Under frontrunning from Frankie Detri, the Raging Torrent defeated heavyweight intensity and White Arario in the senior division to win a Grade 1 $970,000 Hill ‘n’Dale Metropolitan Handicap on June 7th at the Saratoga race course.
Doug O’Neill trained Raging Torrent has brought three consecutive Black Type victories for Huesheng Zhang, owner of Yulong Investments and Craig Dado’s great friend Stable. The 4-year-old son of third-crap stallion Maximus Mischief won a victory in Meydan Racecourse’s Godolphin Mile in Dubai in April, following his Grade 1 Malibu Stakes victory at Del Mar late last year. All three of his latest victories are on board with Dettori.
These victories were important, but the opposition caliber was not at the same level as he faced with the Metropolitan handicap. Furriedness and White Abilio are two of the leaders of the Elderly Stain Men’s category and two of the nominees of the year for the horse, the most coveted award in North American races. Neither could keep up with the intense torrents on the sealed, muddy surface.
Raging Torrent Out Broke scored early leads with his four rivals, setting a relatively easy opening quarter mile pace. 23.92 of his half-turn Wilson shots at Saratoga. The pressure then rose and the fury put him pressure on the split of: 46.86 and 1:10.36, but the raging torrent proved to be the strongest. He shrugged hard during the stretch and pulled away to score a mile at 1:35.89. He paid $18 to win.
“(Getting Met Miles) is something you’ve never dreamed of because it looks so fetched, but a horse like Raging Torrent is like a once-in-a-lifetime horse,” O’Neill said. “He has speed. He has stamina. He’s taking classes and there’s no problem with shipping. It’s just a great feeling.”
The violently preferred ferociousness that Raging Trent led a temporary turn towards the house under John Belazquez settled down at the second half length. White Arario was fourth of five runners on the field.
“The horse is mature. Doug (Ohneal) finds himself exhibiting his race and has this incredible will for (Raging Torrent) to win.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8chbd5mzqhq
The ferociousness and white avalio did not break as smoothly as the winner. According to trainer Todd Pletcher, the ferociousness returned to its bloody mouth, after hitting the gate first. He also traded bumps for White Arario in the opening mile before recovering to put pressure on the pace.
Pletcher also suggested that the ferociousness could have been somewhat backward after the track record setting performance in the Grade 2 Alysheba stake announced by Sensory Jet, with his season debut at Churchill Downs on May 2.
“They can give you all the indications that you’re sitting in another good thing, but sometimes it only takes a little longer to recover,” he pointed out. “It certainly wasn’t the effort we wanted, but it wasn’t a bad effort either.”
Pletcher showed that the Grade 1 Whitney Stakes in Saratoga on August 2 was the 2023 2-year-old champion 2-year-old man and was 2-year-old for Sierra Leone last year in the 2024 3-year-old men’s championship vote.
The third Met Mile defeat was 6-year-old White Arario, who finished fifth in the race last year, held in Saratoga and performed three times before at his regular home in Belmont Park. Belmont Park is currently undergoing renovations.
White Arario bounced off these defeats, especially winning the 2023 Longines Breaders ‘Cup Classic.
In capturing the Met Mile, Raging Torrent has won a paid automatic berth at Del Mar this fall on the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile via the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series. Raging Torrent started off with the rails last year before finishing seventh in the 6 Furlong Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Del Mar last year.
O’Neill said his horse will return to his base in Southern California, suggesting that he may map a single start for a raging torrent between the present and the Breeders’ Cup.
The final three Met Mile winners won the championship with achievements in the Met Mile Triumphs year. Flightline (2022) and Cody’s Wish (2023) both won the Dual Eclipse Award for Champion’s Older Stain Male and Horse Year, while National Treasure (2024) won the Eclipse Award last year as the Older Stain Male.
The undercard action on Belmont Day in Saratoga was affected by heavy rain pouring into Saratoga Springs on Friday and Saturday mornings. Two Grade 1 turf stakes, the Jaipur Stakes and Resorts World Casino Manhattan Stakes, have been cancelled and moved to Sunday, June 8th, ending the card and five-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival. Gradual stakes of the other two grasses – I wonder about the stakes again and Penny Ridge Stakes – It was held on Saturday, but moved to the dirt track in Saratoga.
The wonder was once again characterized only three horses after wounds and heavy favorites nitrogen Beyond the sloppy track, we won what jockey Jose Ortiz had prepared. Medaglia D’Oro Filly won his fifth race after eight career starts. All of these wins come in consecutive stake levels. At Pennine Ridge, AP Kid Moved up from the pace-pressing position, he engaged with frontrunner Mi Bago, then overcame that rival in MidStretch, winning by 6¼ length under John Velazquez.
$500,000, one of the most competitive races in luggage, grade 1 Woody Stephens Stakes presented by Mohegan Sunattracted 10 3-year-olds and raced seven furlongs. Patch Adamscoming from a sharp allowance victory in the Kentucky Derby on May 3, announced by the Woodford Reserve Card at Churchill Downs, attacked early under the Lewis Thirds, beating Madaket Road and earning his first grade stakes victory over the tracks upgraded to Good in the late afternoon. Bradcox trainees have improved from the start of their six careers to three wins.
$400,000, some of the best stain sprinters matched in grade 3 True North Stakes It was a classy New Jersey breeding castration, held at 6½ Furlong and after a fierce stretch duel book’em damage It was best proven as he oullikin in the final 16th of the mile and won by 1¼ length. Book’em Danno improved his career record to eight Sterling wins with 14 starts with 14, including 3 seconds and a third.
