A win by Raging Torrent in Saturday’s Group 2 Godolphin Mile in Dubai and a surprise second by Mixto in the $12 million Dubai World Cup later that evening gave California trainer Doug O’Neill the most lucrative payday of his 30-year training career.
Raging Torrent, a 7-2 chance in American pools, won the $1 million Godolphin Mile by 3 1/2 lengths, which was worth $580,000 for owners Zhang Yueshang and Great Friends Stable.
“He ran lights out,” O’Neill said.
Mixto, a 29-1 outsider, led in the stretch of the Dubai World Cup at 1 1/4 miles, but was caught in the final strides by the Kentucky shipper Hit Show. Still, Mixto earned $2.4 million for Calumet Farm.
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Raging Torrent was the 21st winner of 2025 for O’Neill, a season he described as an overall disappointment on Monday.
“We’ve had kind of a slow Santa Anita meeting,” he said. “I’ve been focused on this trip [to Dubai] and the babies we’ve got coming in. To have a successful Dubai weekend is a huge boost.”
Particularly to the stable’s bottom line.
“They’ll be a lot of vendors lining up at my office for checks,” O’Neill quipped.
The results in Dubai have set forth plans for more big-race goals with Mixto and Raging Torrent.
Mixto scored an upset win at 22-1 in the Grade 1 Pacific Classic at Del Mar last August, and the same $1 million race on Aug. 30 is a goal. The winner of the Pacific Classic receives a fees-paid berth to the Breeders’ Cup Classic on Nov. 1 at Del Mar.
Last year, Mixto was 11th of 14 at 69-1 in the BC Classic, and O’Neill has that race as a year-end target.
“We’ll work back from there,” O’Neill said.
In early stretch of the Dubai World Cup, O’Neill thought Mixto was a winner.
“I thought we’d shock the world,” he said. “It was so similar to the trip that he got in the Pacific Classic.
“It looked like we had it. It’s a long stretch and top horses. I’m so proud of him to run second in a tough race.”
Raging Torrent is rated as a contender for the BC Dirt Mile on Nov. 1, which is run around two turns. A four-time stakes winner, including the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes at Santa Anita last December, Raging Torrent has raced at one-turn distances since December 2023 when he finished a well-beaten second in the Springboard Mile for 2-year-olds at Remington Park in Oklahoma.
“Now that he’s matured, a two-turn mile is within his realm,” O’Neill said. “We’ve seen enough to be optimistic to try it.”
Raging Torrent’s next start may be the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap at a mile June 7 at Saratoga.
There are no immediate race plans for Katonah, who finished 10th of 11 for O’Neill in the Dubai World Cup.
Katonah won the Grade 2 San Pasqual Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on Jan. 25 at Santa Anita before finishing sixth of eight behind Locked in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap at 1 1/4 miles on March 1. Hit Show was a well-beaten third in the Big Cap.
Katonah has seen the last of races at 1 1/4 miles for the time being, O’Neill said.
“It didn’t work out as good as we hoped,” O’Neill said of Saturday’s loss. “It was a little disappointing. At the end of the day for him, going a mile and an eighth or shorter is better. The mile and a quarter was too tough and going down a level or two will help.”
Raging Torrent was O’Neill’s first stakes winner since Vlahos won the Clocker’s Corner Stakes for turf sprinters on Jan. 25 at Santa Anita. The stable’s next stakes runner is Anarchist in Saturday’s Grade 3 Count Fleet Sprint at Oaklawn Park.
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