The prohibitive favorite in each of her five starts this year, reigning Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna faces four other fillies and mares in Sunday’s $650,000 Juddmonte Spinster Stakes (G1) at Keeneland in what may be her toughest task since last year’s Travers Stakes (G1).
A Breeders' Cup Challenge “Win and You’re In” test, the Spinster is one of the most impactful preps for the Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1), with Princess Rooney (1984), Sacahuista (1987), Bayakoa (1989, 1990), Inside Information (1995), Blue Prize (2019), Malathaat (2022), and Idiomatic (2023) all completing the Spinster-Distaff double. Life’s Magic, Paseana, Spain, Unbridled Elaine, and Pleasant Home also were Distaff winners that came out of the Spinster at Keeneland in their final Breeders’ Cup prep race.
Also on Sunday’s card is the $400,000 Bourbon Stakes (G2) for 2-year-old fillies on the turf, capping a run of eight breeders’ “Win and You’re In" events over the weekend at the Kentucky oval.
After going wire-to-wire over six luckless rivals last year in the Distaff, having rebounded from her narrow loss to Fierceness in her only start against males (in last year's Travers Stakes [G1]) to take the Cotillion Stakes (G1), she added two more Grade 1’s to her resume at age 4 under regular rider Brian Hernandez, Jr., who has been aboard for each of her 15 starts. And though she is undefeated at the Spinster distance of 1 1/8 miles, and won her only start at Keeneland by a resounding 8 ½ lengths in breaking her maiden, Thorpedo Anna will not have the services of Hernandez, who was seriously injured in a spill at Churchill Downs on Sept. 21 and will be out six to eight weeks.
To replace him, trainer Kenny McPeek has tabbed Flavien Prat for the Spinster and potentially the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar on Nov. 1, although Hernandez has vowed to return in time for the race.
“He’s going to ride her Spinster-Distaff, if everything goes right,” said McPeek of the Eclipse Award winning Prat, the leading rider during Keeneland’s spring meet. “Outside chance she’d go to the Classic, but I think it’s doubtful.”
Thorpedo Anna’s biggest threat is likely to come from 3-year-old Nitrogen (5-2), who most recently won the Alabama Stakes (G1) at Saratoga going 1 ¼ miles on the main track. In her only other outing on dirt, she cruised to a 17-length victory in an off-the-turf edition of the Wonder Again (G3) in June.
Her turf victories this year include the Edgewood (G2), the Appalachian (G2), the Florida Oaks (G3) and the listed Ginger Brew in January at Gulfstream Park. At age 2, the Medaglia d’Oro filly finished second by a neck in her debut, then posted back-to-back third-place finishes in a pair of Grade 1 events – the Natalma at Woodbine and the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies’ Turf.
“I thought [Nitrogen] ran very well in the Alabama,” trainer Mark Casse of the D J Stable color-bearer. “Obviously this is going to be a big step up. She’s done all we can ask her to do with the 3-year-old fillies, we’re going to see where she fits in with the older mares. And then after this weekend, we’ll decide whether we go ahead and give her some time off or we go to the Breeders’ Cup.
“Normally I like giving my 3-year-olds time off and let them grow up before we go against older horses,” he added. “But we feel like this is a good time to give it a try, so we’re going to try.”
Juddmonte’s 5-year-old Scylla (4-1) has not raced beyond 7 furlongs since last August, when she was second to Adare Manor in the Clement L. Hirsch Stakes (G1) at Del Mar. Trained by Bill Mott, her most recent win at 1 1/8 miles came in the Fleur de Lis Stakes (G2) last June at Churchill Downs.
Her last three starts have been at Saratoga, where she was second in the Bed o’Roses (G2), third in the Honorable Miss (G2), and most recently second in the Ballerina.
Overall, the Tapit mare has not been worse than third in 12 of her 14 career starts, including 10 in graded stakes, and will be seeking her first Grade 1 victory With Prat opting to ride Thorpedo Anna, Scylla will have Junior Alvarado aboard.
Rounding out the field are Calumet Farm’s Gin Gin, winner of this year’s Doubledogdare (G3) at Keeneland, and Chilled, in search of her first graded stakes win.
Post time is 5:16 p.m. ET.
For those who bet horse racing...
1 Chilled (John Velazquez, Vicki Oliver), 30-1
2 Scylla (Junior Alvarado, Bill Mott), 4-1
3 Nitrogen (Jose Ortiz, Mark Casse), 5-2
4 Gin Gin (Luis Saez, Brendan Walsh), 6-1
5 Thorpedo Anna (Flavien Prat, Kenny McPeek), 8-5
The Bourbon, at 1 1/16 miles, has attracted a field of 12, with Repole Stable’s Final Score looking to win his third straight start on the turf.
A $600,000 purchase at the 2024 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale, Final Score finished second in his debut, going 5 ½ furlongs in an off-the-turf event in July at the Spa, won his next start and then took the With Anticipation Stakes (G3) at the Bourbon distance.
Expected to attract considerable support as well are the Mark Casse-trained Vintur, a 5½-length maiden winner going 6 ½ furlongs at Kentucky Downs, Kittens Joy winner Casa Cielo from the barn of Keith Desormeaux, and the Brad Cox-trained Exonerate, who rallied from ninth to break his maiden in his turf debut at Kentucky Downs last time out.
The picks: 1 Final Score 2 Password 3 Exonerate
The field for the $400,000 Bourbon Stakes (G2), from the rail out, with jockey, trainer, odds:
1 Turf Star (Tyler Gaffalione, H. Graham Motion), 15-1
2 J J Grey (Emmanuel Esquivel, Kenny McPeek), 20-1
3 Repentless (Adam Beschizza, Kelsey Danner), 12-1
4 Exonerate (Flavien Prat, Brad Cox), 9-2
5 Blinging It Back (Axel Concepcion, Mark Casse), 20-1
6 Final Score (Irad Ortiz, Jr., Todd Pletcher), 8-5
7 Awesome Connection (Jose Ortiz, Chris Davis), 12-1
8 Gordon Pass (Cristian Torres, Will Walden), 30-1
9 Password (Luan Machado, Rodolphe Brisset), 20-1
10 Vintur (Florent Geroux, Mark Casse), 6-1
11 Casa Cielo (Francisco Arrieta, Keith Desormeaux), 8-1
12 Dr. Agne (Luis Saez, Cherie DeVaux), 12-1
