Trainer Chad Brown dealt reigning older female champion Idiomatic a second loss on the season in Friday’s $485,000 Personal Ensign (G1) at Saratoga, but not with the filly most expected.
The Personal Ensign was billed as a rematch between Idiomatic and the Brown-trained Randomized, who had edged the champion in the Ogden Phipps (G1) in their last meeting in early June. Idiomatic wound up winning the battle between the two following an early duel, but lost the war when Brown trainee Raging Sea arrived late on the scene to snatch the victory from a tired Idiomatic in the final strides.
Idiomatic, the 4-5 favorite to defend her Personal Ensign title, and Randomized hooked up entering the first turn. The pace was strong — :23.28 and :46.66 — and Idiomatic led by only a head through the opening half-mile. Xigera was a half dozen lengths back in third, with Raging Sea and Soul of an Angel lingering farther back.
Idiomatic began to shake free from Randomized approaching the three-quarter mark, achieved in 1:10.53, and soon entered upper stretch with a commanding lead of more than four lengths. However, the champion noticeably began to tire inside the furlong marker, while Raging Sea finished full of run under Flavien Prat. Raging Sea caught Idiomatic in the nick of time, winning by a head while clocking 1:49.14 for 1 1/8 miles over a fast track.
“She had been training really well and the race set up for her,” Brown said. “Randomized and Idiomatic really hooked up there and it set it up for this horse.
“A little disappointed Randomized didn’t fire as well, but she missed a little time with a couple little things between the last start and this start. I’m thinking maybe she felt it around the quarter pole. But Raging Sea — it was her day today, and she ran down a real champion.”
“I think she was the best horse again,” said trainer Brad Cox regarding Idiomatic. “That’s two starts here she did all the running. She ran a winning race. Last time it was more of a trip, and this time it was more of a pace thing.”
A homebred campaigned by John Clay’s Alpha Delta Stables, Raging Sea paid $14.40. Idiomatic finished 10 1/4 lengths clear of third-place Soul of an Angel, while Randomized finished fourth, more than 15 lengths behind her winning stablemate. Xigera faded badly through the stretch to trail the quintet.
This was the first win at the top level for Raging Sea, who in 2022 missed by a neck in the Alcibiades (G1) and later finished third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1). The start of her three-year-old campaign last year delayed until August, she finished with a 2-for-4 mark, capped by a photo-finish win in the Comely (G3) at Aqueduct.
Raging Sea was a distant fourth in the Ogden Phipps when not getting the proper pace setup, but that effort was book-ended by wins in the Doubledogdare (G3) at Keeneland and the Shuvee (G3) at Saratoga.
“I would say Raging Sea has done particularly well at Keeneland, and I’d say I would run her next in the Spinster (G1),” Brown said.
Bred in Kentucky, Raging Sea is a daughter of Curlin and Stormy Welcome, by Storm Cat. She descends from Broodmare of the Year Weekend Surprise.
Earlier in the card, Future Is Now continued her ascendancy up the female turf sprint ranks with a half-length victory in the $145,500 Smart N Fancy S., her third stakes success of the season.
The 2-1 second choice in a field of five fillies and mares, Future Is Now rated closely behind longshot pacesetter Lady Milagro, bid for the lead at the quarter pole, and then was almost immediately challenged by Star Guest. The pair bumped in upper stretch before Star Guest poked her head in front at the eighth pole, but Future Is Now re-rallied inside to prevail under Paco Lopez.
After an inquiry to look into the severity of the bumping in upper stretch, the result was posted official.
Future Is Now covered 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:03.19 over a course rated firm and paid $6.30. Star Guest held second by two lengths over odds-on favorite Roses for Debra. It was many lengths back to Lady Milagro and the trailing Glitter Up.
Owned by R. Larry Johnson and trained by Michael Trombetta, the four-year-old Future Is Now registered wins earlier this season in the May 17 The Very One S. at Pimlico and the June 7 Intercontinental (G2) at Saratoga. Her win streak was interrupted when she was a fading third in last month’s Caress (G3).
Bred by her owner in Maryland, Future Is Now is a Great Notion half-sister to Grade 2-placed stakes winner Call Another Play. Both were produced by Past as Prelude, a daughter of Bernardini.
