Seek Again finds room in Fourstardave Handicap win

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – It was more a belief than an experiment.

Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott passed up running Seek Again in next week’s Grade 1 Arlington Million to run in Saturday’s Grade 2, $500,000 Fourstardave Handicap at Saratoga to prove the colt could be effective at one mile.

Point taken.

Finding running room when it appeared that none would open up, Joel Rosario rallied Seek Again through the inside and out-finished Grand Arch to win the Fourstardave by a neck. Not only did he win it, but Seek Again set a course record of 1:33.25 for the mile over Saratoga’s inner turf course. The previous mark was 1:33.42 held by L’Oiseau d’Argent, set in an allowance race 10 years ago.

“I wouldn’t have passed up the Arlington Million if I thought he couldn’t do it,” Mott said.

Seek Again, who won a Grade 1 at 1 1/4 miles, was cutting back from that same distance where he was third in the Grade 1 Manhattan in his last start.

Since Seek Again is a closer, he would need someone to soften up the speedy favorite Silver Max. Sayaad, after backing off initially, engaged Silver Max midway down the backside, prompting Silver Max to run an opening half-mile in 46.18 seconds.

Rosario had Silver Max in fourth along the inside for almost the entire trip. Sayaad had taken over from Silver Max and was along the inside under Jose Ortiz. In the stretch, Rosario thought about attempting to go outside of Sayaad, but there wasn’t any room there either.

In the split second it took for Sayaad to drift off the rail, Rosario guided Seek Again on through. He was able to out-finish the Woodbine shipper Grand Arch who had made the lead in mid-stretch while three wide under David Moran.

“First, there was not a lot of room,” Rosario said. “As soon as that horse [drifted] a little bit, I [went] through.”

Mott said there were anxious moments in mid-stretch.

“At the eighth pole, when I saw him have to alter course two different times, I thought we could be in trouble because it’s awful late in the game to have to stop your momentum and go in a different direction,” Mott said.

It now seems pretty clear in what direction Seek Again is headed – the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Santa Anita on Nov. 1. Options for him between now and then include the Woodbine Mile on Sept. 14 and or the Shadwell Turf Mile on Oct. 4.

Seek Again, a son of Speightstown owned and bred by Juddmonte Farms, returned $6.70 as the 2-1 second choice.

Grand Arch had to settle for second, three-quarters of a length in front of Jack Milton, who got third by a neck over Dorsett. Sayaad and Silver Max completed the order of finish.

“They came to me. He didn’t offer his usual patented Silver Max get-away-from-them [kick] today,” said Robby Albarado, the rider of Silver Max. “He ran hard enough, but I was expecting a little more from him.”