Raging Torrent struck the front in upper stretch and edged away to a 1 1/4-length decision in Thursday’s $300,500 Malibu (G1) on Santa Anita’s opening day program. Winner of the Pat O’Brien (G2) two back, the Doug O’Neill-trained colt rebounded from a seventh in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) and earned his first Grade 1 triumph when finishing seven furlongs in 1:21.54 with new jockey Frankie Dettori.
“Doug told me my horse was in good shape, and we had perfect distance, good post and he was right,” Dettori said. “He was very tough today. Of course, I was afraid of Mystik Dan, Kentucky Derby (G1) winner, but I thought the day to beat him was today, at seven eighths my horse was very sharp and he proved it.”
Kentucky Derby winner and Preakness (G1) runner-up Mystik Dan, unraced since an eighth in the Belmont (G1), never fired in his return, losing ground at every pole to finish 11 1/4 lengths behind the winner in last.
“He broke good, but it just seemed like we were always chasing,” Brian Hernandez said of Mystik Dan, the 3.10-1 second choice in the wagering. “I think shortening up took away from him. After running a mile and a quarter, it is tough to go back to seven-eighths. The horse is fine.”
Raging Torrent, who tracked the pace in second before seizing command, left the starting gate as the 2.60-1 favorite among six three-year-olds. The Kentucky-bred son of Maximus Mischief is campaigned by Great Friends Stables and Mark Davis.
“You know, the horse was doing so well and threw such a great pose,” O’Neill said. ”We knew this is a perfect distance, so we were so optimistic. But in this sport, a lot of times you’re optimistic and you go home with a flat balloon…but he ran a race that we had dreamed of and just so happy and proud.”
A debut winner last summer, Raging Torrent dropped his next six starts, including five stakes, before earning his second career victory on the Kentucky Derby undercard, romping by 8 1/4 lengths over entry-level allowance rivals at seven furlongs. He followed with a pair of stakes wins at the same distance, easily taking the Maxfield at Churchill Downs and recording a neck upset over The Chosen Vron in the Pat O’Brien, and the bay sophomore returned to his favorite distance after cutting back to six panels in the Sprint.
“We really thought going into it, we were the best horse, the best distance,” O’Neill said. “And just watching him day in, day out, he was training out of this world. So, yeah, he ran great.”
Santa Anita Derby (G1) winner Stonghold, runner-up in the Pennsylvania Derby (G1) and Indiana Derby (G3) in his last two starts, rallied for second, a half-length better than Grade 2 victor Imagination in third. Next came Pilot Commander, who established opening splits in :22.19 and :44.29, and Winterfell.
Raging Torrent is the first foal to race from the Violence mare Violent Wave, a half-sister to Grade 3 turf sprint winner The Nth Degree, and he was purchased for $75,000 at the 2023 OBS April two-year-old sale.
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