SUN: ‘ANNA‘ vs. NITROGEN - horse Race Insider
KEENELAND, KY – October 29, 2023 – A compelling head-to-head matchup looms as the spotlight focuses on Thorpedo Anna and Nitrogen in today’s $400,000 Castle & Key Bourbon Stakes at Keeneland Race Course.the 2-year-old colt’s race, scheduled for 5:48 p.m. EDT,carries important weight as a “Win and You’re In” qualifier for the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1) on November 3rd.
This Grade 2 stakes race over 1 1/16 miles on turf presents a crucial prospect for both Thorpedo anna, trained by Kenny McPeek and ridden by Flavien Prat, and Nitrogen, conditioned by Mark Casse with Jose Ortiz in the saddle. A victory secures an automatic starting gate in the prestigious Breeders’ Cup event, perhaps launching a promising young horse into championship contention. The Bourbon Stakes field of twelve also includes contenders like Turf Star, with Tyler Gaffalione aboard, and Final Score, under Irad Ortiz Jr., adding depth to a competitive race.
Thorpedo Anna enters the Bourbon Stakes off a strong performance, carrying a weight of 125 pounds. Nitrogen is slightly lighter at 121 pounds. The remaining field includes Scylla (125 lbs, Junior Alvarado), chilled (125 lbs, John Velazquez), Gin Gin (125 lbs, Luis Saez), J J Grey (118 lbs, Emmanuel Esquivel), Repentless (118 lbs, Adam Beschizza), Exonerate (118 lbs, Flavien Prat), Blinging It Back (118 lbs, Axel Concepcion), Awesome Connection (118 lbs, Jose Ortiz), Gordon Pass (118 lbs, Cristian Torres), Password (118 lbs, Luan Machado), vintur (118 lbs, Florent Geroux), Casa Cielo (120 lbs, Francisco Arrieta), and Dr. Agne (118 lbs, Luis Saez).
