Tag: Breeders’ Cup

On Sunday morning, owner Lee Einsidler of LRE Racing was still basking in the glow of his Saratoga Race Course-loving star Casa Creed, who for the second straight year Saturday captured the Fourstardave Handicap (G1) going one mile over the inner turf.

Trained by Bill Mott and co-owned by Einsidler with Mike Francesa's JEH Racing, Casa Creed became the fourth horse to win two editions of the Fourstardave, joining Got Stormy [2019, 2021], Hall of Famer Wise Dan [2012-13] and the race's namesake Fourstardave [1990-91], who captured the prestigious race when it was run as the Daryl's Joy.

Einsidler stopped by Mott's stable at the Oklahoma training track to pay Casa Creed a visit after his big win. He said the fan favorite, affectionately known as the 'Mayor of Saratoga,' will now have sights set on the FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile (G1) in November at Santa Anita.

Although yet to win a Breeders' Cup race, Casa Creed has been a participant in the past three runnings, finishing a respective 12th [2020] and eighth [2021] in the Mile before running ninth in last year's Turf Sprint (G1).

“He looks amazing. He came out of the race great. His legs are cool, he's eating up and feeling great,” Einsidler said. “We'll give him a break now and see if we can get him out to California for the Breeders' Cup.”

Boasting a 6-4-0-2 record over the Saratoga turf, Casa Creed won the Grade 3 Kelso at Saratoga on July 15 and the 2019 Grade 2 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame in during his sophomore season, one year after breaking his maiden over the Spa main track in August 2018.

In addition to his Spa accolades, Casa Creed captured two straight runnings of Belmont Park's six-furlong Jaipur (G1)  [2021-22] while running third behind last year's Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1) winner Caravel in this year's edition. He also shipped halfway across the world the past couple of Februarys to finish a close second in the 1351 Turf Sprint (G3) at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh.

“He loves to win. He loves to race and we're so grateful that he's a part of our life. It was just one of those amazing, amazing days,” Einsidler said.

Casa Creed earned a 101 Beyer Speed Figure – his eighth lifetime triple digit number – for the Fourstardave, where he earned a “Win And You're In” entry into the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Mile in November at Santa Anita Park. The evergreen 7-year-old son of Jimmy Creed additionally competed in his fourth straight Fourstardave, finishing third in the 2020 and 2021 editions, respectively.

In last year's running, Casa Creed utilized his typical late-pouncing style en route to a 1 1/2-length triumph over eventual champion turf female Regal Glory.

“You can't imagine that you'd run in the same Grade 1 race at Saratoga four years in a row. That's not anything even remotely something you would ever think about, but to win it for the second year in a row made for an amazing day,” Einsidler said. “I'm so appreciative of what Bill Mott and his staff have done for this horse for the entirety of his career. As a 7-year-old, there's the argument to be made that yesterday's race was the best race of his life.”

Casa Creed entered the Fourstardave from a triumph in the Kelso going one mile at the Spa, where he benefited from a slow start from post time favorite Annapolis and fended off his foe to win by one length. But the tables were turned in Saturday's race, where Casa Creed had to catch the Irad Ortiz Jr.-piloted Annapolis in deep stretch, collaring the Grade 1-winning millionaire in the final sixteenth to win by three-quarters of a length under Luis Saez.

“He had every reason not to catch the horse in front, who's a very good racehorse. He went after him, caught him, and beat him to the wire,” Einsidler said. “We knew that was going to be their plan after the way the Kelso unfolded where we got the jump on him. We knew Irad would go and Luis knew it so he figured he would follow him. He knew what he had underneath him. He told me this morning that he was very confident going down the lane that he was going to catch him. Casa Creed has a great closing kick, we saw that yesterday. I have great respect for Annapolis and all the other horses in the race. But we beat him by a comfortable margin, which was very gratifying. It wasn't like it was a nose finish; we spotted him three or four lengths coming down the stretch.”

With an overall record of 33-9-5-5, Casa Creed has banked $2,460,308 in lifetime earnings.

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Eleven days following her unplaced finish in the Sussex (G1) at Goodwood, Inspiral made the quick turnaround Sunday to score a repeat victory in the Prix du Haras de Fresnay-le-Buffard Jacques le Marois (G1), an inter-generational championship going one mile at Deauville Racecourse in France.

With the victory, Inspiral earned an automatic starting position into the $2 million FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile (G1), to be run in November at Santa Anita, through the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In.

A Cheveley Park Stud homebred, the 4-year-old Frankel filly is trained in Newmarket by John and Thady Gosden and was ridden by Frankie Dettori. Sunday's win marks Dettori's eighth win in this prestigious race, and this summer will be his final appearance on the Deauville racecourse. He claimed his first Jacques Le Marois in 1999 with the exceptional Dubai Millennium.

Inspiral, on her part, was coming back after facing defeat twice, on the soft ground June 20 at Royal Ascot in the Queen Anne Stakes (G1) and then when fifth and last in the Sussex on Aug. 1. Positioned further back in the Jacques Le Marois, she made her move a quarter mile out to the center of the course and successfully overcame the race leader and favorite Big Rock. He was eventually bested by a solid length, with third place going to Light Infantry and fourth to Onesto.

Time was 1:36.62 on turf rated as good to soft.

Cheveley Park Director Richard Thompson said: “It was a brave, brave call. She ran in the [Qatar] Sussex [Stakes] 11 days ago and, although she didn't have much of a race, to come back and win this again is absolutely fantastic. What a day.

“She's a proper individual and she's had some difficult days on the racecourse but she's had great ones too. She's so talented and when it goes for her, as it did here, she's just in a different league.”

Inspiral is out of Starscope (by Selkirk), runner-up in the 1000 Guineas and the Coronation Stakes. A winner of both those races last year, Inspiral has emulated her dam's performance, being her fourth victorious offspring in as many sent to training. The second dam is a sister to the exceptional stallion and champion miler Medicean.

Inspiral is the first fiily to win the race twice since Miesque (1987 and 1988). John Gosden has claimed victory in the last four editions of the race with Palace Pier, who also secured a double, and this filly, bringing his tally to five, including the stellar stallion Kingman's triumph in 2014.

Gosden won the 1984 Breeders' Cup Mile with Royal Heroine.

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Tracy Farmer's Irish-bred Fev Rover had an easy time of it Saturday when she took an early lead, set a slow pace, and then drove to a stylish win in the $500,000 Beverly D. (G1) on Saturday at Colonial Downs.

Under Javier Castellano, the 5-year-old Gutaifan mare won by 3 1/2 lengths.

In the stretch, runner-up Gina Romantic tried to sneak past along the rail, but she could not match strides with the winner. British-bred Romagna Mia finished 2 1/4 lengths back third.

Fev Rover, trained by Mark Casse, returned $3.20 as the 3-5 favorite after finishing the 1 3/16 miles turf contest in 1:54.35. Early fractions were :25.12, :50.10, 1:13.63, and 1:37.01.

With the Beverly D. win, Fev Rover earned an automatic berth into the $2-million Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1) to be held this November at Santa Anita Park.

Fev Rover, who was produced by the High Chaparral mare Laurelita, made her U.S. debut last month in the Diana (G1) at Saratoga, finishing third, beaten a half length. She was a Group 2 winner in France and also owns a pair of graded stakes wins at Woodbine, including this year's Nassau Stakes (G2).

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