Alpha Delta Stables’ Kentucky homebred Raging Sea surged late to collar Idiomatic close to home to win the $500,000 Personal Ensign Stakes (G1) at Saratoga on Friday, Aug. 23, becoming a millionaire earner in the process. The victory by Raging Sea denied Idiomatic a repeat in the nine-furlong Grade 1 event for older fillies and mares.
Trained by Chad Brown, Raging Sea is a 4-year-old daughter of Curlin. The Personal Ensign marked the initial Grade 1 win of her career. Raging Sea broke out at the start and settled along the inside in fourth position early. She tipped into the three path down the backstretch and remained on hold until she was angled out four to five wide in upper stretch. She dug in late and caught Idiomatic under a drive to prevail by a head at the finish under Flavien Prat.
“Raging Sea—it was her day today, and she ran down a real champion,” said Brown. “I’m just so proud of her, so happy for Mr. John Clay, who bred this horse and actually RNA’d 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.”
Raging Sea Resolute in the Stretch
Prat said of Raging Sea’s winning trip, “She jumped well. It felt like everyone was committed to go. I didn’t want to be too far back where she lost interest in the race. 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. It felt like [Idiomatic] was still going well from where I was. It was jus a matter of if I could get there on time.”
Brown indicated after the race that the Spinster Stakes (G1) at Keeneland in October is the next likely target for Raging Sea. Out of the Storm Cat mare Stormy Welcome, Raging Sea is a half-sister to the multiple stakes-placed Welcoming. Raging Sea earned millionaire status with her Personal Ensign win, improving her overall record to 11-6-1-1. Her earnings now stand at $1,060,978.