Raging Torrent, a two-time grade 1 winner, has been retired after developing a suspensory injury to his left foreleg.
The son of Maximus Mischief 's ailment came about in the weeks following the colt's 2 1/2-length win over Fierceness in the Metropolitan Handicap (G1) June 7 at Saratoga Race Course.
Bred by Rodney Winkler and Alfonso Mazzetti, Raging Torrent is owned by Craig Dado and Yuesheng Zhang.
The decision to retire the colt was made known July 19. It has not been decided yet where Raging Torrent will begin his stud career.
Trainer Doug O'Neill said that Raging Torrent could have returned to racing next year if given time to recover. But he said when factoring in the time off, the colt's age, and breeding considerations, "it doesn't make a lot of sense" to continue racing.
"He's one of those type of horses that you're not going to get lucky enough to be around too many times in your career," O'Neill said. "He's got brilliant speed, always showed tons of talent from the word go, and it just took a little while for everything to kind of come together."
And come together it did.
After breaking his maiden upon his debut in July 2023, it was another seven races until Raging Torrent won again. He then put together the first of two three-race win streaks. This first trio was highlighted by a career-best 119 Equibase Speed Figure in the 2024 Pat O'Brien Stakes (G2).
He then finished seventh in last year's Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) before launching what turned out to be the final three races of his career.
The 4-year-old had been in perhaps the finest form of his career, winning three straight dating back to the end of last year. He won the 2024 Malibu Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita Park and then began his 2025 campaign by capturing the Godolphin Mile (G2) at Meydan Racecourse. That was capped with the Met Mile last month.
O'Neill said the plan was for a return to the World Championship stage later this year at Del Mar.
"I was so excited to see him stretch out to the two-turn Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile," he said. "That was kind of our plan. So I was really looking forward to that and very optimistic about that."
Over 14 career races, Raging Torrent, whose sire is by Into Mischief , posted a record of 7-1-2 with $1,797,400 in earnings.
Looking past the on-track success, O'Neill said he was proud to work alongside the colt every day.
"He's always a really good-feeling, high-energy colt," he said.
Raging Torrent twice entered a sales ring. First, at the 2022 Keeneland September Yearling Sale where he was an RNA. The following year, he sold for $75,000 to Mark Davis out of the Randy Bradshaw consignment at the Ocala Breeders' Sale Company's Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training.
