SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – After having finished third in the previous two renewals of the $500,000 Fourstardave Handicap, the third time proved to be the charm for Casa Creed, who rallied from last to an impressive 1 1/2-length decision over 1-2 favorite Regal Glory in the prestigious Grade 1 turf fixture Saturday at Saratoga. Although better known, perhaps, as a turf sprinter than a miler, especially after successfully defending his title in the Grade 1 Jaipur going six furlongs at Belmont Park in his previous start, Casa Creed proved the added distance and extra turn was certainly well within his wheelhouse with his performance Saturday. With regular rider Luis Saez aboard, Casa Creed wasted little time settling at the rear of the compact five-horse field while racing about a half-dozen lengths off the pace of Get Smokin in the run down the backstretch. Saez allowed Casa Creed to save some ground around the second bend before angling him widest to commence his bid turning into the stretch.  Casa Creed was still at the back of the field a furlong from the wire before showing a tremendous turn of foot when put to vigorous urging at that point by Saez, readily running past the leaders to win going away. :: DRF's Saratoga headquarters – Stakes schedule, previews, recaps, past performances, and more Regal Glory, the only filly in the lineup, raced within easy striking distance from the outset, also came wide with her bid off the final turn, continued willingly from between horses, but proved no match for the winner. Her stablemate Massen, who prompted the running from the outset, finished another half-length further back in third followed by the tiring Get Smokin and outsider Front Run the Fed with only three lengths separating the first and last-place finishers. The victory was the seventh in 27 career starts for Casa Creed, a 6-year-old son of Jimmy Creed who is owned in partnership by Lee Einsidler’s LRE Racing and Mike Francesa’s JEH Racing Stable. Trained by Bill Mott, Casa Creed swelled his lifetime bankroll to more than $1.7 million with the $275,000 first-place check he earned after completing the distance over a firm course in 1:34.20 and getting a 103 Beyer Speed Figure. He paid $10.40. “He’s in good form right now, he’s travelled to the Far East and back and won two Grade 1s since he’s come back,” Mott said. “We’ll scrap that theory they can’t travel over there and come back and do any good.” Mott said although Casa Creed’s most notable performances to this point in his career had come at shorter distances, he always felt the veteran was capable of getting a mile under the proper circumstances. “It’s just a matter of getting his run timed properly, to get the right trip, and he did it today,” Mott said. “He’s run good races at a mile before and got good speed figures. And today he got his picture taken. Six to seven [furlongs] is probably his best distance, he’s somewhere in between a sprinter and a miler, but he was drawing away today.” :: Visit the Saratoga Handicapping Store for Past Performances, Clocker Reports, Picks, Betting Strategies and more. Mott said he was a bit surprised to see Casa Creed racing at the rear of the field for much of the Fourstardave. “We kind of thought he might be a little more forwardly placed, but he looked like he wound up where he needed to be, he kind of found his own spot,” Mott noted. “That’s the rhythm the horse wanted to be in, Luis waited patiently until he got around the turn and then tipped him out so he didn’t lose all the ground.”   Mott said a decision is pending regarding the Breeders’ Cup and whether Casa Creed would be pointed to the Turf Sprint, to be run at 5 1/2 furlongs at Keeneland, or the Mile. Casa Creed has Win and You’re In berths in both races, courtesy of his victories in the Jaipur and Fourstardave. Trainer Chad Brown said he had no excuses for Regal Glory, who was seeking to become only the second filly or mare to win the Fourstardave along with Got Stormy, who accomplished the feat in both 2019 and 2021. “She just looked like she was second-best today,” Brown said. “It was a bit of a wide trip, but that’s what it is, that’s the way she likes to run in the clear. Today, she just didn’t have what it took to win. She ran really well in defeat. She did run second.”