Raging Sea closes on torrid pace, wins Personal Ensign

Raging Sea surged late to nail reigning champion older dirt female Idiomatic at the wire and deny her a repeat victory in Friday’s Grade 1, $500,000 Personal Ensign Stakes, a 1 1/8-mile test for five older fillies and mares at Saratoga.

An Alpha Delta Stables homebred from Kentucky, the 4-year-old Curlin chestnut earned her first career Grade 1 win after a last-out closing score in the Shuvee (G2) at the same distance on July 21 at Saratoga.

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It was the first Personal Ensign triumph for four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown.

“Raging Sea, it was her day today, and she ran down a real champion,” Brown said. “I’m just so proud of her, so happy for Mr. John Clay, who bred this horse and actually RNA’d (reserve not attained at sale) her as a yearling. He believed in her, sent her in to us, and she’s really had a great career. Very rarely has she disappointed us.”

Piloted by Flavien Prat, Raging Sea broke alertly from post 3. Speedy stablemate Randomized stumbled at the start but recovered quickly to vie for command with 4-5 favorite Idiomatic through an opening quarter-mile in 23.28 seconds on the fast main track.

Raging Sea settled into fourth position, 11 lengths off of the speed duel between Florent Géroux-piloted Idiomatic and Randomized. The frontrunners were one-two finishers in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff in November at Santa Anita and vice versa in the local Ogden Phipps (G1) on June 8. 

Up the backside, the field became very strung out behind the pacesetting duo. Raging Sea was eight lengths behind Xigera, who trailed the front pair by another three lengths after a half-mile in 46.66 seconds. 

“She jumped well. It felt like everyone was committed to go,” Prat said. “I didn't want to be too far back where she lost interest in the race.”

Entering the far turn through three-quarters in 1:10.53, Idiomatic put away Randomized and quickly opened her advantage. At the top of the lane, the champ, free of her familiar rival, looked to be well on her way to back-to-back Personal Ensigns. But Raging Sea was coming alive under Prat. 

“To be honest on the form I knew I was going to make a run. I didn’t know if they could hold me off or not,” said Prat, who earned his 12th stakes win of the meet, closing on the record of 15 shared by Irad Ortiz Jr. in 2022, Joel Rosario in 2022 and John Velázquez in 2005. “It felt like (Idiomatic) was still going well from where I was. It was just a matter of if I could get there on time.”

At the stretch call, Idiomatic held four lengths of insurance, but the mile in 1:36.13 was beginning to take its toll. Raging Sea was closing resolutely down the center of the course. 

Idiomatic fought on gamely and angled out to meet her rival in deep stretch, but Raging Sea took her by storm in the final sixteenth to post a head victory with a final time of 1:49.14. 

It was 10 1/4 lengths back to Soul of an Angel, who closed from last to third. Randomized rounded out the superfecta, and Xigera completed the order of finish. 

Brown said a potential next start for Raging Sea, who won the Doubledogdare (G3) in April at Keeneland, is at the same track in the Spinster (G1) on Oct. 6. 

“I would say Raging Sea has done particularly well at Keeneland, and I’d say I would run her next in the Spinster,” Brown said.  

Brad Cox, dual Eclipse Award-winning trainer of Idiomatic, said it was equally as tough of a result as when missing by a head to Randomized in the Ogden Phipps.

“I think she was the best horse again,” Cox said. “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. But she ran well. It was unfortunate she didn’t get the job done. Once again the best horse in my opinion but didn’t really get there.”

Géroux said that Idiomatic was unlucky after doing the hard work on the front end. 

"It's the second time this year I feel like we have the best horse, but we don't have the outcome we want,” Géroux said. “I thought she was handling (the pace) fine, but looking at it now, it looked like maybe we went a little bit too fast. I thought we had Randomized measured, but the other filly Raging Sea was able to run me down.”

Géroux said that Idiomatic still has his full support as she searches for another Eclipse Award.

“I think she’s amazing. She’s the champion, and we can agree to disagree, but I still feel like she’s the best filly definitely on the East Coast,” Géroux said. 

Out of Storm Cat mare Stormy Welcome, Raging Sea is a half-sister to multiple stakes-placed Welcoming with her third dam being the multiple graded-stakes-winning mare Weekend Surprise, who produced Hall of Famer and breed-shaping stallion A.P. Indy.

She banked $275,000 in victory while improving her record to 11: 6-1-1 and returning $14.40 for a $2 win bet.