'Raging' Update for Mill Ridge Sales Offering

Alpha Delta Stables has bred a slew of graded stakes horses including Vekoma   and Elite Power  , but it was Raging Sea  who became the first horse to win a grade 1 in their silks. On Aug. 23 Raging Sea beat the defending race winner and 2023 champion older dirt female Idiomatic  in the Personal Ensign Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course, making a Curlin   daughter exacta. 

On Sept. 15, Mill Ridge Sales will send Hip 1827 through the ring at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale. The dark bay or brown filly is a half sister to Raging Sea, by Lane's End's City of Light  .

Third-crop sire City of Light, by Quality Road, hails from the female family of grade 1-winning millionaires Cacoethes, Subordination, and Careless Jewel. He won multiple grade 1 races including the 2019 Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1) before retiring to Lane's End. He stood his first year in 2019 for an advertised fee of $35,000. This current crop of yearlings was bred on a $60,000 fee.

City of Light's most notable progeny include 2023 champion 2-year-old male Fierceness , winner of the Jim Dandy Stakes (G2) and the Travers Stakes (G1), and Chop Chop , winner of the Bewitch Stakes (G3T).

Multiple stakes-producing Stormy Welcome , dam of Hip 1827, is the dam of five winners including multiple stakes-placed Welcoming  (Tapit  ), whose first foal is stakes-placed Reconcile  (War Front  ). Stormy Welcome hails from the family of 1992 Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) winner and elite sire A.P. Indy. 

Several of Stormy Welcome's progeny did not suit the yearling market. Raging Sea was offered at the 2021 September Sale but was an RNA at $300,000. 

"Raging Sea went through a big growth spurt right at the sale, and wasn't quite there for the market," Mill Ridge's Price Bell Jr. said.

The Quality Road colt the mare produced in 2019, Vinco, was held for the 2-year-old market.

"We sent him straight to Eddie Woods," Bell said, "And he ended up topping the Maryland sale for $1.5 million."

The City of Light filly, however, has flourished through the yearling prep season.

"This filly (hip 1827) is really a lot different than those; to me she is a lot quicker looking and typier. She has a lovely shape, and a lovely hind end, looks just really quick, with a powerful gaskin. She's been doing great, she's a lot of class," said Bell.

"Chad (Brown) has always been very confident in Raging Sea, felt like she was always a really good horse. She broke her maiden at Saratoga as a 2-year-old; and then she ran third in the Darley Alcibiades but came down because of some interference, and then she ran third in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies."

Bell said Jon Clay of Alpha Delta is going to retain Raging Sea for his broodmare band. Hip 1827 is a special offering from a great female family. 

"I think they (Keeneland) have made some great improvements. It feels good, which a lot of this is feeling right? We're in the business of selling dreams, so you want to set the table," said Bell.