Impressive Acorn Stakes heroine Thorpedo Anna returns to Saratoga on Saturday, July 20 for the Grade I Coaching Club American Oaks. The Kenneth McPeek barn’s star filly is a hot favorite for the $500,000 feature contest in Upstate New York.
Just four three-year-olds dare tackle Thorpedo Anna in her bid four a fourth consecutive victory and third at the highest level. The imposing daughter of Fast Anna won the Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs during Derby Week despite sloppy conditions over 1,800m. She then followed-up in the Acorn Stakes easing down after romping home again.
Todd Pletcher runs two against Thorpedo Anna in the Coaching Club American Oaks. His barn takes her on again with the Acorn second Leslie’s Rose. This Into Mischief filly meets her conqueror off level weights and therefore worse terms here. Leslie’s Rose clearly has more than official winning margin of 5 1/2 lengths to find with the favorite.
Also in the line-up for Pletcher is Monmouth Park Listed scorer Candied. The daughter of Candy Ride was clearly too good for the field at the Oceanport, NJ track. That form received a boost when the second, Honor D Lady, came out and won the Grade II Delaware Handicap in style.
On a previous run in the Ashland Stakes around Keeneland, however, Candied has something to find with Leslie’s Rose and by extension Thorpedo Anna. Pletcher now books Manny Franco for Candied and John Velazquez on Leslie’s Rose, so both have new jockeys aboard.
2024 Coaching Club American Oaks Post Position Draw & Morning Line Odds
Thorpedo Anna has the middle gate in the field with old rivals Leslie’s Rose and Intricate drawn outside of her. Morning Line odds have her as a strong favorite with good reason. Inside of the star fily is the longshot Barbratina with second-most favored Candied against the fence. These are the Coaching Club American Oaks post positions for this edition:
- Candied (120lbs): 5-2
- Barbratina (118lbs): 20-1
- Thorpedo Anna (122lbs): 1-2
- Leslie’s Rose (122lbs): 5-1
- Intricate (118lbs): 8-1
Barbratina & Intricate Have Mountain to Climb
Completing the field of five are Barbratina and Intricate. The former, a newcomer to George Weaver’s barn after leaving Brad Cox, is a Catholic Boy filly who narrowly won a Churchill Downs allowance race. Graded stakes events in general look a big step for Barbratina, but she is guaranteed to better her sixth at Aqueduct here.
Intricate, meanwhile, beat Thorpedo Anna as a juvenile in the Grade II Golden Road last fall. Brendan Walsh’s daughter of Gun Runner hasn’t hit the heights that such success promised this year, though, but did place in the Rachel Alexandra on the New Orleans Fair Grounds and the Monomoy Girl back at Churchill Downs last time.
Thorpedo Anna is clearly a much better filly now than when last encountering Intricate. She concedes a penalty to her old rival, but a repeat of her Kentucky Oaks and Acorn victories wins the Coaching Club American Oaks hands down. It is almost impossible for handicappers making a case against Thorpedo Anna.
Predicted Finishing Order: 3-4-1-5-2
