Unplaced in the Group III ATC Breeders’ Plate last spring on debut, Raging Force came out of that race with an injury that required significant time on the sidelines, but since returning to full work his progress has been swift.
Trained by Peter Snowden, Raging Force returned with a maiden win at Muswellbrook on June 1 and followed up with an explosive four length win at a midweek Randwick meeting before upping the ante to Saturday grade.
The talented son of Cosmic Force took the rise in class in his stride, settling behind the leader for Tommy Berry and letting down with an impressive change of gear.
He forged clear to win the 1100m contest win by two lengths over stakes-placed filly Horseshoe Hill with a big gap of nearly five lengths back to the next horse.
A $150,000 Inglis Classic purchase from Mullaglass Stud for Darby Racing, Raging Force has the overall record of three wins from four starts with prizemoney just shy of $170,000 and spring targets are on the horizon.
“He was very impressive again and more importantly, he would have learned a lot from that,” said assistant trainer Aaron Lau.
“He took a bit of cover and he won't be able to just walk out and lead every single race, but he switched off nicely and it was a patient ride by Tommy and good to get the job done.
“He's got a great attitude. He's got a lovely big action on him. He's probably better on top of the ground as well, but he's very progressive and exciting going forward.
“We just wanted to see him come here today and do it. It's all well and good winning at the midweeks, but coming on a Saturday and putting on a performance like that, you can really of map ahead going forward.”
The path to the $1million Group I ATC Golden Rose has many stepping stones along the way and Tommy Berry sees Raging Force as a possible contender.
“I think every winter you sort of find one or two nice colts or fillies that have just taken a little time to mature, and he is one of them and you look at him now and nothing fazes him,” said Tommy Berry.
“He's got a great attitude. When he jumped so well, I really wanted to take the lead with him today and just take bad luck out of the equation, but when they went too quick for him, he came back to me relaxed and handled the situation perfectly.
“He's up and running now, heading towards the Rosebud, Run to the Rose, Golden Rose, where you meet horses that have already proven themselves at the top level, but are still just getting fit.
“He's the fit horse on the scene, and he might be able to catch them napping, hopefully.
“He's learning his craft every time, and I still think he's a prep away from being at his best, but that's exciting to see.”
Bred by Dr Richard McClenahan of Mullaglass Stud, Raging Force is the first winner from stakes-placed Stryker mare Miss Loren, who traces back to the family of Group III winning filly Dandolera.
Mullaglass Stud sold a yearling colt by Captivant from Miss Loren at Inglis Classic this year for $30,000 and she has a colt to follow by Zousain and is back in foal to him again.
Raging Force looks a bright prospect for young Newgate sire Cosmic Force, who has had a great season with four stakes-winners to his credit– Give Me Space, Stay Focused, Cosmic Fire and Wonder Boy – and he stands at a fee of $16,500.
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