Brookdale Racing has sold its 50% share in Thorpedo Anna, North America’s reigning Horse of the Year, to John Sikura of Hill ‘n’ Dale at Xalapa. Thorpedo Anna, a six-time Grade 1 winner trained by Kenny McPeek, remains partly owned by Magdalena Racing and will continue racing with the potential to compete as a five-year-old. Sikura highlighted the mare’s exceptional pedigree, linking her to foundational bloodlines like Halo and Northern Dancer, and revealed that former NFL star and actor Marshawn Lynch is also involved in the acquisition to help broaden the sport’s audience.

The sale comes amid controversy, as Nader Al A’Ali of Brookdale Racing is the brother-in-law of Amer Abdulaziz, founder of Phoenix Thoroughbreds, who was recently sentenced to 15 months in prison in the US for conspiracy to commit money laundering. Phoenix Thoroughbreds has been winding down its international operations, transferring many interests to Al A’Ali, who only entered racing in 2021 following Phoenix’s ban in certain countries. The press release announcing the sale notably omitted mention of Brookdale or Al A’Ali.