Thorpedo Anna’s Little Brother Captures Churchill Debut

This column highlights the performances of maidens who have made no more than five starts and who either sold for more than $500,000 at public auction, have siblings that are graded/group winners, or have dams that are graded/group winners. BloodHorse research shows maiden winners, in particular, who meet these criteria are more likely to go on to be graded stakes winners.

Churchill Downs

Two days before Thorpedo Anna  sewed up her year-end championship with an emphatic score over older rivals in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1), her 2-year-old half brother McAfee  romped in his debut at Churchill Downs.

A son of Preakness (G1) hero and third-crop stallion Cloud Computing  , McAfee sold for $40,000 at the 2023 Keeneland September Sale. Once the fall racing season rolled around, and Thorpedo Anna dominated in her first two starts as a juvenile, the $40,000 appeared a smart bargain for the connections of McAfee. Judy Hicks, the owner of McAfee’s dam and co-owner of Thorpedo Anna, stayed in for a piece of the colt after Black Type Thoroughbreds’ Maddie Mattmiller signed the ticket.

McAfee joined the barn of trainer Rick Dutrow and turned in eight works over the Louisville oval before his Nov. 1 debut. Due to his purchase price, McAfee was eligible to compete in a special maiden special weight designated for horses sold or RNA’d at public auction for $50,000 or less. The auction maiden special, contested over six furlongs on the main track, proved to be the perfect starting point for McAfee.

Breaking a touch slow, McAfee and jockey Emmanuel Esquivel found themselves off the pace as the frontrunners ripped through a :21.52 first quarter. Undeterred, McAfee took the overland route, circling five-wide around the turn for home and inhaled the leaders in deep stretch. Leveling down, he surged clear to be much the best by 3 1/2 lengths.

McAfee, dismissed at 22-1 in his debut despite his brilliant older sibling, stopped the clock in 1:11.55 for the six furlongs.

Like McAfee, Thorpedo Anna was among the thousands of bargain deals to slip away in the Kentucky auction ring. The daughter of Fast Anna  caught the eye of Kenny McPeek at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October Sale, where she also sold for $40,000. From there, Thorpedo Anna has risen from talented filly to champion and captured the adoration of racing fans across the country with her heroics. The filly’s triumph in the Distaff marked Thorpedo Anna’s fifth grade 1 of the year, an accomplishment worthy of Horse of the Year honors.