Belmont at the Big A: Raging Sea holds on to win Beldame

Photo:

NYRA / Adam Coglianese / Coglianese Photo

Alpha Delta Stables’ Kentucky homebred Raging Sea needed
every bit of her trademark heart and grit to capture her third straight graded
stakes in Sunday’s Grade 2, $250,000 Beldame Stakes at Belmont at the Big A.

Four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown, who also
saddled third-place finisher Signal From Noise, said he was proud of Raging Sea’s
toughness and ability to grind out the win in the 1 1/8-mile route for fillies
and mares.

Click here for Belmont at Aqueduct entries and results.

“Her soundness and durability, getting her into the race,
doing just fine,” Brown said. “Traveling good, (we knew) she’s going to show up.”

Dispatched as the 1-9 favorite from post 4 in the field of
six for the 86th running of the Beldame, Raging Sea had her head turned when
the gate opened, and she bobbled at the break to get away last under Flavien
Prat.

“She can be a little tense in there, so sometimes she’ll
break very well and sometimes a bit slower,” Prat said. 

Once she settled into her stride, she raced wide near the
back of the pack while a rank Majestic Creed took them through pedestrian
splits of 23.98 seconds, 48.31, 1:13.34, and 1:37.88. Raging Sea was tipped out
in the far turn and was four wide in the upper stretch to begin her strong
rally. 

Although she was in front at the eighth pole, she
encountered strong resistance to her inside from a determined and quick closing
Batucada, who engaged Raging Sea at the sixteenth pole before the two fought a
fully-extended and spirited battle to the wire. Raging Sea got the best of it,
winning by a head with a final time of 1:50.41 on the fast track. Signal From
Noise was another 4 1/2 lengths back in third. Rounding out the order of finish
were Frosty O Toole, Majestic Creed, and Libban, who was eased in the stretch
and walked off under her own power.

“It’s always better to get a target and once she gets that
target, she tends to stay with it,” Prat said. “As long as she keeps her head
in front, it’s fine. I took the lead by the three-sixteenths pole, but
then she kind of waited on horses. I thought it was a good race and hopefully a
good setup for the Breeders’ Cup.”

Brown pointed the 5-year-old daughter of Curlin and the
Storm Cat mare Stormy Welcome to the Beldame as her final prep race for the Breeders’
Cup Distaff on Nov. 2 at Del Mar, where she is expected to once again meet
reigning champion older dirt mare Idiomatic. In her last race Raging Sea upset
Idiomatic in the Personal Ensign (G1) on Aug. 23 at Saratoga. She registered a
career-best 97 Beyer Speed Figure, according to Daily Racing Form.

“I chose this race, because I thought there was a
possibility she might bounce a bit off her last effort. It was just such a
strong run up at Saratoga to run down a super horse (Idiomatic), and I thought
she’d feel that race in her next one,” Brown said. “So I thought I’d maybe pick
an easier spot for her. I think we saw a little bit of her hanging and waiting
a little bit, which she has done in the past. I also think she felt that race
at Saratoga late today. That was part of my reasoning for staying home and
running in a much easier spot than the Spinster.

“The more I thought about it, I thought she’d feel that race
from Saratoga and react a bit. I’m happy to get maybe a soft bounce out of the
way off that race and hopefully circle back to that race at Saratoga if you’re
going to go out West (to the Breeders’ Cup) and tackle the best.”

Raging Sea, owned by Jon Clay’s Alpha Delta Stables, has won
six of her last seven races, including a score in the Shuvee (G2) in July at
Saratoga. She improved her record to 12: 7-1-1.

Brown said he was pleased with the narrow score ahead of a
potentially bigger task next month at Del Mar.

“I view it as I handicapped a bit of a bounce into this
race, and I was relieved to sort of escape with a victory knowing that she felt
her last race,” Brown said. “I’m confident with the four weeks I have and her
not having to run a fast figure today that she’ll be able to again hopefully
circle back to that Saratoga race. That race with the right pace setup is good
enough to at least be competitive out there.”

The Kentucky-bred’s career earnings were boosted to
$1,198,478 with the $137,500 winner’s share of the purse. She returned $2.20
for a $2 win bet.