Raging Sea outlasts Batucada in Beldame Stakes

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - When trainer Chad Brown chose to eschew Sunday’s Grade 1 Spinster at Keeneland for the Grade 2 Beldame at Aqueduct with Raging Sea, it was in the belief the filly would likely regress off her hard-fought win over champion Idiomatic in the Grade 1 Personal Ensign at Saratoga seven weeks ago and might benefit from an easier race.

Well, Raging Sea did indeed regress and the Beldame proved anything but easy. However, Raging Sea was classy and gutsy enough to eke out a head victory over upset-minded Batucada in the $250,000 Beldame.

Fifth early under Flavien Prat, favorite Raging Sea rallied wide in the stretch and sauntered alongside Batucada at the three-sixteenths pole as if she was going to run on by that 22-1 shot. But Batucada , under Ricardo Santana Jr., fought with Raging Sea to the wire, the 1-9 favorite ultimately prevailing by a short head at the wire.

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“I think we saw a little bit of her hanging and waiting a little bit, which she has done in the past,” Brown said. “I also think she felt that race at Saratoga late today, so that was part of my reasoning for staying home and running in a much easier spot than the Spinster. I handicapped a bit of a bounce into this race. I’m relieved to sort of escape with a victory knowing she felt her last race.”

Prat said that Raging Sea did start waiting once she put her head in front of Batucada in upper stretch.

“She always does the minimum,” Prat said. “I took the lead by the three-sixteenths pole but then she kind of waits on horses. But I thought it was a good race and hopefully a good setup for the Breeders’ Cup.”

The victory was the third consecutive graded stakes win for Raging Sea, who in July won the Grade 2 Shuvee and on Aug. 23 ran down Idiomatic by a head in the Grade 1 Personal Ensign. Idiomatic was entered in Sunday’s Spinster and Brown felt he didn’t want to run against that filly again until the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Distaff on Nov. 2 at Del Mar. That race is also expected to include the four-time Grade 1-winning filly Thorpedo Anna.

“I’m confident with the four weeks I have and her not having run a fast figure today that she’ll be able to circle back to that Saratoga race and that race, with the right pace, is good enough to be competitive out there.”

Raging Sea, a 4-year-old daughter of Curlin owned by Alpha Delta Stables, covered the 1 1/8-miles in 1:50.41 and returned $2.20 to win.

Batucada, who was supplemented to the Beldame by trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. in hopes of getting a graded stakes-placing, did exactly that, finishing second by 4 1/2 lengths over Signal From Noise. Frosty O Toole was fourth, followed by Majestic Creed. Libban was eased by jockey Irad Ortiz Jr., but walked off under own power.

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