SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Having upset the reigning female dirt champion Idiomatic in last year’s Grade 1 Personal Ensign at Saratoga, it would not have been a surprise had Raging Sea been retired and bred in 2025. While Jon Clay is a commercial breeder, one thing trainer Chad Brown has learned about him is that he enjoys racing his horses. “Once he keeps them, if he gets one less yearling out of them, that’s okay, he’d rather run them,” Brown said. “He’s a sportsman, he enjoys watching his horses run.” Over the last 21 months, Clay, who races and breeds under the Alpha Delta Stables moniker, has certainly gotten plenty of enjoyment watching Raging Sea run. Since October 2023, Raging Sea has raced 10 times, winning seven and finishing second to Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff. With a return trip to the Breeders’ Cup Distaff a likely goal, Raging Sea kicks off the second half of her 5-year-old campaign as a heavy favorite in Friday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Shuvee Stakes at Saratoga. It was her victory in the 1 1/8-mile Shuvee last year that launched a campaign that included victories in the Personal Ensign and Grade 2 Beldame at Aqueduct before her second in the BC Distaff. :: Bet Smarter at Saratoga. Unlock DRF data and expert analysis all meet long. Save with a Saratoga Handicapping Package from DRF.  Thus far, Raging Sea’s 5-year-old campaign pretty much mirrors that of last year. She came off the layoff with a victory in the Grade 1 La Troienne at Churchill – in 2024 it was the Grade 3 Doubledogdare at Keeneland – before finishing third in the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps; last year it was a fourth. This year’s Phipps was run over a sloppy track that Raging Sea didn’t care for, but upon further review Brown thinks there might have been more to it. “I know I was focused on the track, but running that big off the layoff we might have seen a regression,” Brown said. “We saw it with Carl Spackler last year. He ran that big race at Churchill and was flat in the Kelso. I blamed the turf. But once he went on and had his great season I thought he reacted to that big effort.” Raging Sea should get a fast track and a legitimate pace to close into in the Shuvee. Dazzling Move set the pace in the Phipps before being run down by Dorth Vader – entered in Saturday’s Molly Pitcher at Monmouth Park – and settling for second. Dazzling Move could be part of the pace again Friday, along with Malibu Beauty if that one ships up from Delaware Park for Gary Capuano. Dazzling Move is “better with a target but she puts herself in a [forward] spot, you don’t want to take it away from her,” trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said. Malibu Beauty won the Obeah Stakes at Delaware Park on the front end. She is a main-track-only entrant in a Thursday allowance at Delaware. Brown also has Prides Crossing in the Shuvee. Brown believes she could be dangerous if left to her devices. “My horse is going to be forward,” said Brown, who has named Cristian Torres to ride. “This filly is fast. She hasn’t been able to run the way she wants to yet.” :: Get exclusive Saratoga Clocker Reports from Mike Welsch and the Clocker Team. Available every race day.  Leslie’s Rose hates a wet track, something she proved again when eased in the Phipps. Trainer Todd Pletcher cross-entered her in Saturday’s Molly Pitcher as a back-up in case the Saratoga main track comes up wet Friday, but does plan to run in Saratoga if it’s dry. Gun Song is seeking her first win since the Cathryn Sophia Stakes at Parx last August. She has finished second in three of five starts since then, including coming within a neck of Thorpedo Anna in the Grade 1 Cotillion. Sidamara, who is getting blinkers for the first time, most recently finished fifth in the Obeah Stakes at Delaware. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.