Raging Torrent streaks to 8-1 upset victory in Met Mile

Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Raging Torrent continued his winning ways on Saturday at Saratoga in the Grade 1, $1 million Metropolitan Handicap when he won a head-to-head stretch battle against the odds-on favorite Fierceness. The Met Mile victory was the third in a row and sixth of the last seven for the son of Maximus Mischief.

Trainer Doug O’Neill sent Raging Torrent to the East Coast for the first time in his career following a trip an April to Dubai where he won the Godolphin Mile (G2) against a field of 14. His only recent defeat was in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Del Mar, where he was unable to get to a forward position early on the way to finishing seventh. However, he closed his 2024 campaign with a victory in the Malibu (G1) at Santa Anita.

Click here for Saratoga entries and results.

“He’s been in great form,” O’Neill said. “We intentionally gave him that time off after the Malibu and were shooting for the Godolphin Mile after that. Usually when you make a plan, God laughs, especially in this business, but Raging Torrent is just one of those unique horses who you can make a plan for, and he comes through and does it. Incredible.”

Raging Torrent, who was the 8-1 fourth betting choice in the field of five, broke alertly from the outside, got to the lead and was able to establish position on the inside which he kept for the entire race.

Once in front regular rider Frankie Dettori was able to control the race and he let his horse relax as he set comfortable fractions of 23.92, 46.86 and 1:10.36 on a track that was sloppy and sealed after heavy rain in the morning.

“I knew I'd get to the bend first, then it was to manage his speed as much as I could,” Dettori said. “He showed great determination to get to the line.”

Fierceness was making his second start of the year for Todd Pletcher and John Velazquez after setting the track record in the Alysheba (G2) last month. He was in second-place as the race developed just to the outside of the leader with White Abarrio and Just a Touch close behind in third and fourth.

Around the far turn, Fierceness drew to within a head of Raging Torrent as the two were more than three lengths ahead of the rest of the field. When Dettori asked his horse for more, Raging Torrent responded to pad the lead to a half-length at the stretch call and hit the wire with a winning margin of 2 1/2 lengths ahead of Fierceness.

The final time for the mile, which was run around 1 1/2 turns from the Wilson chute was 1:35.89.

“I think there’s always a risk when you run as well as he did first time off the layoff, set a track record and come back in five weeks,” Pletcher said. “They can give you every indication that they’re sitting on another good one, but sometimes it just takes a little more time to recover. It certainly wasn’t the effort we were hoping for, but it wasn’t a bad effort either.”

Raging Torrent returned $18.00, 4.50 and 3.10 for the $2 win, place, and show mutuels. Fierceness completed a $2 exacta that paid $46.40. Just a Touch at 7-2 finished up the $2 trifecta of $96.50.

The 5-2 second-choice White Abarrio never threatened the leaders and was fourth ahead of only 30-1 long shot Castle Chaos.

The victory got Raging Torrent the $550,000 winner’s share of the purse and improved his career stats to 14: 7-1-2 with earnings of $1,797,400.

The Met Mile also was a Breeders’ Cup challenge series race, giving the 4-year-old winner a spot at Del Mar in November.

“If he comes out of it good, the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile will be a logical goal and maybe a race between now and then,” O’Neill said. “The plan is to take him to California on Tuesday and play it by ear.”