Raging Sea ahead of her third-place effort in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (Courtney Snow/Past The Wire)
NYRA Press Office
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.— Alpha Delta Stables’ Kentucky homebred Raging Sea will make her first start since a late-closing third in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies in Race 8 on Wednesday, an allowance optional claimer going one mile through the Wilson Chute at Saratoga Race Course.
The Chad Brown-trained Curlin chestnut returns to the site of her debut victory last August going seven furlongs, where she stalked two lengths off the pace in between horses from fourth before dueling with Peace Cruiser in deep stretch to win by a neck.
The winning effort, which garnered a 74 Beyer Speed Figure, prompted the connections to try Grade 1 company in the Alcibiades at Keeneland, where she crossed the wire third beaten a neck, but was disqualified to fourth.
In the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, Raging Sea drew the outside in the full field of 13 and rated in between horses from mid-pack. She lost ground around the far turn, but rallied in the stretch drive to round out the trifecta.
Raging Sea has worked consistently since she resumed training in late June. Jon Clay of Alpha Delta Stables expressed excitement to get his black type earning filly back to serious business.
“She hasn’t really missed a beat after she had her rest,” Clay said. “She’s been training well with Chad and he still thinks as highly of her right now as he did last year. We have a couple of races targeted down the line and we just want to get her going. She probably should have run in a stakes race to start out, but we had to find a spot and that’s why we’re in the allowance race. I think she’ll handle [the Wilson Chute] well. She’s been very professional through all of her training since she’s been back with Chad. I don’t see any problems with that.”
Clay mentioned the Grade 1, $1 million Cotillion on September 23 at Parx Racing as a possible future goal.
“That’s one of the races on our schedule,” Clay said. “We just have to get through this race, but that race is one of several options. I try and take a very patient approach and take things day by day. I don’t like to dream too far ahead.”
Raging Sea hails from the prominent maternal lines of several reine-de-course mares, including her third dam Weekend Surprise – who produced the highly influential stallion and 1992 Horse of the Year A.P. Indy. Her fourth dam Lassie Dear also produced Charming Lassie, who was the dam of 2000 Champion Older Horse and prominent sire Lemon Drop Kid.
“That cross with Curlin over the A.P. Indy family works quite well,” Clay noted. “Because of some issues, she was never a sales candidate, so I’m very fortunate that I still have her rather than selling her to somebody else.”
Raging Sea will be piloted by Flavien Prat from post 3.
