Raging Torrent too quick for Fierceness in Met Mile

Although billed as a showdown between Fierceness and White Abarrio, the $970,000 Metropolitan H. (G1) at Saratoga on Saturday fell instead to Raging Torrent, perhaps the one true mile specialist in the field.

Breaking fast under Frankie Dettori, Raging Torrent shot out to the lead from post 5, leaving the Wilson Chute. He was followed in second by odds-on choice Fierceness, who began to exert more pressure in the second quarter and eventually got to within a head of the lead turning for home.

However, Raging Torrent found more in the stretch over the sloppy going and kicked on to prevail by 2 1/2 lengths.

"I knew I'd get to the bend first, then it was to manage his speed as much as I could," Dettori said.

Owned by Yuesheng Zhang and Craig Dado, the Doug O'Neill-trained Raging Torrent covered one mile in 1:35.89 and paid $18.

Fierceness was second-best by 2 1/4 lengths over Just a Touch, with White Abarrio an ineffective fourth in his third unsuccessful bid at Met Mile glory. Outsider Castle Chaos trailed throughout.

The Metropolitan was the fifth stakes win in the last six starts for Raging Torrent, a four-year-old son of Maximum Mischief. After taking the Maxfield S. at Churchill Downs last June, Raging Torrent beat older rivals in the Pat O'Brien (G2) at Del Mar, but wasn't quick enough to contend in the six-furlong Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1), where he finished seventh.

Raging Torrent rebounded to win the Malibu (G1) in late December and kicked off his 2025 campaign with a 3 1/2-length romp in the Godolphin Mile (G2) at Meydan in early April.

"He's been in great form," O'Neill said. "We intentionally gave him that time off after the Malibu and were shooting for the Godolphin Mile after that. Usually, when you make a plan, God laughs, especially in this business, but Raging Torrent is just one of those unique horses who you can make a plan [for], and he comes through and does it. Incredible.

"If he comes out of it good, the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) will be a logical goal and maybe a race between now and then. The plan is to take him to California on Tuesday and play it by ear."

Fierceness, and most likely White Abarrio, will stretch back out for the remainder of the season, with the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) at Del Mar the year-end target for both. Fierceness finished second in the Classic at Del Mar last year, while White Abarrio won the 2023 edition at Santa Anita.

"Johnny [Velazquez] said he broke so sharply he kind of hit the gate and came back with some blood on his mouth," trainer Todd Pletcher said of Fierceness' trip in the Met Mile. "Then the first sixteenth of a mile was pretty rough. They were bouncing around trying to get position. After that, he got into the exact position that we wanted; he just couldn't get by the horse on the lead.

"I'm sure we'll point for the Whitney (G1)."