Raging Sea Captures G1 La Troienne as Thorpedo Anna Fades to Last

Bumped into on the first turn, the heavy favorite never looked like herself against a filly she had previously handled with ease

Raging Sea turned the tables in a big way on Thorpedo Anna / CHURCHILL DOWNS

LOUISVILLE, Kentucky (Special for Turf Diario).- Raging Sea (Curlin) turned the tables in a big way on Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna), surging up the rail with a powerful late rally to capture a thrilling renewal of the $1-million GI Fasig-Tipton La Troienne S. Friday at Churchill Downs.

Bred by Alpha Delta Stables and trained by Chad Brown, the chestnut mare was guided to victory by Flavien Prat, overcoming both a tactically run race and slow early fractions to score by three-quarters of a length over Taxed(Collected), stopping the clock in 1:42.91 for the 1 1/16 miles over a fast track.

Making her first start since finishing second to Thorpedo Anna in last year’s GI Breeders’ Cup Distaff, Raging Seareaffirmed her status as one of the top older dirt mares in training. Now the winner of 8 of 14 lifetime starts, she secured her second Grade I title and has demonstrated remarkable consistency dating back to her 2-year-old campaign.

Randomized (Nyquist) was quickest from the gate and dictated terms through dawdling fractions, while Thorpedo Annawas jostled early between that rival and Dorth Vader (Girvin) into the first turn. Though she moved up into second down the backstretch, the favorite failed to fire when the real running began. In contrast, Raging Sea, unhurried early, waited for room before darting through an opening along the inside to drive past her rivals late.

“I really wanted a bit of redemption after the Breeders’ Cup Distaff, and I was thrilled to see her deliver,” said Brown. “She’s had a tremendous campaign in her own right—she’s not a one-race wonder. She’s been reliable since she was a 2-year-old and has grown into a very dependable filly that everyone has to respect. The pace wasn’t what we expected, but Flavien kept her in a great spot and she responded brilliantly in the lane.”

Brian Hernandez Jr., aboard Thorpedo Anna, said post-race: “She got bumped a couple of times into the first turn, but things settled down after that. We got outside of Randomized and had the trip we wanted. I asked her around the second turn and she gave me a bit, but in the stretch she just didn’t have the same kick. Maybe that race at Oaklawn and the short turnaround caught up to her.”

When asked if the early trouble was the key factor in the loss, Hernandez added: “I don’t think so. The filly to my inside, Dorth Vader, took the worst of it with multiple bumps. We got a couple too, but then settled outside the leader. It was the kind of trip we envisioned, but it just wasn’t her day.”