Fierceness runs best when he is in control of the pace once competition steps in he falls backward the Travers have Dornoch and Thorpedo Anna to give competition hence Fierceness will fall back not his race to win SL needs twelve furlongs to be effective the race will be between Dornoch and Thorpedo Anna with Anna edging out Dornoch end of story
Is Thorpedo Anna a Hall of Famer? Based on accomplishments thus far, no way. She has won 4 graded stakes and 3 gr1s. Havre de Grace beat older males in the 2011 Woodward, had won the Cotillion at 3, had won 2 graded stakes at Oaklawn to begin 2011 including the gr1 Apple Blossom, and followed that Woodward win by bashing Royal Delta by open lengths in the gr1 Beldame before running 4th beaten just a couple of lengths in the BC Classic and was named Horse of the year. She is having trouble just making the list for Hall of Fame finalists each year. A horse that is making the finalist list but keeps coming up short even though she is the reason Havre de Grace is not in the Hall, and that is Blind Luck. In a career in which she won 10 graded and 6 grade 1s, she never beat males but she proved on the track to be better than Havre de Grace. A gr1 winner at 2, 3, and 4 she went everywhere to fave every good female winning the Oak Leaf, the Starlet by 7, the Las Virgines(those all on synth), the Fantasy, Kentucky Oaks, then went to Havre de Grace’s summer home at best her a thrilling Delaware Oaks before beating her again by inches in the Alabama before she lost a neck to Havre de Grace giving her 10 lbs in the Cotillion before running 2-3 behind the older mare and Churchill lover Unrivaled Belle(had beaten the great Rachel Alexandra there earlier in 2010.Blind Luck lost 3 more times to begin 2011 running 2nds in two gr2s at Santa Anita before Havre de Grace closed Blind Luck’s head-to-head to 3-2 by winning the Azeri. Given a slight freshening, Blind Luck went on a 3 race streak that saw her go across the country to beat the best in her division. First up was the La Troienne, not yet awarded gr1 status but worthy of it,!where she went to her nose at the start but rallied wide and ran down Unrivaled Belle at that one’s hometrack. She then returns home to win the gr1 Vanity on synth over Switch who the previous falll over the same course had run Zenyatta to a long neck in Big Z’s 19th and final win. Then it was back to Havre de Grace’s summer base at Delaware for the 10f Oaks where Havre de Grace tuned up for in the gr3 Obeah with a facile win. They hooked up on the far turn and the advantage switched repeatedly until Blind Luck prevailed in a photo. It was that loss, which so clearly placed Blind Luck atop the distaff division, that made Porter and Jones gamble and run Havvre in the Woodward, knowing they needed to pull off something historic to counter the image of Blind Luck beating Havre in the Del Cap. Neither horse looks likely to make the Hall. The same is true of Rags to Riches. Somewhat of an anomaly in that she was trained by Pletcher but based in California for her formative races, she would win the gr1 Las Virgenes and gr1 Santa Anita Oaks before facing a deep and talented group in the mud in the 2007 Kentucky Oaks. Much further off the pace than normal, Rags to Riches blew the field away in the stretch rapidly extending her winning margin to almost 5 by the wire. Pletcher then decided to try her against the boys in the Belmont. But 2007’s crop of 3 year old males was one of the better ones of the last few decades, with Curlin, Street Sense, and Hard Spun. While Street Sense wouldn’t compete in the Belmont, the horses that wiould later that year run 1-2 in the BC Classic, Curlin and Hard Spun, did run in the Belmont and Rags to Riches beat them and everybody else to make it an Oaks, a classic over the boys, and 2 other grade 1s. While a consistent Hall finalist, she is with Blind Luck, Game on Dude, and poor Kona Gold who always are outshined by the 1st ballot horses. And how soon have we forgot about Swiss Skydiver? She was trained by McPeek. She went consecutively to Gulfstream,(gr2 Oaks), Oaklawn(gr3 Fantasy), and Santa Anita(gr2 Oakks) when McPeek first went big and took on the boys in the Blue Grass. She ran just fine but happened to meet eventual $4million earner Art Collector on one of his better days and had to settle for 2nd. Then it was off to Saratoga where she finally got her first grade 1 win and full recognition as a star by dominating in the Alabama. The Kentucky Oaks would play host to a dual between 3 true star fillies born the same year. There was Gamine. She would finish her career 9 for 11, 7 graded wins and 5 grade 1s. Swiss Skydiver would push past her in the the stretch. But she couldn’t collar the moderate priced Shedaresthedevil, who would earn the most noney of the 3(almost $2.8 million), win the most graded stakes(8) of which 3 would be gr1. In the pandemic year, McPeek didn’t let losing the Oaks from running in the Preakness. In a race Swiss Skydiver and Authentic would dominate, she would outduel her male competitor during a period of races he was winning the Haskell,!Derby, and BC Classic en route to Horse of the Year. Swiss Skydiver had run a phenomenal race to make the Preakness her 5th graded win of the year at 5 different tracks. However, in the showdown with Monomoy Girl in the Distaff, Swiss was a flat 7th, only the 2nd time she had run out of the top 3. She began her 4 year old campaign by again crossing the country to Santa Anita where she easily took the gr1 Beholder Mile. At this time her career record was 13-7-3-1, 6 graded wins and 3 gr1s. But she would conclude her career running 3rd, 4th, and 5th. And frankly I don’t think she will generate a lot of buzz for the Hall, The Hall is as it shoukd be, an exclusive place. Stellar Wind won 9 graded stakes, 6 grade 1s, and at one time had a 6 race streak where she beat Behiolder narrowly in 2 gr1s, was a troubled 4th behind that Hall of Famer, another Hall of Famer(Songbird), and the following year’s Distaff winner, champion older female, and 4-time gr1 winner(Forever Unbridled), then won the gr1 Apple Blossom, and outfought the elite Vale Dori in 2 additional gr1s. She hasn’t made a finalist list. Nor has Abel Tasman, who won the Oaks, Acorn, and the CCA Oaks and 6 career grade 1s. Is Midnight Bisou a Hall of Famer, a fully/mare never out of the money , a winner of 13 graded stakes, 5 grade 1s, and who tried males in the inaugural Saudi Cup and was 2nd and is the all-time North American female money earner and one day may be awarded that Saudi Cup win which would basically double her earnings to about $14 million. But does she scream no doubt Hall of Famer. We live in a world where horses make fewer starts. But it hasn’t dropped so low where horses get into the Hall of Fame even with 6 grade 1s, classic wins over males, or wins over open gr1 males. Thorpedo Anna has at least 2 more huge wins to go before we can start seriously considering her for the Hall. It will be fun to see if she is up for the challenge.
great analysis GUys !!
best race of the year hands down
the filly by 4 in a hand ride without being asked for her best.
If fierceness runs his race it's all over.
Problem is he won't run his race in here
Fierceness runs best when he is in control of the pace once competition steps in he falls backward the Travers have Dornoch and Thorpedo Anna to give competition hence Fierceness will fall back not his race to win SL needs twelve furlongs to be effective the race will be between Dornoch and Thorpedo Anna with Anna edging out Dornoch end of story
Of course Unmatched Wisdom has to “step it up”, it’s only his 4th lifetime start.
👍✌️💙🏇🏇🏇
Is Thorpedo Anna a Hall of Famer? Based on accomplishments thus far, no way. She has won 4 graded stakes and 3 gr1s. Havre de Grace beat older males in the 2011 Woodward, had won the Cotillion at 3, had won 2 graded stakes at Oaklawn to begin 2011 including the gr1 Apple Blossom, and followed that Woodward win by bashing Royal Delta by open lengths in the gr1 Beldame before running 4th beaten just a couple of lengths in the BC Classic and was named Horse of the year. She is having trouble just making the list for Hall of Fame finalists each year.
A horse that is making the finalist list but keeps coming up short even though she is the reason Havre de Grace is not in the Hall, and that is Blind Luck. In a career in which she won 10 graded and 6 grade 1s, she never beat males but she proved on the track to be better than Havre de Grace. A gr1 winner at 2, 3, and 4 she went everywhere to fave every good female winning the Oak Leaf, the Starlet by 7, the Las Virgines(those all on synth), the Fantasy, Kentucky Oaks, then went to Havre de Grace’s summer home at best her a thrilling Delaware Oaks before beating her again by inches in the Alabama before she lost a neck to Havre de Grace giving her 10 lbs in the Cotillion before running 2-3 behind the older mare and Churchill lover Unrivaled Belle(had beaten the great Rachel Alexandra there earlier in 2010.Blind Luck lost 3 more times to begin 2011 running 2nds in two gr2s at Santa Anita before Havre de Grace closed Blind Luck’s head-to-head to 3-2 by winning the Azeri. Given a slight freshening, Blind Luck went on a 3 race streak that saw her go across the country to beat the best in her division. First up was the La Troienne, not yet awarded gr1 status but worthy of it,!where she went to her nose at the start but rallied wide and ran down Unrivaled Belle at that one’s hometrack. She then returns home to win the gr1 Vanity on synth over Switch who the previous falll over the same course had run Zenyatta to a long neck in Big Z’s 19th and final win. Then it was back to Havre de Grace’s summer base at Delaware for the 10f Oaks where Havre de Grace tuned up for in the gr3 Obeah with a facile win. They hooked up on the far turn and the advantage switched repeatedly until Blind Luck prevailed in a photo. It was that loss, which so clearly placed Blind Luck atop the distaff division, that made Porter and Jones gamble and run Havvre in the Woodward, knowing they needed to pull off something historic to counter the image of Blind Luck beating Havre in the Del Cap. Neither horse looks likely to make the Hall.
The same is true of Rags to Riches. Somewhat of an anomaly in that she was trained by Pletcher but based in California for her formative races, she would win the gr1 Las Virgenes and gr1 Santa Anita Oaks before facing a deep and talented group in the mud in the 2007 Kentucky Oaks. Much further off the pace than normal, Rags to Riches blew the field away in the stretch rapidly extending her winning margin to almost 5 by the wire. Pletcher then decided to try her against the boys in the Belmont. But 2007’s crop of 3 year old males was one of the better ones of the last few decades, with Curlin, Street Sense, and Hard Spun. While Street Sense wouldn’t compete in the Belmont, the horses that wiould later that year run 1-2 in the BC Classic, Curlin and Hard Spun, did run in the Belmont and Rags to Riches beat them and everybody else to make it an Oaks, a classic over the boys, and 2 other grade 1s. While a consistent Hall finalist, she is with Blind Luck, Game on Dude, and poor Kona Gold who always are outshined by the 1st ballot horses.
And how soon have we forgot about Swiss Skydiver? She was trained by McPeek. She went consecutively to Gulfstream,(gr2 Oaks), Oaklawn(gr3 Fantasy), and Santa Anita(gr2 Oakks) when McPeek first went big and took on the boys in the Blue Grass. She ran just fine but happened to meet eventual $4million earner Art Collector on one of his better days and had to settle for 2nd. Then it was off to Saratoga where she finally got her first grade 1 win and full recognition as a star by dominating in the Alabama. The Kentucky Oaks would play host to a dual between 3 true star fillies born the same year. There was Gamine. She would finish her career 9 for 11, 7 graded wins and 5 grade 1s. Swiss Skydiver would push past her in the the stretch. But she couldn’t collar the moderate priced Shedaresthedevil, who would earn the most noney of the 3(almost $2.8 million), win the most graded stakes(8) of which 3 would be gr1. In the pandemic year, McPeek didn’t let losing the Oaks from running in the Preakness. In a race Swiss Skydiver and Authentic would dominate, she would outduel her male competitor during a period of races he was winning the Haskell,!Derby, and BC Classic en route to Horse of the Year. Swiss Skydiver had run a phenomenal race to make the Preakness her 5th graded win of the year at 5 different tracks. However, in the showdown with Monomoy Girl in the Distaff, Swiss was a flat 7th, only the 2nd time she had run out of the top 3. She began her 4 year old campaign by again crossing the country to Santa Anita where she easily took the gr1 Beholder Mile. At this time her career record was 13-7-3-1, 6 graded wins and 3 gr1s. But she would conclude her career running 3rd, 4th, and 5th. And frankly I don’t think she will generate a lot of buzz for the Hall,
The Hall is as it shoukd be, an exclusive place. Stellar Wind won 9 graded stakes, 6 grade 1s, and at one time had a 6 race streak where she beat Behiolder narrowly in 2 gr1s, was a troubled 4th behind that Hall of Famer, another Hall of Famer(Songbird), and the following year’s Distaff winner, champion older female, and 4-time gr1 winner(Forever Unbridled), then won the gr1 Apple Blossom, and outfought the elite Vale Dori in 2 additional gr1s. She hasn’t made a finalist list. Nor has Abel Tasman, who won the Oaks, Acorn, and the CCA Oaks and 6 career grade 1s. Is Midnight Bisou a Hall of Famer, a fully/mare never out of the money , a winner of 13 graded stakes, 5 grade 1s, and who tried males in the inaugural Saudi Cup and was 2nd and is the all-time North American female money earner and one day may be awarded that Saudi Cup win which would basically double her earnings to about $14 million. But does she scream no doubt Hall of Famer.
We live in a world where horses make fewer starts. But it hasn’t dropped so low where horses get into the Hall of Fame even with 6 grade 1s, classic wins over males, or wins over open gr1 males. Thorpedo Anna has at least 2 more huge wins to go before we can start seriously considering her for the Hall. It will be fun to see if she is up for the challenge.
Castellano