LOUISVILLE, KY (May 4, 2024)<\/b>\u00a0\u2013 The morning after winning the 150th Kentucky Oaks with\u00a0Thorpedo Anna<\/b>, trainer\u00a0Kenny<\/b>\u00a0McPeek<\/b>\u00a0pulled up at his barn around 7:30 a.m., looking refreshed despite a short Friday night of sleep.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur house was full late last night,\u201d he said after Thorpedo Anna scored a nearly gate-to-wire victory in the $1.5 million Grade I race for 3-year-old fillies with jockey Brian Hernandez Jr.\u00a0\u201cWe had a lot of good friends over, and partners on the horse. Some people wanted to come over after midnight, we were shooing them away.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Later Saturday, McPeek was shooting for an Oaks-Kentucky Derby double with\u00a0Mystik Dan<\/b>. \u201cAn Oaks-Derby double?\u201d he said, looking skyward and gesturing a sign of the cross. The last time that happened was 1952, when legendary\u00a0Ben Jones<\/b>\u00a0did it with\u00a0Real Delight<\/b>\u00a0in the Oaks and\u00a0Hill Gail<\/b>\u00a0in the Derby. Jones also accomplished it in 1949.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we\u2019ve got a good chance,\u201d he said. \u201cThis horse has been training super, and I think the inside draw is going to help him. Brian is a fantastic young man. He can ride the same kind of race.\u201d<\/p>\n
McPeek won the Oaks on his 15th try. Although he has had strong finishes, he never had won the Oaks since finishing second with\u00a0Take Charge Lady<\/b>\u00a0in 2002. For Hernandez, it was his first Oaks victory in six tries, and his first in-the-money finish.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was somewhat a relief,\u201d McPeek said, \u201cand I was gonna be upset if she didn\u2019t win, because we felt like she was sitting on tilt.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t ever know in this game. You hook one toughie, or you break bad, something goes wrong, there are no givens. If we had lost, we would have dealt with it, but it was nice to check that box.\u201d<\/p>\n
For much of the week, Thorpedo Anna, owned by the partnership of\u00a0Brookdale Racing<\/b>,\u00a0Mark Edwards<\/b>, breeder\u00a0Judy<\/b>\u00a0Hicks<\/b>\u00a0and McPeek\u2019s\u00a0Magdalena Racing<\/b>, was the betting favorite in the Oaks. Breaking from post 5, she went off as the second betting choice, 4-1, to 7-2 runner-up\u00a0Just F Y I.<\/b>\u00a0McPeek said he talked over race strategy with Hernandez.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s flat fast,\u201d he said. \u201cBrian and I talked at length before the race. It didn\u2019t look like there was any speed inside of her, and maybe there was one horse outside of her that could go with her, but she wasn\u2019t going to go with her that long.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just didn\u2019t want him taking back, and getting a bunch of mud in her face,\u201d McPeek continued. \u201cJust let her go, she\u2019s capable.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Oaks fit her running style, something that she showed in winning the Fantasy (GII) at Oaklawn Park in March.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWhen she broke out of the gate at Oaklawn,\u201d McPeek said, \u201cand even in her other wins, she was forwardly placed. We were working to teach her to rate, if you needed her to. So you don\u2019t want any of them where you have to commit to the lead. She\u2019s got the talent to go, so obviously she went.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thorpedo Anna showed just how capable she was, in gradually opening up the space between her and early pace presence\u00a0Fiona\u2019s Magic<\/b>, then holding off Just F Y I and jockey Junior Alvarado\u00a0in the stretch, for a 4 3\/4-length victory. She finished the 1 1\/8 miles in 1:50.83, on a sloppy track.<\/p>\n
In the last sixteenth of a mile, McPeek said, \u201cI was thinking don\u2019t let anything go wrong, or don\u2019t let anything silly happen. She did drift off the rail there a bit, to the 3 or 4 path. I was just hoping that no one would come up inside and get her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thorpedo Anna came out of the Oaks in fine shape, McPeek said, although he could tell that she was tired. \u201cShe left a little bit of grain last night, about half a scoop, but it\u2019s nothing to be worried about. It\u2019s something we watch regularly, and she typically eats up every night. She\u2019s tired. She ran hard.\u201d<\/p>\n
McPeek is weighing the options for Thorpedo Anna, a daughter of Fast Anna, out of the Uncle Mo mare Sataves. One option would be to take on the males in the Preakness at Pimlico in two weeks, but he indicated that\u2019s probably not likely, at least as of the morning after the Oaks. McPeek did win the Preakness with 2020 Oaks runner-up Swiss Skydiver.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re gonna look at the Preakness, but she\u2019s gonna have to show us in the next three or four days,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ll get some clarity. There are some fees ($150,000) involved. Probably, at this point, it\u2019s less than 50 percent.\u201d<\/p>\n
He is looking forward to some stakes possibilities in New York. \u201cI\u2019ll see what the calendar says for 3-year-old fillies,\u201d he said. \u201cYou don\u2019t want to run her back in the Black Eyed Susan. Where do you find Grade I races for 3-year-old fillies? I definitely want to get her in the Coaching Club Oaks, Alabama, the Acorn, races like that. The Acorn is a mile-and-an-eighth at Saratoga, so that seems like an ideal spot. There\u2019s a lot of math to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
McPeek said he\u2019s assembled a great staff, and loved sharing Thorpedo Anna\u2019s victory with them.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cIt takes an army of people,\u201d he said, \u201cyou can\u2019t do this alone. I\u2019ve got some great guys behind me. We all row together.\u201d<\/p>\n
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JUST F Y I (2nd<\/sup>)<\/b>\u00a0\u2013 Trainer\u00a0Bill Mott<\/b>\u00a0reported that all appeared to be good with reigning juvenile filly champion\u00a0Just F Y I<\/b>\u00a0following her runner-up effort in the Kentucky Oaks.<\/p>\n The daughter of Justify got the trip Mott was hoping for as she rated in fourth in a clear outside path just off the flank of Ways and Means. When she rolled past Ways and Means at the top of the lane, George Krikorian\u2019s homebred filly had dead aim on Thorpedo Anna\u00a0but was unable to reel in the speedy pacesetter.<\/p>\n \u201cWe haven\u2019t had her out this morning but initially she looks good,\u201d Mott said. \u201cI thought everything looked fine. She\u2019ll go to Saratoga next, I don\u2019t know what we\u2019re going to run her in next, but that\u2019s where she\u2019s going. She was in position to win (in the Oaks) and didn\u2019t win.\u201d<\/p>\n \n REGULATORY RISK (3rd<\/sup>)\/WAYS AND MEANS (4th<\/sup>)<\/b>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Baldo Hernandez<\/b>, assistant to trainer\u00a0Chad Brown<\/b>, said all appeared well with\u00a0Regulatory Risk<\/b>\u00a0and\u00a0Ways and Means<\/b>\u00a0the morning after their respective Oaks efforts.<\/p>\n Regulatory Risk outran her 29-1 odds to finish third in the Oaks while Ways and Means faded to fourth after sitting just off the quick fractions set by race winner\u00a0Thorpedo Anna<\/b>.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI have to think about at this point if she needs to be cut back a little bit because her debut (at six furlongs) was so breath taking,\u201d Brown said of Ways and Means. \u201cMaybe she\u2019s a seven-eighths horse at the end of the day.\u201d<\/p>\n \n EVERLAND (5th<\/sup>)<\/b>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Foster Family Racing<\/b>,\u00a0William Wargel<\/b>,\u00a0R.K. Eckrich Racing<\/b>\u00a0and\u00a0Maxis Stable<\/b>\u2019s\u00a0Everland<\/b>, came out of the race in good shape, tired but happy after finishing fifth in trainer Eric Foster\u2019s\u00a0said first try in the 150th Oaks.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cShe\u2019s eating good, looking good,\u201d Foster said. \u201cShe ran hard, and finished good. Speed held \u2026 that happens on a muddy track. But I was proud of her.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Foster is weighing his options with Everland. \u201cShe\u2019s still eligible for a 2X race, so I\u2019ll try to find something for her to help build up her confidence,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \n POWER SQUEEZE (6th<\/sup>)\u00a0<\/b>\u2013\u00a0Lea Farms\u2019<\/b>\u00a0Kentucky-bred\u00a0Power Squeeze<\/b>\u00a0exited the Oaks in good shape and was standing in her stall at trainer\u00a0Jorge Delgado<\/b>\u2019s\u00a0barn Saturday morning at Churchill Downs after finishing sixth.<\/p>\n \n INTO CHAMPAGNE (7th<\/sup>)<\/b>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Six<\/b>\u00a0Column Stables<\/b>,\u00a0Randy Bloch<\/b>,\u00a0Jim Gladden<\/b>,\u00a0Mike Davis<\/b>\u00a0and\u00a0Michael Steele<\/b>\u2019s\u00a0Into Champagne<\/b>, who finished seventh in the Oaks, came out of the race in good shape, trainer Ian Wilkes said.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cShe came out good, no problem,\u201d Wilkes said. \u201cNo thoughts about where we\u2019ll go next, since we just ran yesterday. We\u2019ll shorten her up and look at that. She ran a winning race but wasn\u2019t good enough. The distance hurt me, so we\u2019ll regroup and we\u2019ll find a spot for her.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Wilkes said he has some ideas that he\u2019s kicking around. \u201cUltimately, I\u2019d like to point to the Test (Stakes, on Aug. 3 at Saratoga),\u201d Wilkes said. \u201cHow I get there, I don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n \n LEMON MUFFIN (8th<\/sup>)<\/b>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Sebastian<\/b>\u00a0“Bas<\/b>”\u00a0Nicholl<\/b>, assistant to trainer\u00a0D. Wayne Lukas<\/b>, reported that\u00a0Lemon Muffin<\/b>\u00a0appeared to come out of her eighth-place finish in the Oaks in good order.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u201cShe\u2019s fine,\u201d Nicholl said. \u201cShe didn\u2019t really seem to handle the track. Little disappointing.\u201d<\/p>\n \n TARIFA (9th<\/sup>)\/GIN GIN (12th<\/sup>)\u00a0<\/b>\u2013 Trainer Brad Cox reported all was OK with Tarifa and Gin Gin Saturday morning following their disappointing performances in the Longines Kentucky Oaks.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ll regroup. Things didn\u2019t work out in our favor yesterday in the Oaks,\u201d Cox said.<\/p>\n \n WHERE\u2019S MY RING (10th<\/sup>)<\/b>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Michael McMillan<\/b>\u2019s\u00a0Where\u2019s My Ring<\/b>\u00a0was back in her stall at Barn 30 Saturday morning just a bit worse for the wear following her 10th-place finish in Friday\u2019s Grade I Kentucky Oaks. The Twirling Candy filly sustained a tendon injury to her right rear leg during the running of the nine-furlong classic.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know if it was coming out of the gate, or going into the first turn,\u201d trainer\u00a0Val Brinkerhoff<\/b>\u00a0said. \u201cIt\u2019s not too bad, but it\u2019s something we\u2019ve got to deal with and get right. We surely would have liked to have seen a better showing yesterday, but that\u2019s horse racing. Now we\u2019ve got to get her right for things upcoming during the year.\u201d<\/p>\n The conditioner was frustrated with the situation concerning his rider for the Oaks. He originally had commissioned veteran\u00a0Jose Lezcano<\/b>\u00a0to again handle his charge after they had combined to win New York\u2019s Gazelle Stakes (GIII) in her previous start. But Lezcano was involved in a spill resulting in a concussion in the week before the big race and there was a medical question as to whether he could ride.<\/p>\n Brinkerhoff went to Plan B and lined up top rider\u00a0Javier Castellano<\/b>\u00a0to serve as his pinch hitter, but then was told by local stewards that he would have to ride his \u201cnamed\u201d rider Lezcano.<\/p>\n \u201cI wasn\u2019t too happy with how that worked out, especially dealing with Lezcano\u2019s people,\u201d the veteran trainer (and former rider) said. \u201cBut again, that\u2019s horse racing. All in all it was an honor to be here and be part of an event like this.\u201d<\/p>\n \n OUR PRETTY WOMAN (11th<\/sup>)<\/b>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Courtlandt Farm<\/b>\u2019s\u00a0Our Pretty Woman<\/b>\u00a0came out of her Oaks race in fine shape, according to the\u00a0Steve Asmussen<\/b>\u00a0barn.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The filly had a wide journey under\u00a0Joel Rosario<\/b>\u00a0and Asmussen said, \u201cShe just couldn\u2019t overcome the post.\u201d<\/p>\n \n LESLIE\u2019S ROSE (13th<\/sup>)<\/b>\u00a0\u2013 Following her disappointing 13th-place finish in Friday\u2019s $1.5 million Kentucky Oaks,\u00a0Whisper Hill Farm<\/b>\u2019s\u00a0Leslie\u2019s Rose<\/b>\u00a0was reported to be \u201cfine\u201d Saturday morning at Barn 39.<\/p>\n \u201cShe came back fine,\u201d trainer Todd Pletcher\u00a0said on an overcast morning on the Churchill Downs backside. \u201cShe looked good this morning. We\u2019ll take her up to New York and regroup.\u201d<\/p>\n Leslie\u2019s Rose, who was handled by\u00a0Irad Ortiz Jr<\/b>., never really got in the hunt after showing just a bit of lick early on. The consensus among her connections was that she didn\u2019t care at all for the sloppy\/sealed racetrack during the nine-furlong journey<\/p>\n .<\/p>\n FIONA\u2019S MAGIC (14th<\/sup>)<\/b>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Stonehedge<\/b>\u00a0LLC\u2019s homebred\u00a0Fiona\u2019s Magic<\/b>\u00a0walked the shedrow at Barn 43 following her Kentucky Oaks run. Fiona\u2019s Magic is scheduled to return to her home base at Gulfstream Park on Sunday according to trainer\u00a0Michael Yates<\/b>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" LOUISVILLE, KY (May 4, 2024) – The morning after winning the 150th Kentucky Oaks with Thorpedo Anna, trainer Kenny McPeek pulled up at his barn around 7:30 a.m., looking refreshed despite a short Friday night of sleep. “Our house was full late last night,” he said after Thorpedo Anna scored a nearly gate-to-wire victory in the $1.5 million Grade I race for 3-year-old fillies with jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. “We had a lot of good friends over, and partners on the horse. Some people wanted to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7050,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[97,52,2044],"tags":[2342,2341],"class_list":["post-7049","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-english-events-magazine","category-events-magazine","category-magazine","tag-kenny-mcpeek","tag-thorpedo-anna"],"yoast_head":"\n