Grand Arch in good position for repeat in Fourstardave
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The only thing we know for sure this Saturday about the Grade 1 Fourstardave that we didn’t know last Saturday is that it definitely will be run.
Unlike last weekend, when torrential rains fell, forcing the cancellation of the last six races of the Saratoga card, including the Fourstardave, there is only a 20 percent chance of a stray shower on Saturday.
After a week of relatively dry weather in the area, Saratoga’s turf course should be in good-to-firm condition on Saturday, taking away any advantage a soft-turf-loving horse such as Takeover Target may enjoy.
“I don’t think you could get a turf course to be any better than it will be on Saturday,” said Brian Lynch, the trainer of Grand Arch, the winner of last year’s Fourstardave.
Grand Arch will attempt to repeat in the Fourstardave against a quality field that includes Grade 1 winners Ring Weekend and Force the Pass as well as Tourist, Takeover Target, King Kreesa, Reporting Star, Blacktype, and A Lot.
When the race was redrawn Wednesday, King Kreesa went from post 7 to the rail. He figures to be the primary speed in the race under Irad Ortiz Jr.
Grand Arch, meanwhile, went from post 5 to post 2.
“I like that,” Lynch said. “He should get a good ground-saving trip, and he’s tactical enough where he shouldn’t be shuffled out the back door.”
Trainer Graham Motion was also happy with the redraw as Ring Weekend moved from post 9 to post 6. He is making just his second start in 17 months, and Motion is happy not to have to run over another soft turf course, as was the case in the Dixie Stakes at Pimlico.
“It would have been the second time I came back off a layoff on a really soft turf course, and I didn’t want to do that,” Motion said. “It worked out well. It will be a better turf course, I think, which is good for us.”
Tourist, the 5-2 morning-line favorite, is another who does his better running on firm ground.
“I’m willing to take my chances on ground more suitable [Saturday] than what it was going to be,” trainer Bill Mott said.
The Fourstardave goes as race 9 on Saturday’s card and is the first leg of a pick-four wager that includes the Grade 1 Alabama and two stakes from Del Mar – the Grade 2 Del Mar Handicap and the Grade 1 Pacific Classic. The wager has a 50-cent minimum.
Key Contenders
Ring Weekend, by Tapit
Last 3 Beyers: 100-108-86
◗ Foot issues sidelined him for more than a year, but he came back with a terrific performance in the Grade 2 Dixie, getting beat a head by Takeover Target on soft ground.
◗ A foot issue flared up again following a June 18 workout, forcing him to miss a scheduled prep for the Fourstardave.
“We were planning to run before this flare-up with his foot issue – that’s why he ended up having more time in between races,” Motion said.
Grand Arch, by Arch
Last 3 Beyers: 89-99-102
◗ Defending winner of this race, he is coming off a last-place finish in the Grade 3 Poker, run over firm turf.
“It wasn’t a great performance, so that’s always in the back of your mind, but he’s trained good since,” Lynch said. “And he’s always run well here, so I got to go in with confidence that he likes this course, and he’s doing well going into it.”
Tourist, by Tiznow
Last 3 Beyers: 109-97-103
◗ Comes off a runner-up performance to Midnight Storm in the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile. Midnight Storm came back to win the Grade 2 Eddie Read at Del Mar.
◗ Lone stakes win came over this course going a mile in 2014.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 8 Tourist. Trainer Bill Mott is 85-4-12-13 with a $0.43 ROI over the past five years in Grade 1 stakes on turf. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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Force the Pass, by Speightstown
Last 3 Beyers: 98-101-100
◗ Beaten a nose by King Kreesa in the Forbidden Apple Stakes but came out of that race with an infection, according to trainer Alan Goldberg.
◗ Appears to be better around two turns – the configuration of the Fourstardave – than one.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 1 King Kreesa. Trainer David Donk is 5-0-0-0 over the past five years in graded stakes at Saratoga. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 3 Reporting Star. Trainer Elizabeth Voss is 73-13-9-4 with a $3.79 ROI over the past five years in turf routes shorter than two miles. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 7 A Lot. Trainer Chad Brown is 11-1-2-1 with a $1.03 ROI over the past five years going sprint to route in turf graded stakes. Click for more details. – Mike Hogan