As Thorpedo Anna attempts to make history Saturday by becoming the eighth filly to win the DraftKings Travers Stakes and the first since Lady Rotha in 1915, America’s Best Racing sought insight from Danny Ramsey, her ageless 74-year-old exercise rider. Ramsey discussed her historic bid – and some keys to living long and well – in a diary written with Tom Pedulla.

When people ask me how I am doing, I often answer, “Better than good.” At least the same can be said about Thorpedo Anna as she prepares for the greatest challenge of her career.

In her case, she is doing much better than good. I would say she is doing great. I grew up in the Bahamas and I took out my jockey’s license when I was 14 years old. If there is one thing I know, it’s horses. I was on Swiss Skydiver before she beat the boys in the 2020 Preakness. I know the difference between a good horse and a great horse. I would describe Thorpedo Anna as an absolute freak.

I worked her last Saturday on the main track at Saratoga. Her trainer, Kenny McPeek, wanted me to make sure I kept a tight hold on her because we did not want her to do too much a week before the big race. She still went five furlongs in 59.81 seconds and that was with me working as hard as I could to keep her from going faster. I mean she did it easy … in hand.

Thorpedo Anna schooling at Saratoga. (Eclipse Sportswire)

At one point, she spotted a horse working ahead of us. Man, did she want to go get that horse. I do talk to her and I had to talk her out of it. She is as competitive as they come. She thinks she is the best out there and she wants to prove it every morning.

I have some concerns going into the Travers. In her last two races, both at Saratoga, she got pretty worked up in the paddock. Kenny and his team have been schooling her in the paddock because she has to conserve as much energy as possible if she is to handle the mile-and-a-quarter distance.

They’ve done a lot of work to get her accustomed to the paddock and to crowds of people looking at her. I think this time you will see a much calmer filly when it comes time for Kenny to saddle her. And she always settles down when she hits the track. She knows her job and she loves to run.

My biggest worry is that she drew the one hole. That’s really my only concern. I am a Pentecostal minister and I pray to God that she settles down in the starting gate and breaks with the rest of the field. She started slowly in her last race, the Coaching Club American Oaks, and she showed what a great athlete she is by recovering quickly for her jockey, Brian Hernandez Jr. Within a few strides, she was in a perfect position.

If she doesn’t break well and the rail shuts off, she could find herself eight, nine, 10 lengths behind. I would hate to see that. She can overcome a lot, but that would leave her with way too much to do against such a good field.

Horses like Thorpedo Anna keep me in the game even though my loving wife, Eleanor, would very much like for me to retire. I had a bad accident at Gulfstream Park in 2019. I woke up in the hospital with a broken shoulder, a fractured jaw, and a severe concussion.

“Are you ready to quit now?” Eleanor asked.

She was not prepared for my answer. “No, not yet,” I told her.

Ramsey aboard Thorpedo Anna, outside. (BloodHorse/Skip Dickstein)

Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott paid me a great compliment not long ago. “Guys 28, 29 don’t look as good as you on horseback,” he told me.

That meant a lot. I do everything I can to make sure I can continue to ride at a high level. I work out five days a week for up to an hour each session, doing various stretching exercises to maintain flexibility. I eat a lot of baked fish and chicken as well as fruits and vegetables. My last soda was in 1987.

I am going year by year with my career. I do not see myself stopping any time soon. It is so satisfying knowing I played a role in developing horses like Swiss Skydiver and Thorpedo Anna. Thorpedo Anna is much more aggressive than Swiss Skydiver. I go through a tug of war with her every morning. When I see her run big in the afternoon, it is all worth it.

Everyone wants to know if Thorpedo Anna can win on Saturday. My answer is simple. It all depends on the start. As long as she breaks cleanly, she can beat the boys.