Saturday, Saratoga
FOURSTARDAVE H.-GI, $500,000, Saratoga, 8-12, 3yo/up, 1mT, 1:34.20, gd.
1–CASA CREED, 125, h, 7, by Jimmy Creed
1st Dam: Achalaya, by Bellamy Road
2nd Dam: Wild Heart Dancing, by Farma Way
3rd Dam: Star of Wicklow, by Fast Play
($15,000 Ylg '17 OBSWIN; $105,000 Ylg '17 KEESEP). O-LRE Racing LLC & JEH Racing Stable LLC; B-Silver Springs Stud LLC (KY); T-William I Mott; J-Luis Saez. $275,000. Lifetime Record: MGSP-KSA, 33-9-5-5, $2,460,308. *1/2 to Chess's Dream (Jess's Dream), GSW, $238,418. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Annapolis, 124, c, 4, War Front–My Miss Sophia, by Unbridled's Song. 'TDN Rising Star' O-Bass Racing LLC; B-Bass Stables LLC (KY); T-Todd A Pletcher. $100,000.
3–Ice Chocolat (Brz), 118, g, 5, Goldikovic (Ire)–Amor Chocolat (Brz), by Northern Afleet. 1ST G1 BLACK-TYPE. O-Gary Barber, Wachtel Stable & Peter Deutsch; B-Haras Niju (BRZ); T-Mark E Casse. $60,000.
Margins: 3/4, HF, 4HF. Odds: 1.85, 1.25, 11.30.
Also Ran: My Sea Cottage (Ire), Emmanuel, Full Screen, So High (GB). Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

CASA CREED DOES IT AGAIN! Son of @spendthriftfarm stallion Jimmy Creed, @luissaezpty leads him to victory in the Fourstardave (G1)! #Saratoga pic.twitter.com/nGaDXjuwpg

— NYRA () (@TheNYRA) August 12, 2023

The post Casa Creed Picks Up Second Fourstardave and His Spot at the Breeders’ Cup appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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And while their bigger name might be out, Godolphin is still going for the repeat here with last year's Arlington Million winner Santin (Distorted Humor). In the Churchill Downs edition held at 1 1/8 miles, the 5-year-old led nearly gate-to-wire and soundly defeated GISW Smooth Like Strait (Midnight Lute). Racing for trainer Brendan Walsh, Santin will have to overcome the widest draw of the field from gate 11 and gets back on the turf after a pair of main-track races at Churchill and Ellis respectively resulting in back-to-back off-the-board finishes.

Never far from Grade I turf action, trainer Chad Brown brings a pair of entries in last year's GI United Nations S. winner Adhamo (Ire) (Intello {Ger}) and GISW Rockemperor (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}).

And while Brad Cox may be more well known for his dirt horses, Set Piece (GB) (Dansili {GB}) will look to give his trainer another Grade I coming off a win in the GIII Arlington S. at Churchill two back June 3 and a narrow third in the GII Wise Dan S. last time out at Ellis July 1.

THE GIRLS GO FOR BREEDERS' CUP SLOT IN BEVERLY D.

With an all-expenses paid trip to the GI Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf on the line, a field of seven fillies and mares duel on the Virginia turf in the 1 3/16-mile GI Beverly D. S.

Mark Casse's Fev Rover (Ire) (Gutaifan {Ire}) leads the field from the rail draw and will look to continue her run of trifecta finishes since coming stateside last year. A two-time graded stakes winner at Woodbine, the 5-year-old trailed Whitebeam (GB) (Caravaggio) and MGISW In Italian (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) by just a half-length on the line in Saratoga's GI Diana S. July 15.

The Argentinian-bred Didia (Arg) (Orpen) had her seven-race win streak ended by Chad Brown's Marketsegmentation (American Pharoah) by just three-quarters of a length in Belmont's GI New York S. June 9. Prior to that, the 5-year-old earned Group 1 wins in her native country and took Churchill's GIII Modesty S. on the Kentucky Oaks undercard May 5 before contesting the New York. Racing for Merriebelle Stable and trainer Ignacio Correas, she is also the only member of the field with experience over Colonial's Secretariat turf course–winning both of her first two starts in the United States.

Peter Brant's Gina Romantica (Into Mischief) brought just over $1,000,000 at auction as a yearling at Keeneland September and her value increased exponentially after wining last season's GI Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Keeneland. A winner of two of her four turf starts for Chad Brown, she enters off a fourth–beaten just 1 1/4 lengths–in her seasonal debut in the GIII Eatontown at Monmouth Park June 17.

Silver Knott trains at Saratoga | Sarah Andrew

GODOLPHIN'S SILVER KNOTT TAKES ON NAGIRROC IN SECRETARIAT

While Rebel's Romance may not have made the trip, Godolphin is still well-represented in Saturday's action with Silver Knott (GB) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) who will contest the first of the three graded stakes at Colonial in the GII Secretariat S. A Group 3 winner in England, the Charlie Appleby trainee missed Grade I glory by just a nose to Victoria Road (Ire) (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}) in last year's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf.

A further 2 1/4 lengths behind that pair, Nagirroc (Lea) has never been off the board in his eight career starts for Graham Motion and owners Little Red Feather Racing, Madaket Stables LLC and William Strauss. A winner two back in the James W. Murphy S. at Pimlico on Preakness Day, the colt was a narrow third last time out in Belmont's GIII Manila S. July 7.

Another Manila starter and an early-season Triple Crown trail colt, Spendthrift's Major Dude (Bolt d'Oro) has seen much success since switching to the turf for nearly all of his 3-year-old season. A three-time graded stakes winner, he finished second behind the recently-retired Two Phil's (Hard Spun) in the GIII Jeff Ruby Steaks S. at Turfway Mar. 25 and came right back to win the GII Penn Mile two starts back June 2.

SARATOGA'S FOURSTARDAVE IS 'WAYI' OPPORTUNITY

Keeping to the grass but moving north to New York, a field of seven accomplished older horses vie for a slot in the GI FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile with Saturday's GI Fourstardave H.

Already the earner of over $2 million, Casa Creed (Jimmy Creed) took last year's rendition of this race and started this year off strong with a loss by a just a head in Saudi Arabia's G3 1351 Turf Sprint Feb. 25. Third in the GI Jaipur S., a race he also won last year, the Bill Mott trainee took the GIII Kelso S. at Saratoga in preparation for this spot. A true war horse, this is his fourth straight attempt at the Fourstardave.

Todd Pletcher's 'TDN Rising Star' Annapolis (War Front), a Grade I winner as a 3-year-old, has missed the trifecta only once his entire career and began his season with a win in the Opening Verse S. at Churchill before just failing to reel in Casa Creed (Jimmy Creed) in the GIII Kelso S. last month at Saratoga.

Another Pletcher runner, 'Rising Star' Emmanuel (More Than Ready) races for Siena Farm and WinStar Farm and posted a victory last time out in the GIII Poker S. at Belmont Park June 10. He's raced exclusively on the turf since a third in last year's GI Toyota Blue Grass S. The 100 Beyer Speed Figure he put up in the Poker S. is a career best.

2-YEAR-OLDS TACKLE THE SARATOGA SPECIAL

A plethora of maiden winners make the jump into graded-stakes company Saturday in the 6 1/2-furlong GII Herb Moelis Memorial Saratoga Special S.

Courtlandt Farms has 'TDN Rising Star' Edified (Tapit) here for trainer Steve Asmussen. The Summer Wind Equine-bred, the $650,000 Keeneland September yearling, rolled by 3 1/2 lengths in his Ellis Park debut July 1 under Joel Rosario, who retains the ride here.

Norm Casse jumps Rhyme Schemes (Ghostzapper) up in class after he broke his maiden in dominating fashion in his second career start, wiring an Ellis field by 9 1/2 lengths June 15 as an 8-1 shot. With Ricardo Santana Jr. still aboard, the chestnut keeps the blinkers on and looks to improve upon the impressive 94 Beyer Speed Figure he put up in that maiden race.

Haul (Army Mule), racing for Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and St. Elias Stables, went for $260,000 at this year's OBS April sale and immediately rewarded his connections with a three-length debut win as the favorite at Belmont July 9.

Rhyme Schemes (outside) | Sarah Andrew

WEST COAST FILLIES GO IN THE SORRENTO

2-year-old fillies make the grade at Del Mar Saturday in the GIII Sorrento S. Bob Baffert saddles Dua (Arrogate) for Zedan Racing Stables, the same connections who picked up the sale-topping son of Curlin at Tuesday's Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale. The $400,000 Fasig-Tipton July yearling won her Del Mar debut by a half-length July 22.

City of Light picked up his first 'TDN Rising Star' with Benedetta who flew home by three lengths for trainer Simon Callaghan and owner Kaleem Shah at Los Alamitos July 8. The bay brought $750,000 at the OBS March sale and put in a near-bullet work at Del Mar Aug. 5 going four furlongs in :47 1/5 (3/82).

Already a stakes winner in her first start, Dreamfyre (Flameaway) has helped put her freshman sire (by Scat Daddy) on the map with a near gate-to-wire performance in Pleasanton's Everett Nevin S.

YELLOW RIBBON HOSTS ON THE TURF

Finishing out the evening on the West Coast, fillies and mares tackle the GII Yellow Ribbon S. at Del Mar going 1 1/16 miles on the turf. The race is led by the Harris Farm-homebred Closing Remarks (Vronsky) who breaks from the rail and has contested exclusively graded-stakes company since a third in last year's GII Buena Vista S. Grade I-placed in the 2021 GI Del Mar Oaks, the 5-year-old mare was sixth last time out in the GI Gamely S. at Santa Anita May 29.

Also in that Gamely S., School Dance (Animal Kingdom) checked in just behind Closing Remarks in last year's GII Royal Heroine S. and just missed by a head in the GI American Oaks.

Bob Baffert can never be counted out, even on the turf, and he brings in Ganadora (Quality Road) here. The 4-year-old sold for $1,000,000 as a yearling at Keeneland in 2020 and was tabbed a 'TDN Rising Star' for her 6 1/2-length debut win at Santa Anita last year. She did her best running in last year's Dark Mirage S. but also just missed by a nose in this season's GIII La Canada S. Jan. 15.

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“It's very rewarding,” said Mott after the Kelso. “Ordinarily, you don't get any more than two seasons out of a horse running at the top level. To have a horse that can run at two, three, and maybe four seasons to run at the very highest level is very good. You don't find those kind.”

Casa Creed is most assuredly one of “those kind.” Although he hasn't won since last August, he was coming off a third in the GI Jaipur S. June 10 at Belmont in his first start of the year after taking that race in both 2021 and 2022. He hasn't shirked any competition, has traveled to Dubai and Saudi Arabia, and has now won seven black-type events, including five graded races and three at the highest level. This is his sixth consecutive season running at the Spa, where he made his first career visit to the winner's circle in an off-the-turf main track maiden in 2018.

#8 Casa Creed takes the G3 Kelso S. at Saratoga under @luissaezpty for trainer Bill Mott!

#TwinSpiresReplay pic.twitter.com/IoYnfl3S41

— TwinSpires Racing (@TwinSpires) July 15, 2023

“He's a fun horse,” said Mott. “We love to see him run and we try to give him enough time to make sure he's ready to go but at this point in time it doesn't have to be a Grade I. The Fourstardave is and that's a big goal, but to be able to see him and have him compete is great fun.” In addition to winning the Fourstardave last year, Casa Creed was third in the race in both 2020 and 2021. This year's Fourstardave is set for Aug. 12.

A $105,000 Keeneland September yearling who has earned more than 20 times that amount, Casa Creed broke from the outside in the Kelso and settled comfortably a few spots wide as streaking consecutive four-race winner Big Everest (GB) (The Gurkha {Ire}) led the way through a :23.35 first quarter. 'TDN Rising Star' and last year's GI Turf Mile S. winner at Keeneland, Annapolis (War Front), raced in tandem to the inside of Casa Creed, the two several lengths behind Big Everest after a half in :47.07. As the field bunched up going into the far turn, Luis Saez let Casa Creed out a notch and he mowed down the horses in front of him while wide, collared and went by Big Everest with no fuss, then pulled clear all while on his wrong lead. It wasn't until the last few strides that he swapped to his correct lead, but it didn't matter as he had a length on the field as Annapolis chased him home. GSW English Bee (English Channel) finished third.

“He's special,” said Lee Einsidler of co-owner LRE Racing. “He's taken us around the world and he's made a huge difference in our lives, really. When you get into this game, they become part of your family. Life is all about building memories and this is another great one.”

Pedigree Notes:

Three-time GISW Casa Creed is one of five graded winners for Spendthrift Farm's Jimmy Creed, who also has 21 black-type winners. Interestingly, two of the stakes winners by the son of Distorted Humor are out of Bellamy Road mares. The latter has 11 stakes winners out of his daughters, including last year's MGISW Cave Rock (Arrogate).

Unraced Achalaya has been through the sales ring six times, most recently in 2021 at Keeneland November when selling in foal to Authentic. Out of MGSW Wild Heart Dancing (Farma Way) and a half to GISW Man From Wicklow (Turkoman), she brought $725,000 from Thirty Year Farm. That was a far cry from her 2018 trip through the OBS Winter Mixed ring, when she brought $15,000 from Trackside Farm while in foal to Jess's Dream. At the 2018 sale, she was carrying eventual MGSW Chess's Dream in utero while Casa Creed had just turned two and had yet to race. Achalaya has since produced a 2021 colt named Bold Landing (Omaha Beach), who hammered for $775,000 from White Birch Farm at Keeneland September, and a yearling filly by Authentic, who was a $390,000 RNA as a Fasig-Tipton November weanling. She most recently produced a filly by Curlin, born Apr. 30.

Saturday, Saratoga
KELSO S.-GIII, $175,000, Saratoga, 7-15, 4yo/up, 1mT, 1:35.51, fm.
1–CASA CREED, 124, h, 7, by Jimmy Creed
           1st Dam: Achalaya, by Bellamy Road
           2nd Dam: Wild Heart Dancing, by Farma Way
           3rd Dam: Star of Wicklow, by Fast Play
($15,000 Ylg '17 OBSWIN; $105,000 Ylg '17 KEESEP). O-LRE Racing LLC and JEH Racing Stable LLC; B-Silver Springs Stud, LLC (KY); T-William I. Mott; J-Luis Saez. $96,250. Lifetime Record: MGISW, 32-8-5-5, $2,185,308. *1/2 to Chess's Dream (Jess's Dream), GSW, $237,418. Werk Nick Rating: C+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Annapolis, 124, c, 4, War Front–My Miss Sophia, by Unbridled's Song. 'TDN Rising Star'. O-Bass Racing, LLC; B-Bass Stables, LLC (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher. $35,000.
3–English Bee, 118, g, 7, English Channel–Evil Kitten, by Kitten's Joy. O/B-Calumet Farm (KY); T-H. Graham Motion. $21,000.
Margins: 1, 1 1/4, HD. Odds: 2.25, 0.95, 31.75.
Also Ran: Ice Chocolat (Brz), Big Everest (GB), Filo Di Arianna (Brz), Anaconda. Scratched: Gun It, Mid Day Image.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

The post Kelso Winner Casa Creed Back Home at the Spa appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Given a 4-1 chance in this field of five, the rail-drawn Casa Creed dropped back early and trailed in fifth as longshot Get Smokin (Get Stormy) led through fractions of :24.01 and :47.94. Locked and loaded on the far turn, he was tipped out widest of all at the top of the stretch, and, after shifting in around the three-sixteenths marker and getting subsequently corrected by Luis Saez, came flying over the top with massive strides to get the money. Regal Glory, who was attempting to become the third female winner of the race in the last four years, was second best.

A solid third in this race last year, Casa Creed came within a neck of capturing the G3 Turf Sprint Cup in Saudi Arabia in his 2022 lidlifter Feb. 26. Freshened after finishing fifth in the G1 Al Quoz Sprint at Meydan Mar. 26, the bay successfully defended his Jaipur title on the GI Belmont S. undercard last out June 11.

“He's in great form and won two Grade I's since coming back [from Dubai], so scrap that theory that they can't travel and do good,” winning Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott said. “We've always felt he was capable of going a mile and I think it's a matter of getting his run timed properly and having the right trip, and he did it today. He's run good races at a mile before and got very good speed figures, and today he got his picture taken.”

Casa Creed has taken two previous swings at the GI Breeders' Cup Mile, finishing 12th at Keeneland in 2020 and eighth at Del Mar last year. He earned a fees-paid berth into this year's GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint via his win in the Jaipur and added a free trip to the GI Breeders' Cup Mile with his win in the Fourstardave.

Where will we see Casa Creed land at the Championships this fall?

“We'll talk about that,” Mott said. “We're already hashing that over, but we'll see. I think six-to-seven [furlongs] is probably his best–he's somewhere in between. But he was drawing away going a mile today. I guess it depends on the trip and how he's doing on the day.”

Pedigree Notes:

The lone Grade I scorer and one of four graded winners for the under-appreciated Jimmy Creed, Casa Creed is out of an unraced daughter of four-time graded winner Wild Heart Dancing (Farma Way), the dam of MSPs Unbridled's Heart (Unbridled's Song) and Leopard Rock (Speightstown). Third dam Star of Wicklow was responsible for GISW Man From Wicklow (Turkoman). Achalaya is the dam of Jimmy Creed's 2-year-old half-brother by Distorted Humor, a yearling by Omaha Beach and a filly by Horse of the Year Authentic foaled Apr. 15. She was bred back to Curlin. Bellamy Road is the broodmare sire of two graded winners.

Saturday, Saratoga
FOURSTARDAVE H.-GI, $485,000, Saratoga, 8-13, 3yo/up, 1mT, 1:34.20, fm.
1–CASA CREED, 122, h, 6, by Jimmy Creed
                1st Dam: Achalaya, by Bellamy Road
                2nd Dam: Wild Heart Dancing, by Farma Way
                3rd Dam: Star of Wicklow, by Fast Play
($15,000 Ylg '17 OBSWIN; $105,000 Ylg '17 KEESEP). O-LRE
Racing LLC & JEH Racing Stable LLC; B-Silver Springs Stud, LLC
(KY); T-William I. Mott; J-Luis Saez. $275,000. Lifetime Record:
27-7-4-4, $1,703,308. *1/2 to Chess's Dream (Jess's Dream),
GSW, $185,715. Werk Nick Rating: A++.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Regal Glory, 119, m, 6, Animal Kingdom–Mary's Follies, by
More Than Ready. ($925,000 5yo '21 KEEJAN). O-Peter M.
Brant; B-Paul P Pompa (KY); T-Chad C. Brown. $100,000.
3–Masen (GB), 123, g, 4, Kingman (GB)–Continental Drift, by
Smart Strike. O/B-Juddmonte Farms Ltd. (GB); T-Chad C.
Brown. $60,000.
Margins: 1HF, HF, 3/4. Odds: 4.20, 0.50, 3.55.
Also Ran: Get Smokin, Front Run the Fed.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

The post Casa Creed Denies Regal Glory In Fourstardave appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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The two-time Grade I winner is unbeaten in three starts this year and is likely to go off as the favorite in the field of five signed up for the one-mile turf event. This will be her first try against males in a distinguished career with trainer Chad Brown that has produced 12 victories from 19 starts and earnings of $2,111,009.

Regal Glory has been with Brown throughout her five seasons on the track, but in an unusual twist, she has been owned by two of his clients, her breeder Paul Pompa and Brant. Three months after Pompa died at the age of 62 in October 2020, Brant purchased Regal Glory in the disbursement sale for $925,000. Since he acquired her, Regal Glory has won six of eight races and earned over $1.3 million.

“The reason that I bought her was because I ran against her a number of times and she always beat me,” Brant said. “I had a lot of respect for her. And I bought her because I thought Paul was a really great guy and a lucky guy. I just said to myself, 'I'm buying something from him.'”

Brant said that Brown recommended that he consider Regal Glory going into the sale, but felt he had paid too much for a 4-year-old filly without a Grade I win on her resume.

“He didn't think at that time that she would win,” Brant said. “It's really not a question that some horses make fools of you. They do what they do. Some of them, if you give them a little bit more time, they excel. She was good from the very beginning and she just got really good at six.”

Brown smiled and shook his head at the suggestion that he encouraged Brant to go after the filly at the sale.

“He always thought she was a great racehorse who had even further potential to develop as years went on,” Brown said. “I wasn't so sure. I knew she was talented, but he loved her pedigree and he loved everything about her. Mr. Brant is really an outstanding horseman. He knows horses physically. He knows the form of horses in races very well and he was adamant about trying to buy this horse and keep her going racing. He was right.”

Regal Glory had a solid 2021 season, but came up a half-length behind Brant's Brown-trained Blowout (Dansili (GB)) in the GI First Lady S. at Keeneland Oct. 9. Sent to Del Mar for the Bing Crosby meet, she led from gate to wire in the GI Matriarch S.

“She's just one of those fillies that improved a tremendous amount at five and six,” Brant said. “Some fillies at six they don't want to run anymore. They're a little tired, they've had a lot of battles, and they've just run out of steam, but she seems to be at her best.”

With the Grade I in the bank, Brant was planning to have her change careers and join his broodmare band. Before sending her to Kentucky, Brant and Brown decided to enter her in the inaugural running of the $500,000 GIII Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf. She came from well off the pace in her first start beyond a mile in two years to take the 1 1/16-mile race by 2 1/2 lengths.

“I was going to retire her at the end of the 5-year-old year, and then she ran that race down at Gulfstream and she blew everybody out,” Brant said. “I was talking that day to Walker Hancock, because I keep my most of my mares at Claiborne Farm, and he looked at me and said, 'I guess she's not coming back to the farm.'”

Regal Glory's retirement was put on hold and she stayed in training. She won the GI Jenny Wiley S. at Keeneland in April and rolled to a decisive 3 1/2-length victory in the GI Just A Game S. at Belmont Park in June.

“Oh, yeah, she's really exceeded my expectations, Brant said. “I thought maybe I'd win a Grade I with her.”

Now she is a multiple Grade I winner for Brant and is taking on males in the Fourstardave. She would be the second female to win the race, following Got Stormy (Get Stormy), who was first at the wire in 2019 and again last year.

“I've been pointing for this race for a while,” Brown said. “I like keeping her to a mile distance. I like the spacing from her last race, the Just A Game. It appears right now that she is the leader of the division and I think giving her new challenges to face at this stage of her career, now that she is six, seems like the appropriate thing to do. A try against the boys in a very prestigious race. I just think she deserves the opportunity.”

Despite his dominance at Saratoga, where he has won four of the last six meet titles–and leads again this season–powered by his elite stable of grass runners, Brown, 43, has yet to win the Fourstardave. It hasn't been for lack of trying: he has four seconds and one third from 13 starts. With Regal Glory and Juddmonte's Masen (GB) (Kingman (GB)), Brown will have multiple entries for the fourth-straight year.

Brown said there are a number of elements to consider before sending a female in against males: “Scheduling. Distance of race. What kind of form she is in. Trying to manage a campaign to potentially win an Eclipse Award. All those things. Factor in what weight she is going to carry. It's all a careful decision in what we want to do and I think the time is right.”
Brown said Regal Glory is doing great.

“She has never looked better or trained better,” he said.

The Fourstardave is the first step in a plan to carry Regal Glory to the GI Breeders' Cup Mile at Keeneland to face what is usually a mostly male field on Nov. 5. A victory in the Fourstardave would give her a guaranteed berth in the Mile through the Breeders' Cup's “Win and You're In” program. Brown said he would consider the GI Woodbine Mile S. but said the First Lady at Keeneland was a more likely spot after the Fourstardave before the Breeders' Cup.

Since the Fourstardave is a handicap, Regal Glory will carry 119 pounds, four less than stablemate Masen, the top weight. Brant figures she should be getting more of a break because of her gender, but the racing office had to take her success into account when making the assignments.

“She's really carrying top weight running against the boys,” Brant said. “I'm not so keen about it, but that's where Chad wants to run her and I think I'll be watching very anxiously.”

The post Regal Glory Ready to Take On Males in Fourstardave appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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A winner of the GIII Kentucky Downs Ladies Sprint S. at an additional half of a furlong here last term, Got Stormy narrowly captured the GIII Honey Fox S. at Gulfstream Feb. 27 before rolling a pair of fives in the GII Longines Churchill Distaff Turf Mile S. May 1 and GI Jackpocket Jaipur S. at Belmont June 5.

Casa Creed (Jimmy Creed) was given the nod on the morning-line at odds of 7-2 in this wide-open affair. A flashy come-from-behind upset winner in the Jaipur on the GI Belmont S. undercard two back, he rallied for third in the Fourstardave last time.

Last year's narrow Turf Sprint winner Imprimis (Broken Vow), drawn widest of all in post 12, and dead-heat second-place finishers Bombard (War Front) and Front Run the Fed (Fed Biz) will renew acquaintances again here.

Save a disappointing sixth in the Jaipur, Fast Boat (City Zip) has won three out of his last four, led by a sharp win in Saratoga's GIII Troy S. last time Aug. 6.

Saturday's loaded program at Kentucky Downs also features: the 'Win and You're In' GII Calumet Turf Cup; the GII Franklin-Simpson S., led by GI Bruce D. winner Point Me By (Point of Entry); the GIII Mint Ladies Sprint S., featuring the speedy Venetian Harbor (Munnings); and the GIII Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf S.

The post ‘Stormy’ Forecast at Kentucky Downs appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Both races are part of Kentucky Downs' blockbluster Sept. 11 card featuring five graded stakes.

The six-furlong FanDuel Turf Sprint (G3), part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series, offers $400,000 more in purse money than the $600,000 Ladies Sprint (G3) at 6 1/2 furlongs. The FanDuel winner also receives an automatic, fees-paid berth in the $1 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint on Nov. 6 at Del Mar. But that doesn't seem the overarching motivation for taking the tougher route.

“Obviously, she's not afraid of colts,” Casse said Tuesday evening. “I really don't think it matters if she runs 6 or 6 1/2 furlongs. We've never backed down from a challenge.” And, too, he said, “It is a much bigger purse.”

But more than the money, the owners and Casse welcome an opportunity to add to the legacy of Got Stormy, who already was the only female to win the Fourstardave, that coming for the first time in 2019. No filly or mare has won Kentucky Downs' Turf Sprint, first run in 1998.

“Doing things that others haven't done,” Casse said. “I think we're wanting to prove that she is one of the elite turf mares of this century. Maybe with her Fourstardave, another (win against males) might get her into the Hall of Fame.”

Got Stormy has won 12 of 30 starts, with five seconds and three thirds, and $2,398,403 in purse earnings. In addition to her Fourstardave victories, Got Stormy has finished second four times against males in Grade 1 stakes in New York, California and Canada.

Casse said Got Stormy will target the $2 million Breeders' Cup Mile on turf, a race for which she already received a “Win And You're In” spot from the Fourstardave victory. Got Stormy finished second in the 2019 Breeders' Cup Mile at Santa Anita.

The only reason Casse ran her in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint last year at Keeneland was his belief that the mare isn't as effective at a mile if the turf is not firm, which can often be the case in Kentucky in the fall. In preparation for shortening up, he ran Got Stormy in last year's Ladies Sprint at Kentucky Downs, her first time racing less than 7 1/2 furlongs since her first start in 2017. She won by 3 1/4 lengths over soft turf.

Soft turf should not be a factor back in California. Got Stormy also is 1-for-1 at Del Mar, winning the Grade 1 Matriarch.

Spendthrift Farm paid $2.75 million for Got Stormy at Fasig-Tipton's November sale and campaigns the mare with My Racehorse Stable, which sells micro-shares in stakes-quality horses to allow thousands of people to experience participating at the top end of the game. Gary Barber was her previous owner.

Got Stormy started her 2021 season with victory in Gulfstream Park's Grade 3 Honey Fox. However, she came into the Fourstardave off a pair of fifth-place finishes at Churchill Downs and Belmont Park. Casse and jockey Tyler Gaffalione were not among those assuming the mare finally lost a step to age.

“Just kind of the way she trained,” Casse said of his confidence. “Then Tyler made me feel really good, too, because he breezed her about two weeks out. He came back with the biggest smile and said, 'She's back.' After I saddled her Saturday and she was walking around in the paddock, I looked at (Spendthrift general manager) Ned Toffey and said, 'They better be tied on. Because she's got her game face on today.'”

Off at 12-1 odds, Got Stormy beat Set Piece by 1 1/2 lengths.

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Owned by Spendthrift Farm and MyRacehorse Stable, Got Stormy set a course record over the inner turf capturing the 2019 Fourstardave in a time of 1:32 flat with Ricardo Santana, Jr. up.

After finishing second in last year's running to pacesetting Halladay, the 6-year-old chestnut daughter of 2010 Fourstardave victor Get Stormy vindicated herself with a sharp 1 ½-length triumph under Tyler Gaffalione.

The victory registered a 104 Beyer Speed Figure, a tenth lifetime triple-digit number for the talented mare, and included a “Win and You're In” berth to the Breeders' Cup Mile on November 6 at Del Mar.

Despite last week's Hall of Fame induction, the summer campaign had been a frustrating one for Casse, who was winless at the current Saratoga meet before Got Stormy's Fourstardave coup.

“It's been a rough meet, but my wife [Tina] said it best: 'It's been gloomy in Saratoga until the storm blew through,'” Casse said.

Got Stormy arrived at the Fourstardave off two fifth-place finishes at graded stakes level after making her seasonal bow a winning one in the Grade 3 Honey Fox on February 27 at Gulfstream Park.

Sent off at 12-1 odds, Casse said he nevertheless felt confident in his mare because of her demeanor in the paddock.

“It's her. She just gets happy,” Casse said. “She was walking around after I had saddled her and I told Tyler, 'She's got her game face on today, they better be ready,' I could tell she just wanted to go out there and do it.”

Casse said Got Stormy, a seven-time graded stakes winner with graded scores at six different tracks, will appreciate a return to Del Mar, where she captured the Grade 1 Matriarch in her final start of 2019.

“The good news for us is she's 1-for-1 at Del Mar,” Casse said. “We should have hard and fast [turf] there, and the turns aren't quite as tight as they are here but they're sharp. I want to get one race into her, I just haven't figured out where I want to do that yet.

“She just loves training here so much. Most horses do,” Casse added regarding Got Stormy's affinity for Saratoga. “She enjoys the tight turns. She can run around a turn like most horses can't, so that helps.”

Casse mentioned the possibility of attempting a dual conquest in the $600,000 Grade 3 Kentucky Downs Ladies Sprint on September 11 at Kentucky Downs in Franklin, Ky.

“I can go to Kentucky Downs just as a prep, run her at 6 ½ [furlongs] and we don't care about the weather,” Casse said. “If it rains, it's okay. Where the soft ground hurts us is when she's trying to get a mile.”

Previously owned by Gary Barber, Got Stormy was purchased for $2.75 million by Spendthrift Farm at the 2020 Fasig-Tipton November Sale.

Ned Toffey of Spendthrift Farm said he was delighted to see the superstar mare secure a Grade 1 victory when sporting Spendthrift's orange and purple silks.

“Mark was very confident. He said she was doing so well,” Toffey recalled. “I think clearly, she really likes Saratoga. It was just great to see. This was so gratifying because when Mr. [B. Wayne] Hughes decided to get involved with MyRacehorse, he really believed that this was something that would be successful, but what they need are really good horses.

“She didn't appear to have lost any steps yesterday so that was great to see,” Toffey continued. “She's such a gutsy, hard trying mare. You just love to see that kind do well.”

Toffey said he felt gratified to be able to provide the multiple MyRacehorse partners a prestigious victory at Saratoga.

“To get a Grade 1 and to be able to see a project like this come full circle, work out this way, and have a bunch of enthusiastic MyRacehorse fans to be there and share it with us was a great feeling,” Toffey said.

Casse said that maiden Volcanic, a two-time starting son of Violence owned by Breeze Easy, could race back in the $300,000 Grade 1 Hopeful on September 6. The $230,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase finished third last out in a six-furlong maiden event on July 24 at the Spa.

The Hall of Fame trainer said Live Oak Plantation's graded stakes-winner Souper Sensational, who finished second in the Grade 1 Longines Test here on August 7, could race back in the $250,000 Grade 2 Prioress on September 4 at the Spa.

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The Breeders' Cup Challenge Series is an international series of 84 stakes races where the winners receive automatic starting positions and fees paid into a corresponding race of the Breeders' Cup World Championships, which will be held at Del Mar racetrack in Del Mar, Calif., on Nov. 5-6.

Palace Pier, trained by John & Thady Gosden and ridden by Frankie Dettori, traveled up on the outside of the field and showed a sparkling turn of foot to go clear of his seven rivals before having to withstand a strong challenge from Group 1 QIPCO 2000 Guineas hero Poetic Flare (IRE) in the final furlong to hold on by a neck. The defending Grade 1 FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile champion, Order of Australia (IRE), was a further 1 ¾ lengths back in third.

After completing the mile in 1:35.96 over a course listed as good, Palace Pier was cut to 7/4 with Unibet for the FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile in November.

John Gosden speaking after the race, said: “I thought it was a very clean race. They went a sensible pace. They quickened from 600 meters out and so it was a test of speed and he's done it well. He's a gorgeous and lovely horse to be around. He's got this amazing cruising speed and acceleration. I've made no secret that he was ill. He had a blood disorder and missed the G1 Qatar Sussex Stakes and we've come here on the absolute minimum amount of work. He's probably come here at 80% and as Frankie (Dettori) said, his class has got him through. He's having a strong blow after, so he was probably 10 days short of work, but they weren't going to move the Jacques Le Marois!”

Gosden indicated that QIPCO British Champions Day at Ascot in October could be next for the five-time Group 1 winner.

“We'll now wait until Champions Day and go either for the 1-mile Group 1 QIPCO Queen Elizabeth II Stakes or perhaps the 1 ¼ mile Group 1 QIPCO Champion Stakes.”

When asked if the Breeders' Cup could be on the agenda for the son of Kingman (GB), Gosden replied: “November is a long way off! Del Mar is a track I'm very fond of and I had a lot of success there and have a lot of good friends there, but that's a long way down the road at the moment.”

Palace Pier was already a winner of the “Win and You're In” G1 Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot in June and is one of seven horses this year to have gained a “Win and You're In” berth for the FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile. Jet Dark (SAF), winner of the Group 1 L'Ormarins Queen's Plate in South Africa, Succeso (CHI) who claimed the Group 1 Gran Premio Club Hipico Falabella in Chile, Smooth Like Strait who won the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile, Danon Kingly (JPN) who captured the Group 1 Yasuda Kinen in Japan, Alcohol Free (IRE) who stormed clear in the Group 1 Qatar Sussex Stakes, and Got Stormy who yesterday won the Grade 1 Fourstardave, are the other six.

As part of the benefits of the Challenge Series, Breeders' Cup will pay the entry fees for Palace Pier to start in the FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile, which will be run at a mile on the Del Mar turf course. Breeders' Cup will also provide a travel allowance of $40,000 for all starters based outside of North America to compete in the World Championships. The Challenge winner must be nominated to the Breeders' Cup program by the Championships' pre-entry deadline of Oct. 25 to receive the rewards.

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Purchased off a fifth-place finish in the GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint by B. Wayne Hughes's Spendthrift Farm for $2.75 million at last year's Fasig-Tipton November Sale and then offered in microshare pieces via MyRacehorse, the chestnut remained with trainer Mark Casse and scored first out for the new connections in the GIII Honey Fox S. at Gulfstream in February. Her next two outings were not as strong, however–she was fifth in both the GII Distaff Turf Mile S. at Churchill May 1 and GI Jaipur S. on the cutback at Belmont June 5–and was starting to give the impression of one whose best racing days were behind her.

Away well under Tyler Gaffalione, Got Stormy sat comfortably in third as they strung out around the first turn behind fellow female Blowout (GB) (Dansili {GB}). The frontrunner doled out splits of :23.45, :46.69 and 1:10.12 with little change in the running order, and they fanned across the track into the lane with Got Stormy continuing to go well and Blowout's favored stablemate Raging Bull (Fr) (Dark Angel {Ire}) trying to rev up from the back. Got Stormy kicked past Blowout with little resistance in midstretch, and kept on going under energetic encouragement to prevail by 1 1/2 lengths. Set Piece (GB) (Dansili {GB}) rallied from last to complete the exacta, while Jaipur winner Casa Creed (Jimmy Creed) was third. Blowout held on for fourth, but Raging Bull never fired and checked in sixth.

“She was taking me the whole way,” Gaffalione said. “I was able to tuck in and save ground. She relaxed beautifully down the backside. Going into the turn she started to pick up on her own and she started creeping up. When I put her outside, she unleashed a big run and it was all over from there.”

He added, “Watching the races, the best ground has been inside on the turf, so I figured that was the best place to be. I was able to get there comfortably and it all worked out.”

Carrying the silks of Gary Barber in her previous Fourstardave win, and when second last year, Got Stormy shortened up to take the GIII Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf Sprint last September and added the GIII Buffalo Trace Franklin County S. at Keeneland in October before running back in the Breeders' Cup over the same course and distance.

She was one of 12 purchases totaling $25,030,000 and also including $9.5-million topper and champion Monomoy Girl (Tapizar) made by Spendthrift at Fasig-Tipton last November.

“This was maybe even more exciting [than winning the 2019 Fourstardave] because they wrote her off,” said Casse, fresh off his Hall of Fame induction last week. “They did the same to [two-time champion] Tepin (Bernstein), and she came back. I'm really proud. There's been some bumps along the road with her, but she came when it was time.”

While Casse had opted to shorten Got Stormy at times for what he thought were better configurations for her, he believes the sharper turns at Saratoga–and at Del Mar later this year–are to her liking.

“It's what she loves; they'll have some sharp turns at Del Mar [in the Breeders' Cup Mile], so that'll work out just fine,” he said. “You could see how well she was training. She loves it here. She trains great here.”

The hard-knocking mare was a fitting winner of the race named after the ageless “Sultan of Saratoga.”

“I think for Fourstardave, who ran so many times here year-after-year, for her to come and do this three years in a row…maybe we can do another one,” Casse said. “We'll have to talk to the higher ups.”

Saturday, Saratoga
FOURSTARDAVE H.-GI, $500,000, Saratoga, 8-14, 3yo/up, 1mT, 1:33.09, fm.
1–GOT STORMY, 116, m, 6, by Get Stormy
                1st Dam: Super Phoebe, by Malabar Gold
                2nd Dam: Air France, by French Deputy
                3rd Dam: Twin Propeller, by Known Fact
($23,000 Ylg '16 KEESEP; $45,000 2yo '17 EASMAY; $2,750,000
5yo '20 FTKNOV). O-My Racehorse Stable & Spendthrift Farm
LLC; B-Mt. Joy Stables, Pope, Pope Jr. & Marc McLean (KY);
T-Mark E. Casse; J-Tyler Gaffalione. $275,000. Lifetime Record:
30-12-5-3, $2,398,403. *1/2 to Sir Alfred James (Munnings),
MSP, $210,980; 1/2 to Sky Gold (Successful Appeal), SP,
$151,020. Werk Nick Rating: A. 
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Set Piece (GB), 119, g, 5, Dansili (GB)–Portodora, by
Kingmambo. O-Juddmonte; B-Juddmonte Farms (East) Ltd
(GB); T-Brad H. Cox. $100,000.
3–Casa Creed, 120, h, 5, Jimmy Creed–Achalaya, by Bellamy
Road. ($15,000 Ylg '17 OBSWIN; $105,000 Ylg '17 KEESEP).
O-LRE Racing LLC & JEH Racing Stable LLC; B-Silver Springs
Stud, LLC (KY); T-William I. Mott. $60,000.
Margins: 1HF, HF, NK. Odds: 12.50, 4.10, 6.20.
Also Ran: Blowout (GB), Daddy Is a Legend, Raging Bull (Fr), Whisper Not (GB), Field Pass. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

Pedigree Notes:

MGISW sire Got Stormy boasted four wins himself at the Spa, including in the 2010 Fourstardave. He is the sire of 10 stakes winners, six graded, with Get Stormy his only highest-level victoress. Dam Super Phoebe, a nine-time winner in Puerto Rico, is half to GSWs Smooth Air (Smooth Jazz) and Overdriven (Tale of the Cat). Her Mohaymen 2-year-old colt now named Mohegan was a $315,000 purchase by Tradewinds Farm at last year's Fasig-Tipton October sale. Super Phoebe has a yearling colt by Bolt d'Oro, and was barren to Uncle Mo for 2021 before being bred to Nyquist this past season.

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