Hill ‘n’ Dale at Xalapa announced Aug. 14 that they have acquired a half interest in reigning Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna, a deal that includes Super Bowl Champion Marshawn Lynch.

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The Kenny McPeek-trained filly swept to championship honors last year on the strength of her victories in the Longines Kentucky Oaks and Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff for owners Brookdale Racing, Mark Edwards, Judy Hicks, and Sherri McPeek’s Magdalena Racing. The daughter of Fast Anna also ran a brave second when matched against males in the 2024 DraftKings Travers Stakes at Saratoga Race Course.

Hicks bred the eventual six-time Grade 1 winner, who McPeek purchased at auction for $40,000 in 2022 from the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October yearlings sale. A couple of years later, her dam, the Uncle Mo mare Sataves, would be named Broodmare of the Year.

“It is extremely rare, if not impossible, to acquire an interest in a mare of this caliber,” John G. Sikura, owner of Hill ‘n’ Dale at Xalapa, said in a press release. “A Horse of the Year, out of a Broodmare of the Year, is beyond a unique commodity.  A consummate champion, Thorpedo Anna hails from a pedigree that I have been involved in and respect as foundational to the modern breed. Deep in her pedigree are the names of Cosmah, Almahmoud, and the great sires Halo and Northern Dancer, who is perhaps the greatest sire ever.

Marshawn Lynch (WikiMedia Commons/Keith Allison)

“Kenny has managed her career to perfection and I am excited to be part of the team. We have a shared responsibility to expose our sport to a new audience, as such, NFL superstar and actor Marshawn Lynch is participating in the deal.”

Lynch was on-site at Saratoga Springs, N.Y., this past week and was spotted attending The Saratoga Sale, Fasig-Tipton’s select yearling sale. The five-time Pro-Bowl running back won the 2014 Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks.

Thorpedo Anna will race the remainder of 2025 and hopefully again in 2026 if she continues to duplicate her brilliant form, Hill ‘n’ Dale noted.

The filly has 11 wins and two seconds in 14 starts with earnings of $5,133,413. She is 3-for-4 this year, most recently winning the Fasig-Tipton Fleur de Lis Stakes at Churchill Downs June 28. She also won the Apple Blossom Handicap and Azeri Stakes at Oaklawn Park earlier in the year.

“It has been an amazing journey being around Thorpedo Anna,” McPeek said. “Judy Hicks, Mark Edwards, and Sherri McPeek’s Magdalena Racing will continue to retain their percentage ownership of Thorpedo Anna, and we are all excited to continue with such a great partner as John Sikura and Hill ‘n’ Dale.”