Del Mar 2024: Raging Torrent earns BC bid in Pat O’Brien
In a notable upset, the 3-year-old colt Raging Torrent flashed speed from the start, then hung tough late to best odds-on favorite The Chosen Vron Saturday at Del Mar in the Grade 2, $251,500 Pat O'Brien Stakes.
The winner, who was capturing his third straight score after a recent pair of victories in Kentucky at Churchill Downs, including the seven-furlong Maxfield Stakes June 30, ran seven furlongs in 1:21.17 to prove a neck the best under Antonio Fresu.
With the win, Raging Torrent earned an automatic bid to the $1 million Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile Nov. 2 at Del Mar.
“Well I tried to ride him as I did back in Churchill," Fresu said. "He felt good. Obviously today he had more work to do as The Chosen Vron was there. But (Raging Torrent) is a fighter. I didn’t give him one touch."
Raging Torrent returned $10.80 to his backers in the headliner while earning a first prize of $150,000. The son of the Into Mischief stallion Maximus Mischief is trained by Doug O’Neill.
“I didn’t know if we’d get that easy of a lead. Antonio had a lot of confidence and everything we dreamt about on paper worked out," O'Neill said. "Turning for home I was thinking maybe we got second but it didn’t look like anybody was moving in on us. I never thought he’d put away The Chosen Vron. That was pretty incredible.”
The winning owners are Mark Davis and a group of locals headed by Craig Dado of Del Mar who race under the name Great Friends Stable.
The Chose Vron, trained and co-owned by Eric Kruljac, proved 3 1/2 lengths better than Big City Lights.
The Chose Vron, a 6-year-old gelding by the late Vronsky, was 1-2 in the betting as he sought his seventh victory in a row and what would have been his 20th score in 25 starts.
Berrios offered a couple of potential reasons for the defeat, including a seven-pound break in the weights.
“He tried, no doubt. But maybe he came back a little too quick," Berrios said of the runner-up, who a month ago won the six-furlong Bing Crosby (G1) at Del Mar. "This might have been too soon. He had to give the winner weight, too. That all adds up."
The winning purse pushed Raging Torrent’s bankroll to $467,400. It was his fourth tally in his 10th overall start.