It was nothing unusual when Thordedo Anna triumphed in the Personal Ensign Stakes on August 23 on Saratoga Race Course.
After all, that nose victory marked the seventh time that the 2024 Horse of the Year has won a deployment of degree 1. What was different, however, was that the Dark Bay of Brown Filly took the personal flag under the green side of John Sikura’s Hill ‘n’ Dale Equine Holdings. Sikura will be an interested party when Fast Anna’s daughter goes in the Juddmonte Spinster Stakes on October 5 in Keeneland.
Between her 28 June Fleur de Lis Stakes Victory and The Personal Ensign, Sikura, owner of the Scenic Hill ‘n’ Dale in Xalapa Farm at Paris, Ky., Bought an important interest in the 4-year-old superstar. He thus joined a group of ownership with Kenny and Sherri McPeek’s Magdalena Racing, Mark Edwards and Judy Hicks. Hicks bred Thordedo Anna, while Kenny McPeek led her career as a trainer.
The presence of Sikura under the connections of the Merrievefeulen is useful. He has a talent because he is associated with quality runners and producers. He once possessed Grade 2 winner better than honor, and the daughter of Vice Minister became 2007’s breeding mood of the year after her mare tribe to Riches de Belmont Stakes won. The previous season Jazil, a son of Better than Honor, took the Belmont. And the breeding mood almost had the opportunity to make it three in a row, but her son Casino Drive, trained by Japan, sustained a foot injury in the days prior to the Belmont 2008. Sikura was also owned for a while Serena’s Kat, mother of 2015 older dirt male Honorcode.
“I have high standards for myself, so when you have the chance to get involved with something unique and historical, that is a strong consideration,” Sikura said about Thordedo Anna. “Those moments don’t often come along in your career, where you get the chance to participate in a one -off.”
Thordedo Anna is indeed a unique talent. Since she broke her girl with 8 ½ lengths in Keeneland two years ago, she has collected a Sterling portfolio, won 12 times in 15 starts and to bank better than $ 5.4 million. She also landed a year ago champion 3-year-old Merrieveeulen based on victories in the Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff, Longines Kentucky Oaks, Cotillion Stakes, Acorn Stakes and Coaching Club American Oaks. She has returned this season to win four of the five races, all in Grade 1 or Grade 2 Company.
“She is a return to the type of mares that ran 50 years ago,” said Sikura. “We raced a mare in California named Gay Style (a winner of class 1 who won four ruled races in the United States and three more in France) who ran against hard, tough mares such as Tizna and Susan’s girl. They were just as good at their 30sone Starts as they were in their fourth. (Tizna racet 57 times; Susan’s Girl 63.)
Sikura said he had made a decision to buy Anna in Thordedo after visiting her at McPeek’s Barn.
“She has a kinetic energy for her, an energy level that is not normal for a horse,” he said. “The way she walks; her attention. She is magnetic and radiates energy. She spent 45 minutes around the hotwalker. It is a gut feeling that you get involved.”
The original owners were planning to Leiden the Merrievefeulen in November via a Fokstock sale, but now that the blueprint has changed. Depending on how she performs in the spinster, and hopefully in the Breeders’ Cup world championships, Thordedo Anna could possibly return to the races as a 5-year-old. That will be tackled in the coming months at a certain moment.
Thordedo Anna has already qualified for a reimbursement berth in the Breeders ‘Cup Distaff November 1 in Del Mar via two previous victories in the Breeders’ Cup Challenge series this season. The spinster is also a Breeders’ Cup Challenge Race and offers a guaranteed place in the Spinaff.
Eventually she will become a breeding mood, and Sikura is hopeful that her racing track Talent will translate well into that second career, although he realizes that there are no guarantees.
“How does her energy and racing record to be a breeding mood? Who knows? Some really good runs become big hearing cases; some are poor hearing cases. It works the same for breeding mares. It’s not a linear connection. But I would rather start with those letters of faith than without them,” he said.
A lot has been made from Thordedo Anna as from Fast Anna, who was not a commercial father. Sikura, however, noted that after a much further view of her pedigree, he was impressed – and not only because Hill ‘n’ Dale bred her fourth dam, altair (by Alydar).
“Natalma (the mother of Northern Dancer) and Cosmah (the mother of Halo) are in her family tree – some of the greatest mares in the history of modern breeding,” Sikura said. “Going back to the Taproot -Source, I can defend every generation of her pedigree. Now, there is something where it is logical that you get one as good as her? No. Her consistency at an elite level, her competing, her attempt, everything about her is extremely.
Sikura has a lot of respect for what Thordedo Anna and her owners have achieved. “I have had nothing to do with her success, and I don’t want to claim a false credit. Kenny and the partners have great karma and chemistry, and I don’t want to be upset. I told Kenny that I want to be invisible.”
Sikura, however, has taken a step in the direction of moving the starfee lake to the regular popularity. One of the partners he has included in his piece of Thordedo Anna is former NFL star Marshawn Lynch, who quickly becomes an accomplished actor and media celebrity. He hopes that Lynch has a similar effect as an influencer Griffin Johnsonwho has raised interest in horse races through his association with the 3-year-old Sandman.
“We all have a responsibility if we get the chance to get this sport in regular culture,” Sikura noted. “If we are going to be lively and go to the future, we must be relevant to people. And exposure to social media is today. Marshawn has a great supporters; people know him and he has a unique personality. People like him and Griffin Johnson can make a huge difference in exposure.”
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