Alpha Delta Stables’ homebred Raging Sea capitalized on a rail run into the stretch to beat Shotgun Hottie in Sunday’s $194,000 Shuvee (G2) at Saratoga. Trained by Chad Brown and ridden by Flavien Prat, the Curlin filly boosted her candidacy for the Aug. 23 Personal Ensign (G1) over this same 1 1/8-mile trip.
Raging Sea and Shotgun Hottie figured to be the top two choices in the wagering, and bettors ended up making Shotgun Hottie the slight 7-5 favorite from the 1.65-1 Raging Sea. The complexion of the race changed right at the start, when Venti Valentine was virtually eliminated by two terrible stumbles out of the gate. She was drawn in post 2, between Shotgun Hottie on the rail and Raging Sea in post 3.
Shotgun Hottie didn’t break perfectly either, and Brown believes that Prat’s split-second decision-making, to ask Raging Sea to grab early position, was the key to victory. In so doing, he beat Shotgun Hottie to the punch, and relegated the favorite to a less beneficial trip. Once Raging Sea bagged a forward spot on the inside, Shotgun Hottie found herself shuffled back, and then wound up losing ground to find clear sailing.
“There was a lot of commotion inside with the two (Venti Valentine) and the one (Shotgun Hottie),” Brown said, “so I think Flavien just (had) another brilliant ride and decision to take the initiative. Our horse on paper could’ve been last early, she is not a front-running horse, but he got ahead of the one, which I think was the key decision that first turn which took that horse out of her preferred running style. So, in the context of almost a match race maybe between the two on class, being positioned ahead of that horse was really a big advantage from that point forward.”
Prat was content to defer the pacemaking role to Misty Veil. Just Katherine moved up to stalk in second, leaving Raging Sea in a box-seat third early.
The in-foal Misty Veil, reportedly making her career finale here, carved out splits of :23.94, :48.91, and 1:13.05. Shotgun Hottie had to range up wide rounding the far turn, but Raging Sea got a dream opening on the fence.
Cutting the corner deftly, Raging Sea drove past a one-paced Misty Veil and forged clear in a final time of 1:51.95. Shotgun Hottie closed mildly for second, 2 1/2 lengths adrift. Misty Veil was the same margin back in third. Just Katherine faded to fourth, and the unfortunate Venti Valentine trailed throughout.
“She stumbled bad – I can’t believe I stayed on,” jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. said of Venti Valentine. “It was crazy. I can’t explain how I stayed on. She stumbled the first jump bad, tried to get up and stumbled again. After that, I let her see how she felt. She wanted to go, so I let her. We tried to make a run, but it was just too much to overcome.”
“I didn’t envision the race to go that way,” Prat said of Raging Sea’s winning trip, “but she jumped well, and when I saw Venti Valentine having a bad break, I asked her to get herself into the race and after that, I was able to stalk (along) the rail the whole way. She did the rest.
“She always travels well, and she usually responds well when I ask her to kick home. That’s what she did today.”
Raging Sea, whose previous stakes victories came in the 2023 Comely (G3) and April 19 Doubledogdare (G3), sports a mark of 10-5-1-1, $785,978. As a two-year-old, the chestnut had signaled elite talent when placing third in the Alcibiades (G1) (subsequently disqualified to fourth) and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1). Raging Sea’s truncated sophomore season didn’t allow for another Grade 1 attempt. She got another crack at the top level in the June 8 Ogden Phipps (G1), but the speed-favoring surface played into the hands of stablemate Randomized, and Raging Sea had to settle for fourth.
Although Brown agreed that the Shuvee was an easier spot than the Phipps, he also commented on the state of the racetrack.
“It is,” the trainer said of the class relief, “and the track is a lot different now, which I’m very happy to see. I think that the management here has really worked hard on the track to even it out a bit. It is not so fast; it is fair.
“You see horses winning on the charts the last couple of days from everywhere on the dirt. You have horses going wire-to-wire, midpack horses, and there’s been some closers winning. I think that is the best track to have, if you can maintain it.
“We’ve been blessed with good weather,” Brown continued, “which makes the job easier of keeping a consistent track. Inevitably, there’s going to be some storms throughout the summer – that is challenging for the maintenance crew – but for right now, the track is very fair, and she appreciated this version of this track versus the one a few weeks ago.”
As a result, Raging Sea has run herself into calculations for the Personal Ensign, a stepping stone to the Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1).
“It could be,” Brown said of the possibility of advancing to the Personal Ensign. “The way she ran today, it would be a big step up for that, but she’s always knocking on the door in those Grade 1s, and there might be one with her name on it.”
A Grade 1 laurel would enhance her considerable broodmare value. The Kentucky-bred was produced by the Storm Cat mare Stormy Welcome, a descendant of blue hen Weekend Surprise. Thus Raging Sea belongs to the all-star family of Hall of Famer and influential patriarch A.P. Indy, along with fellow classic-winning sires Summer Squall and Lemon Drop Kid.
Earlier on Sunday, steeplechaser Ziggle Pops scored a new career high in the A.P. Smithwick Memorial H. (NSA-G1). Most recently third to L’Imperator in the Beverly R. Steinman Hurdle H. (NSA-G1) at Aqueduct, the Jack Fisher charge emphatically turned the tables at the Spa.
Ziggle Pops recovered from early trouble to breeze alongside longtime leader Pickanumber in the homestretch and dashed home a 4 1/4-length winner. Under Graham Watters, the Bruton Street-US runner negotiated 2 3/8 miles over National fences in 4:32.85.
Pickanumber salvaged second by a head from Freddy Flintshire. L’Imperator was a non-threatening fourth, followed by the dead-heating pair of Going Country and 1.70-1 favorite Abaan. West Newton, who hit the sixth fence, dropped back thereafter and ultimately eased home in his own time.
Ziggle Pops returned $12.80 while improving his record to 19-6-0-3, $187,815. The son of Zoffany indicated that he was blossoming as a seven-year-old when setting a new course record going 2 3/4 miles at Percy Warner on May 11.
Bred by St. Albans Bloodstock in Great Britain, Ziggle Pops is out of the Galileo mare Loch Ma Naire, a half-sister to multiple Group 1 queen Simply Perfect. Loch Ma Naire is closely related to classic-placed stayer Bondi Beach and Simply Perfect’s Group 1-winning son Proud and Regal (by Galileo).
