Grand Arch gets revenge with Fourstardave win

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Last year, it took a course-record-setting performance to deny Grand Arch a victory in the Grade 2 Fourstardave Handicap by a neck.

This year, Grand Arch was on the right side of a neck decision, holding off an oncoming and tough-luck Ironicus to win Saturday’s Grade 2, $500,000 Fourstardave at Saratoga. Ironicus, who attempted to rally from last behind a modest pace, got second by a neck over Seek Again, last year’s Fourstardave winner. King Kreesa, the runner-up in the 2013 Fourstardave, finished fourth and was followed by Mshawish, Jack Milton, Grand Tito, and Skyring. Vyjack was scratched.

Grand Arch, a 6-year-old gelding by Arch, won for the sixth time in 22 career starts, and the $300,000 first-place purse pushed his career earnings to $1,007,230. It was his second stakes victory. He won the Grade 2 King Edward in June 2014.

It was his effort in the 2014 King Edward that prompted trainer Brian Lynch to send Grand Arch here for last year’s Fourstardave. After striking the lead in midstretch, Grand Arch was run down by Seek Again, who excavated himself from trouble to run Grand Arch down in a course-record time of 1:33.25 for a mile.

On Saturday, Grand Arch had to run down a loose-on-the-lead King Kreesa, who, under Jose Ortiz, got away with a half-mile in 48.30 seconds and six furlongs in 1:12.03.

Jockey Luis Saez kept Grand Arch in third early on, moved him off the rail and into the two path in upper stretch, and he fought past King Kreesa inside the sixteenth pole. But there was a challenge coming from Ironicus, the 2-1 favorite, who rallied five wide down the center of the course under Javier Castellano only to come up short.

Grand Arch, owned by Jim and Susan Hill, covered the mile in 1:34.65 and returned $18.20 to win.

“When the fractions came up, I thought King Kreesa was ridden very confidently. The way [Ortiz] was looking around I thought he had a lot more gas in the tank,” Lynch said. “But he really never got too far out of reach, and we were able to wear him down.”

Lynch said it was gratifying to win this race after coming so close last year.

“I thought that was a pretty good field he beat today. That was a super race,” Lynch said. “To get beat like last year and to come back and win it is great.”

Javier Castellano, on Ironicus, said the slow pace is what got his horse beat.

“He ran such a race. They went too slow,” he said. “It’s hard to come from behind like that. I’m not disappointed at all. He finished so well.”