Why torpedo boats rarely attacked far ahead of the fleet

Did any navy successfully deploy torpedo boats well ahead of an enemy battle fleet?

Not generally. Destroyers had occasional opportunities, but submarines were the more effective ambush weapon.

Destroyers occasionally found torpedo-firing opportunities in small actions. Navies did not, however, achieve the sweeping advance attack by torpedo boats that Russian planners and others sometimes feared. Fast surface craft had to find the enemy and survive long enough to approach, making a distant ambush difficult to arrange. Submarines were better suited to the role because they could wait in concealment along a likely route.