Raging Sea

There really isn't a whole lot that trainer Bill Mott has left to accomplish in the Thoroughbred business. Since recording his first graded stakes victory with Heatherten--who also gave him his first Grade I success--for owner John Franks some 41 years ago, the 72-year-old has saddled the winners of over 150 top-level contests with superstars of either sex, such as Taylor's Special, Theatrical (Ire), Paradise Creek, Fraise, legendary dual Horse of the Year Cigar, Ajina, Escena, Wekiva Springs, Favorite Trick, Dream Supreme and her son Majestic Warrior, Drosselmeyer, To Honor...

And thus the queen of flowers blooms again. 'TDN Rising Star' Leslie's Rose (Into Mischief) has rediscovered her best stride and gamely took home the GII Shuvee Stakes at Saratoga Friday afternoon. Eased up in the stretch last out June 6 in the GI Ogden Phipps Stakes when the track turned into slop she hated, it had been the most recent in a series of tough-luck jumps for the daughter of Into Mischief. Her prior three starts before then were the GI Acorn Stakes and GI CCA Oaks last year--where...

Five weeks ago, Miller Racing's Dazzling Move (Not This Time) and Alpha Delta's Raging Sea (Curlin), sent off at 12-1 and even-money respectively, met in a sloppy renewal of GI Ogden Phipps and it was the less fancied filly that finished best of the two, placing 4 3/4 lengths behind winner Dorth Vader (Girvin). Meanwhile, this season's GI La Troienne winner Raging Sea found herself 1 3/4 lengths behind the runner up that day, but has shown a definite affinity for the upstate New York oval, having won three of...

Maybe it was the sloppy sealed track. Or the 1 1/8 mile distance. Or maybe, just maybe, the force was with her Friday. Rail-drawn Florida-bred Dorth Vader (Girvin) stepped up against the highly-touted Chad Brown-trained duo of Raging Sea (Curlin) and Randomized (Nyquist) to conquer the "Win and You're In" GI Ogden Phipps Stakes, stamping a ticket to the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff at Del Mar this November. Making her third start off a significant layoff, Dorth Vader entered 2025 with something to prove. She hadn't won since t he...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Undefeated GI Kentucky Oaks heroine and Godolphin homebred Good Cheer (Medaglia d'Oro) will put her perfect seven-for-seven record on the line as she takes on six rivals in Friday's GI DK Horse Acorn S. at the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga Race Course. The Acorn is one of six graded stakes races on Friday's 14-race program, which also features three other Grade I events--the GI Ogden Phipps S., a 'Win and You're In' for the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff at Del Mar; the GI New...

GI Kentucky Derby third Baeza (McKinzie) arrived at Saratoga Race Course Thursday evening to prepare for his upcoming start in next weekend's GI Belmont Stakes. Trained by John Shirreffs, the half-brother to both Dornoch (Good Magic) and Mage (Good Magic) arrived at 8:45 p.m. from California along with the Doug O'Neill-trained Raging Torrent (Maximus Mischief), who will likely enter the GI Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan Handicap. "He looks pretty bright coming off the van," said Shirreffs on Thursday evening. Of the colt's Derby effort, Shirreffs added: "I thought he ran...

Five of Chad Brown's Grade I-winning brigade hit the work tab at Saratoga over the weekend, led by MGISW Raging Sea (Curlin) and MGISW Spirit of St Louis (Medaglia d'Oro). Heading out Friday in her first work since pulling the upset in the GI La Troienne on Kentucky Derby weekend, Raging Sea was clocked doing four furlongs over the Oklahoma training track in :49.25 (8/32) while in company with GSW & MGISP Occult (Into Mischief). She is being pointed to the GI Ogden Phipps June 6 during the Belmont Stakes...

Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna), who finished seventh in Friday's GI La Troienne Stakes at Churchill Downs, moved fine the next morning and will be given ample time off, according to a post on X by her trainer Kenny McPeek. "Thorpedo Anna walked well this morning," McPeek wrote. "We are going to X-ray her ankles and knees then send her to Rood and Riddle for Dr Larry Bramlage to examine her. The first turn incident may have thrown her off her game, or maybe the three week...

In a race many thought was for second-place, it was Raging Sea (Curlin--Stormy Welcome, by Storm Cat) who stepped up to play the spoiler in her 2025 bow and claim the GI La Troienne Stakes as the 2024 Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna) faded to last in the lane. Content to watch the action unfold in fifth as her stablemate Randomized (Nyquist) went loose on the lead by way of traffic behind her, Raging Sea was spared a lot of the inside drama when Dorth Vader (Girvin)...

Is Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna) the 2024 Horse of the Year? That will undoubtedly be the most-asked question in racing from now until the Eclipse Awards in late January. In a year where Thorpedo Anna's name has seemingly never been far from any racing conversation, the brilliant 3-year-old filly showed why she absolutely should be under heavy consideration for Horse of the Year honors with a sublime victory in Saturday's $2-million GI Breeders' Cup Distaff at Del Mar. The race was hers to lose and the task made considerably less...

Chad Brown was trackside Saturday to watch eight of his Breeders' Cup hopefuls breeze over the Belmont Park dirt training track, including GI Breeders' Cup Classic contender 'TDN Rising Star' Sierra Leone (Gun Runner) and the dual Grade I-winning GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile contender 'TDN Rising Star' Chancer McPatrick (McKinzie). The four-time Eclipse Award-winning conditioner is well positioned for more main-track success heading into next weekend's World Championships with Sierra Leone, Domestic Product (Practical Joke) (Dirt Mile), 'TDN Rising Star' Ways and Means (Practical Joke) (Filly & Mare Sprint), Raging...

With the Del Mar Breeders' Cup officially less than two weeks away, trainer Chad Brown is continuing to oversee his string's preparations at Belmont Park, while the accomplished MGISW Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna) puts in her final works for conditioner Ken McPeek upstate at Saratoga. Over the training surface in Elmont, Brown sent out two juveniles for half-mile works in 'TDN Rising Star' Chancer McPatrick (McKinzie) [:48.01] and Zulu Kingdom (Ire) (Ten Sovereigns {Ire}) [:48.63], who are targeting the GI FanDuel Breeders' Cup Juvenile and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf,...