DEL MAR — Raging Torrent beat The Chosen Vron at his own game Saturday to win the Grade II Pat O’Brien Stakes by a neck.After leading the $250,000, seven-furlong sprint for most of the way, Raging Torrent gave up the lead briefly at the top of the lane before rallying again under jockey Antonio Fresu to come out on top in a side-by-side duel over the length of the stretch.
The Chosen Vron entered the Pat O’Brien as the 1-2 favorite and riding a six-race winning streak. The 6-year-old gelded son of Vronsky had won 15 of his last 16 races under jockey Hector Berrios — typically taking charge on the far turn and dominating the opposition in the stretch.
This time, however, Raging Torrent, a 3-year-old son of Maximum Mischief, refused to fold under the pressure applied by The Chosen Vron.
Afterwards, Raging Torrent trainer Doug O’Neill said the seven pounds less carried by his horse could have factored into the victory. The Chosen Vron was carrying 125 pounds to 118 for Raging Torrent — who returned to the West Coast after scoring two straight victories under Fresu over the past 3½ months at Churchill Downs.
Raging Torrent ($10.80) was the third-choice in the field of eight older sprinters. Long shot Big City Lights (Kazushi Kimura) finished third, 3½ lengths behind The Chosen Vron. Second-choice Senor Buscador (Joseph Talamo) rallied to finish fourth after trailing far behind in last for the first half-mile.
“Well, I tried to ride Raging Torrent as I did back at Churchill Downs,” said Fresu, who scored three wins Saturday. “Obviously, he had more work to do today as The Chosen Vron was there.
“But Raging Torrent is a fighter. I didn’t give him one touch. Once the horse showed me he was fighting, I didn’t want to punish him. He was keeping his head in front (while on the inside).
“It’s not easy to beat The Chosen Vron, which is the best horse in California. But we did it. We always knew this horse was a good one.”
“He tried, no doubt,” Berrios said of The Chosen Vron. “But maybe he came back a little too quick (after winning the Grade I Bing Crosby on July 27 at Del Mar). This might have been too soon. He had to give the winner weight, too. That all adds up.””I didn’t know if we’d get that easy of a lead,” said O’Neill. “Turning for home, I was thinking maybe we got second. I never thought he’d put away The Chosen Vron. That was pretty incredible.”
Prat, Azteca team
Six-time Del Mar riding champion Flavien Prat will fly in from Saratoga Springs, N.Y., Sunday to ride 2-5 morning-line favorite Sweet Azteca in the Grade III Rancho Bernardo Handicap — a 6½-furlong sprint on the main track for older fillies and mares.
Sweet Azteca, a 4-year-old daughter of Sharp Azteca, will be going for a third straight graded stakes win and a fifth win in six career starts in a field of seven that includes the only filly to defeat her.
In her most recent start, Sweet Azteca won the Grade II Great Lady M stakes at Los Alamitos on July 6, setting the track record for 6½ furlongs in the process. In the start before that Sweet Azteca, with Prat up, won the Grade I Beholder Stakes at Santa Anita on March 9 — finishing three-quarters of a length ahead of Pacific Classic nominee Adare Manor.
In her only defeat, Sweet Azteca ran third in the Grade III Las Flores stakes at Santa Anita on Jan 1.
Trainer Mike McCarthy has Sweet Azteca running at Del Mar in the Rancho Bernardo with an eye ahead to the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint at Del Mar on Nov. 2.
“We’re looking to get her a race over the track for the Breeders’ Cup,” said McCarthy. “She gave us glimpses last year that she had some ability. You never know.”
Notable
Fresu’s other wins Saturday came with Tarantino ($13 in the third) and Love Our Family ($7.60) in the fifth — giving the jockey 21 wins on the season and third in the standings.
• O’Neill had back-to-wins in the eighth (Just Nails, $9.20) and the feature.
• Emerald Bay, a 2-year-old son of Nyquist who was a $700,000 purchase as a yearling, scored his first win for trainer Bob Baffert and jockey Juan Hernandez in the day’s opening race as a 2-5 favorite. Emerald Bay ran second in his July 28 debut at Del Mar as an equally heavy favorite.
