In her first dozen races, Thorpedo Anna never finished worse than second. Her 10 wins included Grade 1 victories in the Kentucky Oaks, the Acorn, the Coaching Club American Oaks, the Cotillion, and, to cap her season, the Breeders’ Cup Distaff, where she beat older horses in her first try. Her lone defeat as a 3-year-old probably produced the best race she’s ever run, Thorpedo Anna finished second by a nose to the elite colt Fierceness in the Travers Stakes. The remarkable 2024 season made Thorpedo Anna Horse of the Year. The juice 100 percent was worth the squeeze. But did her brilliant campaign also squeeze out too much of the filly’s juice? In March, Thorpedo Anna won the Azeri by 3 1/2 lengths, and in April she landed the Grade 1 Apple Blossom by more than four. The Beyer Speed Figures, 93 and 95, told us Thorpedo Anna wasn’t running as fast as she had at age 3. The eye test told us Thorpedo Anna lacked the same spark that animated her top performances. No doubt, Thorpedo Anna got into a terrible spot going to the first turn of the May 2 La Troienne Stakes, knocked about while put in tight quarters. But once out of trouble, she finished a listless seventh, the worst race of her career. No injuries were detected after thorough post-race examinations. Thorpedo Anna got back on the work tab May 17. But Saturday’s Grade 2, $500,000 Fleur de Lis, a Win and You’re In race for the Breeders’ Cup Distaff, feels like a hinge point in this great filly’s career. Can she shake off the La Troienne and get back to her best 3-year-old form? Or is that performance level gone for good? “She’s done everything right since the La Troienne,” trainer Kenny McPeek said. “We’re still scratching our heads about that last one. It is what it is. We regroup and put her back in again. We’re cautiously optimistic she’ll run big.” :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. The morning line lists Thorpedo Anna as the 3-5 favorite in the 1 1/8-mile Fleur de Lis, and bettors should feel more than cautious optimism to take that kind of price. Thorpedo Anna faces just four foes – Royal Spa, Save Time, Gin Gin, and Taxed. On paper, the favorite’s the controlling speed of the race. The trainer’s not thinking about that. “I leave that up to Brian,” McPeek said of jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. Save Time, unless trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. pulls a rabbit out of his hat, has next to no chance to win. Taxed finished second, beaten less than one length in the La Troienne, but while that appears to be her best race in more than a year, Taxed got only an 84 Beyer. The La Troienne simply was a slow race. That leaves the one-two finishers from the May 31 Shawnee, Royal Spa and Gin Gin. Neither horse could have touched Thorpedo Anna at her 3-year-old best, and they might not again Saturday, but either could contend with the Thorpedo Anna who showed up at Oaklawn Park this spring. Royal Spa has improved dramatically this year for trainer Rodolphe Brisset, and a sweeping move off the far turn propelled her to the lead and on to a 1 1/4-length win over Gin Gin in the Shawnee. That race came at 1 1/16 miles, Royal Spa’s first win around two turns, and she might not suit 1 1/8 miles as well as Gin Gin. Mushed by Thorpedo Anna in the Kentucky Oaks, Gin Gin returned from a layoff on a trainer change to Brendan Walsh in the Doubledogdare in April at Keeneland like a new horse. She won that race by 5 1/2 lengths and validated the showing in her Shawnee defeat. Gin Gin has positional pace and drew outside Thorpedo Anna, and jockey Jose Ortiz might prod the favorite early to see what the champion still has in the tank. We’re all waiting to see that in the Fleur de Lis. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.