“He’s got speed. He’s got stamina. He’s got class,” Doug O’Neill could hardly stop gushing after the 4-year-old colt Raging Torrent pulled off a thumping win at the Metropolitan Mile Handicap in June this year. His elation was justified, given that the horse beat some of the top contenders to win the Saratoga race. Naturally, even better days were speculated to be inbound. But a bolt from the blue has put an end to all hopes.

After Raging Torrent claimed its third straight stakes victory, O’Neill acknowledged that the former was a “once-in-a-lifetime kind of horse“. Paired with celebrity Italian jockey Frankie Dettori, the grandson of Into Mischief was projected to continue its winning ways for the foreseeable future. However, as they say, the future is always shrouded in a veil, and it appears that an unfortunate turn of events will cut short the scintillating career.

An article by DRF from July 19 revealed that Raging Torrent will have to go into early retirement after being “recently diagnosed with a suspensory injury“. The news was shared by Craig Dado, one of the co-owners of the horse. The injury diagnosis came in just weeks after Raging Torrent’s latest Grade 1 triumph at the Hill ‘N’ Dale Metropolitan Handicap.

With the left foreleg of the horse injured, Dado said on Saturday afternoon that Raging Torrent’s chances of running the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile at Del Mar on Nov. 1 are now off the table for good. “With maybe a year off, he could come back. We’ll pass on that and retire him,” the horse’s owner said. Raging Torrent finished last year’s Breeders’ Cup Sprint in seventh place at the seaside oval, but was expected to fare better at Del Mar with his current form. Obviously, the retirement announcement will break quite a few hearts for horse racing fans across the country. But it was a decision that had to be made.

“He came out of the Met Mile in great shape. And then, just in the last few weeks at Santa Anita, we discovered it. It’s very subtle. He’s going to require a little time,” trainer Doug O’Neill said, while also mentioning that Raging Torrent’s stakeholders are “playing it by ear“. Well, that optimism wasn’t a display of vanity, truth be told. Instead, it was the horse’s incredible recent few months that gave O’Neill hope that the foot injury won’t be able to keep his horse away from the turf forever, despite what the current situation may look like.

Raging Torrent won the G1 Malibu Stakes last December at Santa Anita and began his 2025 campaign with a victory at the G2 Godolphin Mile, making his way into the winner’s circle at Meydan. His last win came at Saratoga when the thoroughbred defeated hot favorite Fierceness by 2 1/2 lengths to win the Metropolitan Mile, cementing his status as one of the top milers in North America.

Quite understandably, the retirement news comes as a severe blow. But for Doug O’Neill, the rough patch continues.

Raging Torrent is only the latest addition to O’Neill and Dettori’s woes

Just a couple of days ago, Origami, another horse trained under O’Neill, was injured during Race 5 at Del Mar. The $81,000 Allowance Optional Claiming had a brilliant lineup and had all the markers for a great race. However, it ended with more troubles piled on to Doug’s life, coincidentally on the same day as Dado would go on to announce Raging Torrent’s retirement.

A social media post by O’Neill later showed the Irish horse getting a shower at the stables, but the pool of blood near the horse’s foot concerned horse racing fans. Thankfully, the trainer revealed that Origami wasn’t in any immediate danger. Goes without saying that the situation with Raging Torrent makes O’Neill’s life a little more difficult. But he’s not alone in the heartbreak.

Last year, jockey Frankie Dettori was on the fast track to winning the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards after receiving a vote of confidence from many fans and sports personalities. However, he ultimately fell to Mary Earps, the PSG and English national team goalie, and fans were left fuming. We’d wager that the winning run with Raging Torrent helped the Italian to get over the loss to a great extent. With the colt now en route to a retirement life, the jockey, too, will be feeling the blues for obvious reasons.

So, what message would you like to share with Raging Torrent to hail his spectacular career as he bids goodbye to the racecourse? Tell us in a comment!