Halladay Retired to Harris Farms

Halladay (War Front–Hightap, by Tapit), winner of the 2020 GI Fourstardave H., has been retired from racing and will stand the 2022 breeding season at Harris Farms in California as the property of a syndicate led by Adrian Gonzalez of Checkmate Thoroughbreds. He will stand for an introductory fee of $7,500, live foal stand and nurse guarantee, with shares available.

Racing for Harrell Ventures and trainer Todd Pletcher, Halladay also won the 2019 Tropical Park Derby and 2020 Sunshine Forever S. On the board in 12 of 17 starts, the 6-year-old won six times and earned $565,245.

“Halladay was a very talented colt,” Pletcher said. “He was precocious with elite cruising speed. He never had a bad day on the track and was a pleasure to train. He has the best qualities of his sire and broodmare sire and makes for an extremely exciting stallion prospect.”

Gonzalez said, “Halladay is a Grade I winner by War Front out of a graded stakes-winning Tapit mare. War Front is North America's leading sire by percentage of stakes winners and Grade I winners to foals. Tapit has led the general sire list three times and has been a top five sire for nine of the last 10

seasons. He is a gorgeous, well-balanced horse standing 16.1 hands. It is a rare opportunity to launch a stallion with this genetic makeup that is a Grade I winner in California, and we are thrilled to present him.”

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Shadwell Mile ‘Would Make A Lot Of Sense’ For Halladay After Fourstardave Victory

Trainer Todd Pletcher said Harrell Ventures' Halladay was in good order following his gate-to-wire victory in Saturday's Grade 1 Fourstardave at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., which was a first graded stakes win for the gray son of War Front.

The six-time winner broke a step slow but quickly found his footing and commanded the pace of the one-mile event over the Spa's inner turf from start to finish, holding off a challenge from defending winner Got Stormy.

Halladay arrived at the Fourstardave off a fourth-place finish in the Grade 2 Bernard Baruch, where he took back and stalked the pace, and finished 1 1/2 lengths to frontrunning winner Somelikeithotbrown.

“I was very happy with the way he looked this morning,” Pletcher said. “It took him a few strides to get his legs underneath him, but once he did, he did everything easy. It appeared on paper that we were the primary speed, so our strategy was to go ahead and let him do his thing. If someone were to have gone cruising we could have adjusted, but he made the lead the way he did and moved comfortably after not getting off to a great break, but once he got to the first turn, he moved excellent.”

Pletcher said the turf was not as kind to frontrunners during the early portion of the meet, but that it has become fairer as the season has progressed.

“At the very beginning it didn't seem like it was, but now that things have balanced out it's become a more fair turf course,” Pletcher said. “I was happy to see him handle some give in the ground. When it rained in the morning, I was concerned because I think he's even better on firm ground, but he seemed to handle that just fine yesterday.”

In winning the Fourstardave, a Breeders' Cup “Win And You're In” event, Halladay earned an automatic entry into the Grade 1, $2 million Breeders' Cup Mile on November 7 at Keeneland.

Pletcher said Halladay could return in the Grade 1 Shadwell Turf Mile on October 3 at Keeneland.

“We're in no rush to make a decision but the Shadwell would make a lot of sense if we decide that we want to run between now and the Breeders' Cup,” Pletcher said.

Never worse than fourth in 14 starts, Halladay capped off his 3-year-old season with a victory in the Tropical Park Derby at Gulfstream Park before winning the Sunshine Forever on May 9 at the South Florida oval.

The win also marked 23 straight years Pletcher has won a Grade 1 dating back to 1998.

Grade 1 winner Basin worked a half-mile in 48.33 seconds Sunday on the main track.

Owned by Everett Dobson's Cheyenne Stables, the son of second crop sire Liam's Map will point towards Saturday's Grade 2, $150,000 Amsterdam.

Basin will be making his debut for Pletcher after previously being campaigned by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen.

“I was pleased with his work this morning, so right now the plan is the Amsterdam,” Pletcher said. “We'll see how he responds to the cutback in distance and make a decision on what's next after that.”

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Halladay Scores Frontrunning Victory In ‘Win And You’re In’ Fourstardave

Harrell Ventures' Halladay went back to his usual frontrunning style and maintained his advantage throughout every point of call, scoring his first graded stakes triumph in the 36th running of Saturday's Grade 1, $400,000 Fourstardave for older horses going one mile over the inner turf at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

The Fourstardave, named in honor of “the Sultan of Saratoga” who won a race at the Spa for eight straight years, is a Breeders' Cup “Win And You're In” event, which offers an automatic entry towards the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Mile on November 7 at Keeneland.

Last out, the gray or roan 4-year-old son of War Front displayed different tactics and sat just off the pace in the Grade 2 Bernard Baruch at the Spa, which was won by pacesetter Somelikeithotbrown.

On Saturday, jockey Luis Saez hustled Halladay through the first few strides out of the gate, and the six-time winning colt responded, taking command heading into the first turn and led by 1 1/2 lengths through an opening quarter-mile in 23.85 seconds over a turf course rated “good”. Emmaus, a 20-1 longshot, stalked in second with defending Fourstardave winner and course record holder Got Stormy along the hedge in third.

“When I ride him, I always feel like he's better on the lead,” Saez said. “He likes to fight. He's a game horse. Today, the track is a little bit softer and he couldn't break that fast from there but at the second jump he was right there.”

Through a half-mile in 47.19 seconds, Halladay maintained his advantage and received his cue from Saez as jockey Tyler Gaffalione, aboard Got Stormy, tipped the two-time Grade 1 winning mare to the outside and confronted the pacesetter down the stretch. Despite the late challenge from Got Stormy, Halladay would not be denied and hit the wire a 1 1/4-length winner in a final time of 1:33.32. Got Stormy was another 1 1/4 lengths ahead of third-place finisher Casa Creed.

Returning $12.60 for a $2 win bet, Halladay moved his lifetime earnings past the half-million dollar mark to $517,485 while cashing $220,000 in victory and keeping his consistent record intact at 14-6-2-4.

Never worse than fourth lifetime, Halladay added a third stakes win to his resume having won the Tropical Park Derby on December 28 and the Sunshine Forever on May 9, both of which were over the turf at Gulfstream Park.

Saez said that the most important thing was getting his horse to the front.

“That was the plan, I was trying to get on the lead. He likes to be on the lead and likes to run free and that was the key,” Saez said. “He handled it beautifully. I think the turf was a little soft; when we got to the stretch, it took a couple of steps to get going. But when he felt the other horse, he gave it everything and took off and won the race.”

The victory was a fourth stakes win of the meet for trainer Todd Pletcher, who trained previous Fourstardave victors Red Giant (2008) and Sidney's Candy (2011).

“He's gotten really good and we've seen it in the mornings in his training,” Pletcher said. “He's been going great and we were confident going in that he was at his very best and we thought we had a bit of a pace advantage, so we wanted to take the race to them. He didn't break great but once he got his legs underneath him, he settled really well and kicked really strong.”

Pletcher said that his last out fourth-place finish moved him forward into the Fourstardave.

“We felt like we learned a little something in there and applied different tactics today,” Pletcher said. “I think the real key is we've been able to get him to settle. We wanted to go to the lead today but when he got to the lead, he relaxed and pricked his ears and turned off the bridle. Before he would go to the front and continue to engage and never really settle. So, we've been working on that and that's why in the last race when we were laying second, we were okay with it, because the plan was to get him to settle.”

Gaffalione said he was proud of the performance from Got Stormy.

“That was a big effort today,” Gaffalione said. “She settled nicely right behind the leaders. When we got into the stretch, I found some room and she finished up nicely. It was just tough to get by the winner since he put in a big effort today.

“It's great to see her get back into form,” he continued. “It's a step in the right direction and hopefully we can finish the year strong with her.”

Bred in Kentucky by Gainesway Thoroughbreds and Winchell Thoroughbreds, Halladay is out of the graded stakes-winning Tapit broodmare Hightap.

Completing the order of finish were Emmaus, Raging Bull, Without Parole, Uni, Valid Point and Chewing Gum.

Live racing returns on Sunday with the featured Grade 1, $500,000 Diana for older fillies and mares going 1 1/8 miles over the Mellon turf. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern.

Sunday also will feature a mandatory payout in the Empire 6, which boasts a jackpot of $600,930 heading into the nine-race card at the Spa. The Empire 6 sequence kicks off in Race 4 at 2:54 p.m. ET.

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