Raging Sea Rallies to Beat Idiomatic in Personal Ensign

The $485,000 Personal Ensign Stakes (G1) produced the duel that everyone anticipated.

It was the finish that deviated from the script.

While the highly anticipated rubber match between the 2023 champion older dirt female Idiomatic  and Randomized  produced an electrifying early pace battle, in the final eighth of a mile those quick fractions caught up with a weary Idiomatic and Alpha Delta Stables' Raging Sea  rolled past her to notch a head victory in the 1 1/8-mile test for older fillies and mares Aug. 23 at Saratoga Race Course.

"It was Raging Sea's day today," said Chad Brown, who also trains Randomized. "She ran down a real champion. It's nice in a race like this to have horses that complement each other. A real strong, quality speed horse like Randomized and a consistent closer (like Raging Sea)."

Raging Sea, a 4-year-old Curlin   homebred, has now won five of her last six starts, with the lone blemish a fourth in the June 8 Ogden Phipps Stakes (G1) at the Spa when Randomized edged Idiomatic by a head in a rematch of their 2023 Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) meeting that went to Idiomatic by a half-length over Randomized.

"I had several horses that week on the turf and dirt. They weren't handling the track, which benefitted a horse like Randomized and worked against a horse like Raging Sea," Brown said about the June 6-9 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga. "This track has been playing very fair all meet."

Raging Sea ($14.40) and jockey Flavien Prat were fourth in the early stages of the Personal Ensign as Idiomatic and Randomized dueled through quick fractions of :23.28 and :46.66 and made up four lengths in the final eighth of the mile to prevail as the 6-1 third choice.

"I'm so happy for Mr. Jon Clay, who bred this horse and sent her to us," said Brown, who recorded his first Personal Ensign victory. "She's constantly improved. Her pedigree said she would."

Final time was 1:49.14.

"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 just a matter of if I could get there on time," Prat said.

It was the first grade 1 win for the daughter of the Storm Cat mare Stormy Welcome, who was coming off a victory in the Shuvee Stakes (G2) earlier at the meet. She has now won six of 11 starts with earnings of $1,060,978.

For Juddmonte's Idiomatic, it was a second straight frustrating loss at the Spa, resurrecting memories of the narrow loss in the Phipps.

Under Florent Geroux, the 4-5 favorite put Randomized away midway on the turn of the mile-and-an-eighth stakes and owned a lengthy lead in the stretch but the Curlin mare could not fend off Raging Sea's final kick.

"I think she was the best horse again," trainer Brad Cox said. "That's two starts here she did all the running. She ran a winning race. Last time it was the trip, this time it was more of a pace thing. But she ran well. I was proud of her. When I saw the (:46.66), I figured she would get tired.

With the runner-up finish, Idiomatic owns a sterling record of 11 wins, 3 seconds, and two thirds in 16 starts for earnings of $3,576,840.

"I thought she was handling (the pace) fine but looking at it now, it looked like maybe we went a little bit too fast," Geroux said. "I thought we had Randomized measured but the other filly, Raging Sea, was able to run me down."

According to their connections, Raging Sea and Idiomatic are likely to meet again Oct. 6 in the Spinster Stakes (G1) at Keeneland.

C Two Racing Stable and Agave Racing Stable's Soul of an Angel , an Atreides  mare, was 10 1/4 lengths back in third.

Brown said Klaravich Stables' Randomized, the 2-1 second choice who stumbled at the start and ultimately finished fourth, had missed some training about a month ago and may have needed the race

"I want to give her the benefit of the doubt with some missed training this time," Brown said.

Raging Sea's win marked the third consecutive Personal Ensign victory for a daughter of Curlin. Malathaat  won the 2022 edition to start the streak, proceeded by Idiomatic's win in last year's running. Both followed up with wins in the Spinster and Breeders' Cup Distaff to earn divisional honors. The sire of eight graded stakes winners this year, Curlin stood the 2024 breeding season for $250,000 at Hill 'n' Dale Farms in Kentucky.

The ninth of 11 foals from Stormy Welcome, Raging Sea is her dam's first stakes winner. Stormy Welcome also has a yearling filly by City of Light  .

Attendance on the eve of Travers Day was 26,869 and the all-sources handle for the 12-race card checked in at $24,514,016.

First race post for the 14-race Travers Stakes (G1) card is 11:20 a.m.

Video: Personal Ensign S. (G1)