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Raging Torrent won the $200,000 Malibu Stakes by 1 1/4 lengths Thursday at Santa Anita, with Kentucky Derby winner Mystic Dan finishing last in this year’s Grade 1 U.S. final.
Ridden by Frankie Dettori, Raging Torrent ran seven furlongs in 1:21.54 and paid $7.20 to win as the 5-2 favorite in a field of six in front of 41,562 on the opening day of the Santa Anita 90th Anniversary Winter Meet.
“We really thought we were the better horse,” said winning trainer Doug O’Neill. “Just watching him day in and day out, his training was out of this world.”
Mystic Dan, winner by nose 150th Kentucky Derby In the closest three-horse finish since 1947, he was the last. The 3-year-old colt raced for the first time since finishing eighth in the race Belmont Stakes In June.
Stronghold Seventh in the Kentucky Derby finished second. Three of Bob Baffert’s trainees came in third, fourth, and fifth place: Imagination, Commander Pilot, and Winterfell.
There has been a stewards investigation regarding the range between Imagination and Pilot Commander. The stewards ruled that Imagination had come out and contacted the pilot, but this did not affect the order of the finish and no changes were made.
Dettori celebrated his mark as he flew in a crowded winning circle.
“Of course I was afraid of Mystic Dan, but I thought the day to defeat him was today,” Dettori said. “At seven-eighths, my horse was very sharp and he proved it.”
Mystik Dan was running fast for the first time in over a year. He was the first current Kentucky Derby winner to race at Santa Anita since California Chrome in 2015. After his narrow Derby win, Mystic Dan finished second in the race. Preakness.
“He broke well, but it seemed like we were always chasing,” jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. said. “I think it took him short. After running a mile and a quarter, it’s hard to get back to seven-eighths. The horse is fine.”
Other races
– Copion scored the biggest upset of the day with a 2 3/4-length victory in the $300,000 La Brea Stakes. The 3-year-old filly ran seven furlongs in a time of 1:22.08 under jockey Kazushi Kimura and paid $77.40 to win the Grade 1 stakes.
She Feels Pretty won the $300,000 American Oaks for 3-year-old fillies by 2 1/2 lengths. She Feels Pretty, trained by Cherie DeVaux and ridden by John Velazquez, ran 1 1/4 miles in 1:58.69 and paid $3.20 to win as the 3-5 favorite.
– Johannes, the 1-5 favorite, rallied down the stretch to win the $200,000 San Gabriel Stakes by three-quarters of a length. The 4-year-old colt, ridden by Umberto Rispoli, ran 1 1/8 miles on turf in a time of 1:46.50 and paid $2.60 to win for trainer Tim Pumpkin.
– 16-1 shot JB Strikes Back won the Laffit Pincay Jr. The newly renamed $200,000 Stakes by 1 1/4 lengths. Ridden by Antonio Freso, the 3-year-old ran 1 1/16 miles in a time of 1:43.80 and paid $34.80 for the win. JB Strikes Back is trained by Doug O’Neill and is owned by Purple Rein Racing, the stable of Janie Boss. Her late father, Jerry Buss, owned the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers, which is now controlled by her sister Jeanie Buss. O’Neill’s other horse, 3-2 favorite Katona, finished sixth.
