Raging Sea (outside) fends off the challenge by Batucada for the victory. (Joe Labozzetta)
By Lynne Snierson
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Alpha Delta Stables’ Kentucky homebred Raging Sea needed every bit of her trademark heart and grit to capture her third straight graded stakes in Sunday’s Grade 2, $250,000 Beldame, at Belmont at the Big A.
Four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown, who also saddled third-place finisher Signal From Noise, said he was proud of Raging Sea’s toughness and ability to grind out the win in the nine-furlong route for fillies and mares 3-years-old and up.
“Her soundness and durability, getting her into the race, doing just fine, traveling good – [we knew] she’s going to show up,” Brown said.
Dispatched as the prohibitive 1-9 favorite from post 4 in the field of six for the 86th running of the Beldame, Raging Sea had her head turned when the gate opened and bobbled at the break to get away last under Flavien Prat.
“She can be a little tense in there, so sometimes she’ll break very well and sometimes a bit slower,” Prat explained.
Once she settled into her stride, she raced wide near the back of the pack while a rank Majestic Creed took them through pedestrian splits of 23.98 seconds, 48.31, 1:13.34, and 1:37.88. Raging Sea was tipped out in the far turn and was four-wide in the upper stretch to begin her strong rally.
Though she was in front at the eighth pole, she encountered strong resistance to her inside from a determined and quick closing Batucada, who engaged Raging Sea at the sixteenth pole before the two fought a fully-extended and spirited battle to the wire. Raging Sea got the best of it, winning by a head in the final time of 1:50.41 on the fast track. Signal From Noise was another 4 1/2 lengths back in third. Rounding out the order of finish were Frosty O Toole, Majestic Creed, and Libban, who was eased in the stretch and walked off under her own power.
“It’s always better to get a target and once she gets that target, she tends to stay with it,” Prat said. “As long as she keeps her head in front, it’s fine. I took the lead by the three-sixteenths pole but then she kind of waited on horses. I thought it was a good race and hopefully a good setup for the Breeders’ Cup.”
Brown pointed the 5-year-old daughter of Curlin and the Storm Cat mare Stormy Welcome to the Beldame as her final prep race for the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Distaff on November 2 at Del Mar, where she is expected to once again meet reigning Champion Older Dirt Mare Idiomatic. In her last race, Raging Sea upset Idiomatic in the Grade 1 Personal Ensign on August 23 at Saratoga Race Course and registered a career-best 97 Beyer Speed Figure. Idiomatic is entered today in the Grade 1 Juddmonte Spinster at Keeneland.
“I chose this race because I thought there was a possibility she might bounce a bit off her last effort – it was just such a strong run up at Saratoga to run down a super horse [Idiomatic] and I thought she’d feel that race in her next one,” Brown said. “So, I thought I’d maybe pick an easier spot for her. I think we saw a little bit of her hanging and waiting a little bit, which she has done in the past. I also think she felt that race at Saratoga late today. That was part of my reasoning for staying home and running in a much easier spot than the Spinster.
“The more I thought about it, I thought she’d feel that race from Saratoga and react a bit,” Brown continued. “I’m happy to get maybe a soft bounce out of the way off that race and hopefully circle back to that race at Saratoga if you’re going to go out West [to the Breeders’ Cup Distaff] and tackle the best.”
The Saffie Joseph, Jr.-trained Batucada, in search of her first graded score, impressed jockey Ricardo Santana, Jr. with her stubborn effort.
“My filly fight. She ran good. The other one was much the best,” Santana, Jr. said.
Raging Sea, who was an RNA at the sales and kept to race by Jon Clay’s Alpha Delta Stables, has now won six of her last seven races, including a score in the Spa’s Grade 2 Shuvee in July, and improved her record to 7-1-1 in 12 starts.
Brown said he was pleased with the narrow score ahead of a potentially bigger task next month at Del Mar.
“I view it as I handicapped a bit of a bounce into this race, and I was relieved to sort of escape with a victory knowing that she felt her last race,” Brown said. “I’m confident with the four weeks I have and her not having to run a fast figure today that she’ll be able to again hopefully circle back to that Saratoga race. That race – with the right pace setup – is good enough to at least be competitive out there.”
The Kentucky-bred’s career earnings were boosted to $1,198,478 with the $137,500 winner’s share of the purse. She returned $2.20 for a $2 win bet.
