By Alan Carasso
With better than three months left on the racing calendar for 2024, 'TDN Rising Star' Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna) has already locked up the 3-year-old filly championship, having dominated her peers in the GI Longines Kentucky Oaks, GI Acorn Stakes and GI Coaching Club American Oaks. She lost little in defeat when running fellow 'Rising Star' Fierceness (City of Light) to a head in the GI Travers Stakes, but she returns to her own sex for Saturday's $1-million GI Cotillion Stakes, the first half of a Grade I double in the Philadelphia suburb of Bensalem.
And when she loads the gate at about 20 past five Saturday afternoon, Thorpedo Anna will be looking to do enough to win her fourth Grade I of the season while leaving a little something in the locker for the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff at Del Mar some 42 days down the road.
The Cotillion/Distaff double has been accomplished before–Ashado (Saint Ballado) won the 2004 renewal before taking care of her older rivals at Lone Star Park and Untapable (Tapit) followed suit at Santa Anita in 2014. In the form of Thorpedo Anna, trainer Ken McPeek looks to have his best chance at saddling his first Breeders' Cup winner, having been shut out in 37 attempts dating back to his first appearance at the championships with Tejano Run in 1994.
Two of the best horses McPeek has ever tacked up made three combined starts in the Distaff, but Take Charge Lady (Dehere) could do no better than sixth in 2002 and again in 2003, while Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil) was a low-odds seventh in 2020. In Thorpedo Anna, he may just have the one.
“This one might have jumped over both of them,” McPeek said. “I am really proud of all of them. They all breathe rare air.”
While Saturday's GI Pennsylvania Derby may lack a standout, it nevertheless offers a competitive field of 11 that are collectively a cut below the very best of the 3-year-old colt division but capable of rising to this challenge.
Trainer Brad Cox won his first Pennsylvania Derby last September with Saudi Crown (Always Dreaming) and Juddmonte homebred Dragoon Guard (Arrogate) will likely go favored to make it back-to-back wins for the barn. The gray son of Filimbi (Mizzen Mast) enters on a four-race winning streak, including a 2 1/2-length defeat of GI Santa Anita Derby hero Stronghold (Ghostzapper) in the GIII Indiana Derby July 6 followed by a facile success in the Aug. 4 GIII West Virginia Derby. Florent Geroux, in the irons for Saudi Crown last year, retains the call on Dragoon Guard.
“He's done everything we've asked of him this year,” said Cox. “He's taken a step forward every time and I think another step forward should put him in the winner's circle. He's a horse that looks like he can handle the distance. He proved that last time in West Virginia. He's had plenty of time to recover from that, his works have been steady and he's giving us a lot of confidence that he's able to win a Grade I.”
'TDN Rising Star' Unmatched Wisdom (Cairo Prince) won his first three outings, including an all-the-way victory in the July 19 Curlin Stakes at Saratoga, but he never got near the front in the Travers and tailed off to beat just one home. He figures to go forward from gate nine, but he is likely to have company from GI Preakness Stakes hero Seize the Grey (Arrogate) from the two hole. Seventh in the GI Belmont Stakes, the $300,000 FTSAUG yearling exits a distant fourth in the GII Jim Dandy Stakes July 27.
America's top stayer Next (Not This Time) returns to greater Philly in defense of his title in the GIII Greenwood Cup Stakes at a mile and four furlongs on the dirt and by the looks of it, he may win by a margin greater than the 25 lengths he did last year. Since making a rained-off renewal of Delaware Park's Cape Henlopen Stakes his first win going this far, he has won eight of nine outings, including a 22 1/4-length thumping of the competition in the Aug. 4 Birdstone Stakes at Saratoga.
In the day's two other graded events at Parx, Bentornato (Valiant Minister) squares off with last-out local stakes scorer Buccherino (Bucchero) in the GII Gallant Bob Stakes, while the relatively lightly raced Souper Quest (Munnings) takes on course-and-distance stakes winner Alogon (California Chrome) in the GIII Turf Monster Stakes.
No Lie: Fibber Figures In the Dogwood
Saturday's GIII Dogwood Stakes at Churchill Downs could offer up some clues into the Cotillion, which goes off a little less than an hour later.
New York-bred My Mane Squeeze (Audible), third to Ways and Means (Practical Joke) in the GI Test Stakes two back, faced Cotillion runners on either side of that effort, finishing a well-beaten fourth to Thorpedo Anna in the June 7 Acorn Stakes and a distant runner-up to Mystic Lake (Mo Town) in the Aug. 23 GII Charles Town Oaks.
An audacious $100,000 claim by trainer Chris Hartman out of a third-place effort in a May 25 optional claimer at Churchill, Fibber (Frosted) has already recouped that investment with a 3 1/2-length allowance success June 28 before saluting by 2 1/4 lengths in the Aug. 11 Audubon Oaks at Ellis Park, where 'TDN Rising Star' and Cotillion hopeful Tarifa (Bernardini) was second in her first start off a layoff.
Contrarian players could do worse than 'TDN Rising Star' Manama Gold (Star Guitar). Winner of the G3 UAE Oaks at Meydan in February, the full-sister to the ill-fated Ova Charged was a sound second in the June 6 Jersey Girl Stakes at Saratoga and most recently weakened to seventh in the GIII Lake George Stakes two-turning on the grass at the Spa July 20. The turnback and return to the main track should work in her favor.
F/M Sprint Berth Up For Grabs at Gulfstream
Saturday's GIII Princess Rooney Stakes at Gulfstream Park qualifies its winner for the GI Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint, and even though she tries seven-eighths of a mile for the first time at her 40th career run, Soul of an Angel (Atreides) looks to have her rivals over a barrel from a class perspective.
Having raced for $25,000 claiming early in her career, the dark bay caused a 24-1 upset in the one-mile GII Ruffian Stakes at Aqueduct May 4, besting Randomized (Nyquist), who bounced back to take the GI Ogden Phipps Stakes, with Soul of an Angel only fifth. A head second to Idiomatic (Curlin) in the GIII Molly Pitcher Stakes at Monmouth July 20, the 5-year-old cuts back off a distant third in the GI Personal Ensign Stakes at the Spa Aug. 23.
Saffie Joseph, Jr. also saddles the 3-year-old Haulin Ice (Coal Front), whose only finish outside of the top three in her eight career starts came when favored in the Charles Town Oaks Aug. 23. Excuses can be made owing to night racing and/or the bullring configuration, and if she were to duplicate the effort that saw her defeat her peers by 9 1/2 lengths in the July 13 Azalea Stakes over this course and distance, she'd give them something to think about.
Drawn widest in the field of 10 is Beth's Dream (Jess's Dream), who rides a four-race winning streak into the Princess Rooney, including a four-length triumph over Maryquitecontrary (First Dude) in the Aug. 17 Sheer Drama H. over track and trip.
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