks, and the Breeders’ Cup.

McPeek erased his Kentucky frustration last year when he swept the Oaks and Derby with Thorpedo Anna and Mystik Dan, respectively. Thorpedo Anna later took care of McPeek’s Breeders’ Cup drought.

But there’s another marquee event still missing on McPeek’s Hall of Fame-worthy resume. It’s the Apple Blossom Handicap (G1) at Oaklawn, a longtime bucket-list item.

“I’ve been so close,” McPeek said. “I got beat an inch by Azeri.”

McPeek was referring to the 2003 Apple Blossom when reigning Horse of the Year Azeri, the 2-5 favorite, collared the McPeek-trained Take Charge Lady in the shadow of the wire to win by a head.

A role reversal 22 years later has McPeek poised for his first Apple Blossom victory. Now, McPeek has the reigning Horse of the Year in Thorpedo Anna, the 2-5 program favorite for Saturday’s $1.25 million race for older fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles.

The Apple Blossom and $500,000 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap (G3) headline a 12-race card that begins at 12:20 p.m. (Central). Probable post time for the Apple Blossom, the 11th race, is 5:48 p.m. Weather permitting, (and the forecast is splendid) the infield will be open.

The seven-horse Apple Blossom field from the rail out:

1. Sweet Alyssa, Ricardo Santana Jr., 114, 30-1;

7. Wild Bout Hilary, Ramon Vazquez, 118, 20-1.

Thorpedo Anna’s accomplishments tower over her rivals.

Thorpedo Anna was a unanimous choice for an Eclipse Award as North America’s champion 3-year-old filly last year after winning six of seven starts, including five Grade 1 events. Her only loss was against males, a head setback to champion Fierceness in the $1.25 million Travers Stakes (G1) at 1 ¼ miles on August 24 at Saratoga.

Thorpedo Anna bounced back to win the $1 million Cotillion Stakes (G1) on Sept. 21 at Parx and closed 2024 with a front-running 2 ½-length victory in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1) at 1 1/8 miles Nov. 2 at Del Mar. The Distaff was Thorpedo Anna’s first start against older horses. Coupled with a runner-up finish by Fierceness in the $7 million Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) later on the card, Thorpedo Anna became a runaway choice for Horse of the Year.

Thorpedo Anna, in her 2025 debut, was a front-running 3 ½-length winner over Free Like a Girl in the $400,000 Azeri Stakes (G2) on March 8. The 1 1/16-mile Azeri was Oaklawn’s final major prep for the Apple Blossom.

Free Like a Girl, the leading accredited Louisiana-bred career money winner ($2,253,438), returns for another shot at Thorpedo Anna. So does Where’s My Ring, the second choice in the program. She was beaten a combined 40 ¼ lengths by Thorpedo Anna in two races last year, including the $1.5 million Kentucky Oaks (G1) at 1 1/8 miles in May at Churchill Downs.

“We’re 2-5 favorites, so it’s her race for the taking,” McPeek said. “But we’re not going to take anything for granted.”

Thorpedo Anna tuned up for the Apple Blossom with a five-furlong bullet work (1:00) Monday morning at Oaklawn under retired jockey Robby Albarado, who has regularly galloped and breezed the 4-year-old daughter of Fast Anna the last two seasons in Hot Springs.

“This race means a lot to everybody,” said Albarado, Oaklawn’s leading rider in 1996 and 1997. “It puts pressure on you. These races put pressure on you. It’s one hurdle at a time because everybody’s expecting her to win and put on a show. But it’s horse racing.”

Albarado said his biggest concern for Thorpedo Anna is the start. In two races last year, including the Travers, she “brushed” or “hit” the gate, according to footnotes from official Equibase charts.

“She needs to get away from the gate clean,” Albarado said. “That’s the main obstacle, I guess. But she’s so versatile. She doesn’t have to be in front. If they let her get out in front, she’ll be doing it within herself. There’s a speed horse outside her (Wild Bout Hilary). That’s going to dictate whether she goes or sits off of them.”

Thorpedo Anna has a 9-2-0 record from 11 starts overall and earnings of $4,083,663. She races for her breeder, Judy Hicks, Brookdale Racing (Nader Alaali), Mark Edwards, and Magdalena Racing (McPeek’s wife, Sherri).

Thorpedo Anna launched her Horse of the Year campaign with a four-length victory in Oaklawn’s $750,000 Fantasy Stakes (G2) at 1 1/16 miles.