At odds of 8-1, Raging Torrent won a first-level allowance race May 4 at Churchill Downs by eighth lengths. He won’t be catching anyone by surprise Sunday in the $175,000 Maxfield Stakes. Not with one of the fastest 3-year-old races of the year, at least according to Beyer Speed Figures, glittering on his form. Raging Torrent ran seven furlongs in 1:21.13, good for a 104 Beyer, and appeared to do so with ease while leaving some good horses bobbing in his wake. Runner-up Discreet Mischief was coming off a 92 Beyer, while third-place Jefferson Street returned with a Saratoga allowance romp that produced a 102 Beyer. Fourth-place Yellow Card won a turf-sprint allowance next time out. Doug O’Neill, who trains Raging Torrent for owner Mark Davis, said a couple of days after Raging Torrent’s win that the Maximus Mischief colt would be considered for the Grade 1 Woody Stephens at Saratoga. Instead, Raging Torrent returned to California, where he’s worked steadily for his return to Kentucky. “He ran so darn good on that track we circled this race on the calendar,” O’Neill said. “He continues to train lights out. I tried to train him the same as I did into his last race.” :: Subscribe to the DRF Post Time Email Newsletter: Get the news you need to play today's races!  Raging Torrent, who’s had an on-again, off-again relationship with blinkers, was stakes-placed at age 2 and had hidden form coming into his last race. His first two outings of 2024 came on turf, and he raced around two turns in his last two starts of 2023. Still, the May 4 performance landed so far beyond what the colt had shown, it’s fair to wonder if he can repeat it. “We’re really optimistic he’s going to run that again. We need to see it, and I think we’re going to see it,” O’Neill said. Raging Torrent drew post 6 in a seven-runner field of 3-year-olds, a perfect spot in the seven-furlong Maxfield for jockey Antonio Fresu to dole out his mount’s speed. World Record fared worse at the draw and must break from the rail while facing other winners for the first time. Narrowly beaten debuting at Keeneland in April, World Record burst to the lead from post 1 in his second start, a seven-furlong Churchill maiden on May 27, and never came close to being headed, winning by 6 1/4 lengths without being asked. A Gun Runner colt trained by Rodolphe Brisset, World Record has maintained a steady work pattern and can improve, but the options from this draw – try and make the lead over some fast horses or take back and come around – lack appeal. Trainer Steve Asmussen runs two horses, and while the morning line pegs Carbone at 5-2, it’s Otto the Conqueror, listed at 4-1, who could be the shorter price with the stronger chance. Otto the Conqueror easily beat high-level colts Honor Marie and Just Steel in a seven-furlong Churchill allowance last fall, then ran in three two-turn races beyond his scope. “I think it was obvious all the time he was a one-turn horse. We were guilty of chasing the money,” Asmussen said. :: Bet the races with a $200 First Deposit Match + FREE All Access PPs! Join DRF Bets. Otto the Conqueror speed-dueled himself into submission running 10th in the Pat Day Mile. He rebounded June 5 to win a no-conditions 3-year-old sprint allowance with a career-best 93 Beyer. Otto the Conqueror raced on Lasix that day, but the medication isn’t permitted in the Maxfield. Carbone beat Otto the Conqueror five lengths in the Pat Day Mile, staying on from the back of the field while his stablemate did the dirty work. If Raging Torrent comes close to his May 4 showing on Sunday, no one’s beating him. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.