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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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War Front’s Halladay all the Way in Fourstardave; Brown Foursome Strike Out

When last seen, Harrell Ventures LLC’s Halladay (War Front) was wrangled back off the pace and ultimately ran fourth in the GII Bernard Baruch H. July 26, allowing Somelikeithotbrown (Big Brown) to post a relatively hassle-free, front-running victory. With that failed experiment in the rear view, it was back to pedal-to-the-metal tactics in Saturday’s GI Fourstardave H. and the gray colt repelled a late bid from defending champion Got Stormy (Get Stormy) to land the spoils. Casa Creed (Jimmy Creed) rallied to complete the trifecta. The victory earns Halladay a fees-paid berth into the GI Breeders’ Cup Mile at Keeneland Nov. 7.

Not the quickest away from the machine, Halladay was asked to pick up the bit and secured the front passing under the wire for the first time, as Got Stormy, Without Parole (GB) (Frankel {GB}) and Emmaus (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) did the early chasing. The opening quarter-mile was up in a manageable :23.85 with Luis Saez, fresh off a five-timer earlier in the week, sitting hard against Halladay. In the meantime, Got Stormy had fallen into the box seat stalking Halladay through the half-mile that was up in :47.19. The 4-year-old still held the call approaching the lane and was forced into an internal two furlongs in :22.96 and things began to look dicey, as Tyler Gaffalione had Got Stormy ready to pounce after popping off the inside in upper stretch. The mare, who’d been off form in three starts this season, had aim entering the final eighth of a mile and got to the saddle towel of Halladay, but the latter pulled out extra and scored going away. Champion Uni (GB) (More Than Ready), favored at 2.15-1 raced well back and failed to make any late impact in seventh, while second choice Raging Bull (Fr) (Dark Angel {Ire}) finished best of the Chad Brown quartet in fifth.

“We thought we were the speed in the race and we wanted to go ahead and let him do his thing, but he actually didn’t break cleanly and it took him four or five strides to get his legs underneath him,” said trainer Todd Pletcher, winning the Fourstardave for the third time (Red Giant, 2008; Sidney’s Candy, 2011). “Once he was able to get there, he pricked his ears and settled and relaxed nicely and kicked strong coming for home. At the three-sixteenths pole, Got Stormy made a big run at him and I thought it was going to be a close finish from there, but he was able to find a little more.”

Winner of last year’s Tropical Park Derby, Halladay couldn’t find the front and settled for fourth in the GIII Tampa Bay S. Feb. 8 before wiring a Gulfstream allowance over a mile Apr. 4. He accounted for future GI United Nations S. hero Aquaphobia (Giant’s Causeway) in the May 9 Sunshine Forever S. in Hallandale ahead of his Baruch effort.

Pedigree Notes:

With the victory, Halladay–who was purchased privately by bloodstock agent Steve Young after he RNA’d as a Keeneland September yearling–becomes the 22nd G1/GISW and 51st graded/group winner for his hugely successful stallion. He is the first North American Grade I winner bred from a daughter of Tapit and third top-level winner overall out of one of the Gainesway inmate’s producing mares (Gran Alegria {Jpn}; Qafila {Aus}). Tapit is now the broodmare sire of 17 GSWs overall.

Halladay’s dual Grade III-winning dam hails from her sire’s first crop that also included Grade I-winning fillies Stardom Bound, Careless Jewel and Laragh. Hightap was led out unsold on a bid of $130,000 when offered in foal to Gun Runner at Keeneland November in 2018 and produced a filly in 2019. She changed hands for $85,000 in foal to Union Rags at KEENOV last year, foaled a filly earlier this year and was bred to Hard Spun and Arrogate this breeding season.

Saturday, Saratoga
FOURSTARDAVE H.-GI, $400,000, Saratoga, 8-22, 3yo/up, 1mT, 1:33.32, gd.
1–HALLADAY, 118, c, 4, by War Front
                1st Dam: Hightap (MGSW, $300,345), by Tapit
                2nd Dam: Don’tellmichelle, by Regal Classic
                3rd Dam: L’Insatiable, by Caveat
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN, 1ST GRADE I WIN. ($225,000 RNA
Ylg ’17 KEESEP). O-Harrell Ventures, LLC; B-Gainesway
Thoroughbreds Ltd. & Winchell Thoroughbreds, LLC (KY);
T-Todd A. Pletcher; J-Luis Saez. $220,000. Lifetime Record:
14-6-2-4, $517,485. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Got Stormy, 118, m, 5, Get Stormy–Super Phoebe, by
Malabar Gold. ($23,000 Ylg ’16 KEESEP; $45,000 2yo ’17
EASMAY). O-Gary Barber; B-Mt. Joy Stables, Pope McLean,
Marc McLean & Pope McLean Jr. (KY); T-Mark Casse. $80,000.
3–Casa Creed, 118, c, 4, 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. $48,000.
Margins: 1 1/4, 1 1/4, 1 1/4. Odds: 5.30, 10.70, 10.60.
Also Ran: Emmaus (Ire), Raging Bull (Fr), Without Parole (GB), Uni (GB), Valid Point, Chewing Gum. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

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Pletcher Eyeing Runhappy Hopeful With Sharp Debut Winner Mutasaabeq

Following a highly impressive debut victory on the Runhappy Travers Day undercard at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., Shadwell Stables' Mutasaabeq will attempt to make the grade in the Grade 1, $250,000 Runhappy Hopeful on Monday, September 7.

The Todd Pletcher trained son of Into Mischief, out of the Scat Daddy broodmare Downside Scenario, arrived at his career debut off two sharp bullet works from the gate, where he went five furlongs in 59.03 and a half-mile in 46.53.

Since his maiden win, he worked a half-mile in 48.88 seconds on Monday over the Saratoga main track.

In his career debut traveling 5 ½ furlongs, Mutasaabeq broke a step slow out of the gate, was four wide in pursuit and powered away to a 4 1/2-length score that garnered an 84 Beyer Speed Figure.

“He had been touting himself in the morning, so we were hoping for a good debut out of him. His first step isn't that quick, we knew that going in. But once he gets going, he gets to be pretty fast,” Pletcher said. “He seemed to emerge from his race well and so right now we're pointing towards the Hopeful. We're very pleased with him. He definitely has trained as though the stretch out won't bother him, so we're excited about the way he's doing and we're looking forward to it.”

Bred in Kentucky by BlackRidge Stables, Mutasaabeq was purchased for $425,000 at the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, where he was consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency.

Pletcher is a three-time winner of the Runhappy Hopeful, scoring with Circular Quay (2006), Shanghai Bobby (2012), and Competitive Edge (2014).

On Saturday, Pletcher will be sending out Harrell Ventures' Halladay in the Grade 1, $400,000 Fourstardave Handicap at one mile over the inner turf at Saratoga.

The consistent 4-year-old son of War Front arrives at the Fourstardave after finishing fourth beaten 1 ¼ lengths in the Grade 2 Bernard Baruch, where he tracked a slow pace in second behind gate-to-wire winner Somelikeithotbrown.

A two-time stakes winner going 1 1/16 miles over the Gulfstream Park turf, Halladay has only finished off the board twice in 13 starts.

Halladay has posted two half-mile breezes over the Saratoga main track since his last effort going 48.55 seconds in his most recent move.

“We'll play it on the break, but if he's the main speed we won't take that away from him,” Pletcher said. “He's been doing well. I liked his two breezes since the race. It's a very tough race, but hopefully he's able to step up.”

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

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