Raging Torrent a force to be reckoned with in G1 Hill ‘n’ Dale Metropolitan Handicap

After a stellar trip to the Middle East in April for a decisive victory in the Group 2 Godolphin Mile, Yuesheng Zhang and Craig Dado’s Raging Torrent showed no signs of rust in his stateside return with an emphatic wire-to-wire victory in Saturday’s Grade 1, $1 million Hill ‘n’ Dale Metropolitan Handicap at one-mile from the Wilson Chute on Belmont Stakes Day at Saratoga Race Course.

In victory, Raging Torrent was awarded a berth into the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile in November at Del Mar as part of the “Win and You’re In” Challenge Series.

Trained by Doug O’Neill, the 4-year-old Maximus Mischief bay asserted himself over a compact but formidable group of racing’s top 3-year-olds and older, besting multiple Grade 1-winner and last year’s Grade 1 DraftKings Travers victor Fierceness, and finishing well ahead of 2023 Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic-winner White Abarrio. The win was Raging Torrent’s sixth in his last seven outings, encompassing his first Grade 1 coup in Santa Anita Park’s Malibu in December.

"[It’s] something that I never dreamt of just because it seems so far-fetched, but a horse like Raging Torrent is kind of a once-in-a-lifetime kind of horse,” O’Neill said of winning the prestigious Met Mile. “He’s got speed. He’s got stamina. He’s got class. He has no problem shipping and it’s just a wonderful feeling.

"He’s been in great form,” O’Neill continued. “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.”

Expertly piloted by Frankie Dettori, Raging Torrent emerged from the outermost post 5 and quickly established himself on the front end before angling down to the inside ahead of Fierceness, who exited the inside post to track Raging Torrent’s early foot through the opening quarter-mile in 23.92 seconds over the sloppy and sealed oval.

Fierceness separated himself a touch from White Abarrio in the backstretch with Just a Touch and Castle Chaos running behind in orderly fashion before Fierceness turned up the pressure through the half-mile in 46.86 and ranged up under Hall of Famer John Velazquez as they approached the turn.

The two classy Grade 1-winners linked up at the top of the lane with a gap back to an all-out White Abarrio, the top pair poised to take off down the lane in a signature Spa throwdown as Dettori got to work aboard Raging Torrent and Fierceness bore down on his outside. But a nail-biting finish was not in the cards this time as Raging Torrent put daylight between him and Fierceness within just a few strides, marking seven-eighths in 1:22.63 and pouring it on in the final sixteenth to cross the wire 2 1/2 lengths the best in a final time of 1:35.89.

Fierceness finished 2 1/4 lengths clear of Just a Touch in third. White Abarrio could only manage fourth in his third Met Mile attempt, while Castle Chaos, who trailed throughout, completed the order of finish.

Dettori, aboard for the Malibu and Godolphin Mile as well, tipped his cap to fellow riding legend Velazquez for his early move in the turn.

“I knew I'd get to the bend first, then it was to manage his speed as much as I could,” said Dettori, who celebrates his first Met Mile victory in a storied career. “I had Johnny wise to take me on at the three-eighths, but at the quarter-pole I was in the lap of the gods. He showed great determination to get to the line.

"What a horse he's been for me, Malibu, Dubai, here... we took on the best of the best and became triumphant,” Dettori added. “Great job to the team and I had a funny feeling he'd do a big number today, and he did." 

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher indicated in the days leading up to the Met Mile that he had some reservations about the Wilson Chute for 2023 Champion 2-Year-Old Colt Fierceness. The son of City of Light, who Pletcher noted hit the gate at the break, did struggle from the inside post under Velazquez as the field vied for early position in the first sixteenth of a mile.

“[Velazquez] said he thought he handled the footing well,” Pletcher said. “He thought the first sixteenth of a mile was a little too rough. He had to use him pretty hard to get to that position, and they were bumping pretty hard off one another. It kind of got him a little more on the bridle than he wanted him.”

O’Neill, who won the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile in 2013 with Goldencents, said that event is the long-term goal for Raging Torrent.

"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,” said O'Neill, who is closing in on 3,000 career wins. “The plan is to take him to California on Tuesday and play it by ear."

Bred in Kentucky by Rodney J. Winkler and Alfonso Mazzetti, Raging Torrent has earned nearly 24 times his frugal purchase price of $75,000 at the 2023 OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training, increasing his bankroll to $1,797,400 after netting $550,000 for his Met Mile coup. He returned $18 on a $2 win ticket. 

Live racing resumes Sunday at Saratoga Race Course for Closing Day of the five-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival. The 13-race card features a rescheduled pair of Grade 1 turf events in the 5 1/2-furlong $500,000 Jaipur [Race 12] – a “Win and You’re In” for the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint; and the $1 million Resorts World Casino Manhattan [Race 13], which has been moved from the Mellon turf to the inner turf course and shortened from 1 3/16-miles to nine furlongs. Also featured are the off-the-turf Grade 3, $175,000 Soaring Softly in Race 7 and the $150,000 Jersey Girl in Race 9. First post is 12:10 p.m. Eastern. Admission gates will open to the public at 11 a.m.

America’s Day at the Races will present daily coverage and analysis of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga Race Course on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.belmontstakes.com/event-info/tv-schedule. 

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, and the best way to bet every race of the five-day meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.