Saratoga Race Course | Horse Racing Free Tips

Casse ‘All Smiles’ After Get Stormy’s Fourstardave Victory, 104 Beyer Speed Figure

Trainer Mark Casse was all smiles on Sunday morning at Saratoga Race Course after securing his first Grade 1 victory as a newly enshrined Hall of Famer when Got Stormy bested males to win the $500,000 Fourstardave for the second time on Saturday.

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.

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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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Awesome Debate, Sadie Lady Head Field For Union Avenue At Saratoga

Van Vranken Racing and NRB Racing Stable's Awesome Debate will look to make amends in her second start for trainer Bruce Brown in Thursday's $100,000 Union Avenue, a 6 1/2-furlong handicap on the main track for New York-bred fillies and mares 3-years-old and up, at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Claimed for $45,000 out of a winning effort on July 18 at Saratoga, the 5-year-old Honorable Dillon grey went to post as the odds-on favorite last out in an optional-claiming sprint on August 9 at Finger Lakes. After being fractious in the gate, Awesome Debate broke in the air, stumbled, and trailed the field of five throughout.

“That wasn't how it was written up,” said Brown, with a laugh. “She was supposed to win by 10 in a gallop and then I was going to run her back in this race, but it didn't quite work out that way.

“It's just one of those things. Bad racing luck,” he continued. “She came out of it great. Coming back out of that race was going to be running her back pretty close, but she didn't really do a whole lot of running that day. It was a public workout more than anything.”

Brown said Awesome Debate was very professional when schooling at the gate Saturday at Saratoga.

“She didn't turn a hair….which figures,” Brown said.

Bred in New York by Charlton Baker, who trained her through her first 13 starts, Awesome Debate has posted a record of 15-7-3-1 with purse earnings of $267,577. She was claimed for $45,000 out of a runner-up effort in May at Belmont by Danny Gargan and returned July 18 with a stylish score in a six-furlong state-bred optional-claiming sprint contested on a sloppy and sealed main track.

Brown said he appreciated the mare's nose for the wire.

“She's been very consistent lately. I've always liked that group of higher-priced New York-bred claiming fillies and older mares,” Brown said. “If you can have a decent one of those that's usually a pretty good thing.”

With the speedy Sadie Lady likely to dictate terms Thursday, Brown said the often-prominent Awesome Debate may utilize different tactics while trying to win beyond six furlongs for the first time.

“She's very tactical,” Brown said. “When I claimed her, I thought she had the look of a pure speed horse, but that day she sat off it and then went on with it. I don't think six and a half [furlongs] will be a problem for her.”

Awesome Debate, assigned 119 pounds, will emerge from post 5 under Luis Saez.

Dennis Narlinger's graded stakes-placed Sadie Lady has won three of her last four starts dating back to a 2 1/2-length optional claiming win in December, sprinting six furlongs at Aqueduct Race Track in Ozone Park, N.Y.

The Rob Atras trainee, bred by JMJ Racing Stables, followed with a head score in the six-furlong Correction Stakes in March at the Big A against open company ahead of a game second in the 6 1/2-furlong Grade 3 Vagrancy in May at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

Last out, the 5-year-old daughter of Freud made every call a winning one in the six-furlong Dancin Renee against fellow state-breds at Belmont.

Jose Ortiz retains the mount from the inside post as Sadie Lady, an eight-time winner from 20 starts, makes her Saratoga debut while carrying a field-high 124 pounds.

TLC Thoroughbreds homebred Hannah Dances is undefeated in four starts this campaign, all in sprint races at Finger Lakes, for trainer M. Anthony Ferraro.

The 4-year-old Shakin It Up grey, who will make her stakes debut while racing beyond six furlongs for the first time, boasts a record of 11-7-1-0 with purse earnings of $107,890.

Hannah Dances, carrying 118 pounds, will exit post 4 under Luis Perez.

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Trainer Ray Handal will saddle a formidable pair in stakes-placed Irish Constitution [post 3, Joel Rosario, 115 pounds] and eight-time winner Diva Banker [post 6, Dylan Davis, 116 pounds].

Perrine Time Thoroughbreds and West Paces Racing's Irish Constitution graduated on debut last July at Saratoga and followed with a distant fourth in the Grade 1 Spinaway Stakes. She completed her juvenile campaign with a runner-up effort in the Joseph A. Gimma in October at Belmont.

An optional-claiming winner in March at the Big A, the 3-year-old Constitution chestnut, bred by SF Bloodstock, was last seen finishing third – 5 1/2-lengths back of runner-up Awesome Debate – in a state-bred optional-claiming sprint on May 14.

The Handal-owned Diva Banker, a 5-year-old Central Banker mare bred by Jonath Meadean Inc., was claimed for $5,000 in January at Turfway Park in Florence, Ky., and two starts later captured an open claiming sprint in May at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. She followed with an off-the-pace state-bred allowance score in June at Belmont, but failed to fire last out in a state-bred optional claimer on August 11 at the Spa.

Rounding out the field is Joseph G. McMahon, Anne McMahon and Albert Lewis' Lot of Honey, a 3-year-old daughter of Central Banker who graduated in an off-the-turf state-bred maiden special weight sprint in June at Belmont.

Trained by James Ferraro and bred by McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds, Lot of Honey, assigned 114 pounds, will exit post 2 under Manny Franco.

The Union Avenue is slated as Race 9 on Thursday's 10-race card. First post is 1:05 p.m. Eastern. Saratoga Live will present daily television coverage of the 40-day summer meet on FOX Sports. For the complete Saratoga Live broadcast schedule, and additional programming information, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule.

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Brion Saddles Four Starters For Race Named For Mentor Sheppard

Trainer Keri Brion will hold a strong hand in a prestigious stakes that bears the name of her long-time mentor, saddling half of the eight-horse field in Wednesday's $150,000 Grade 1 Jonathan Sheppard in a 2 3/8-mile steeplechase contest at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

The 80th edition of the race formerly known as the New York Turf Writers Cup will be run for the first time under its new name, which honors the Hall of Fame trainer who won this race 15 times and trained at least one winner at Saratoga every consecutive year from 1969-2015. It will be the opener of Wednesday's 10-race card with a 1:05 p.m. Eastern post time.

Brion, a longtime assistant to Sheppard, took over the training responsibilities for many of his horses upon his retirement and has started to carve out her own reputation, saddling the top-two finishers of the Grade 1 A.P. Smithwick on July 22 at Saratoga when Baltimore Bucko and French Light ran 1-2 going 2 1/16 miles in the first Grade 1 hurdle race of the meet. In addition to that stellar pair, Brion will also send out The Mean Queen and A Silent Prayer.

“It's incredible that it shaped up the way it has with having half the field,” Brion said with a laugh. “When I heard the race was renamed, I was actually still in Ireland and I said to myself I was just hoping I would have a horse for that race. Now, I'm sitting here really hoping I win the race. It would mean a lot for me but I would love to win it for owners who were so supportive of Jonathan for so many years. Everything I know about steeplechase racing came from Jonathan, so it would obviously mean a lot to me to do it.”

Buttonwood Farm's Baltimore Bucko topped his stablemate by 5 3/4 lengths last out, building on his runner-up effort going 2 1/4 miles in the Green Pastures at the Nashville-based Percy Warner in June.

“It's amazing how fast he's come through the ranks,” Brion said. “I had both of these horses [French Light] in Ireland with me over the winter and they ran over there, so they have that added experience, which I think helped bring them along a lot quicker than maybe some others.”

Baltimore Bucko, a 5-year-old gelding, will now carry the high weight of 156 pounds with Richard Condon set to ride from post 3.

Irvin Naylor's French Light, carrying 152 pounds, will be looking to build on his stellar effort in his graded stakes debut, drawing post 4 with Jamie Bargary on the call.

“They went from being bottom weight end to being top weight and second top weight, so that changes things a little,” Brion said. “But the way they were first and second, you'd like to believe the weight shouldn't bother them too much.”

French Light raced five times for Brion in Ireland to start his 6-year-old campaign before making a statement in his return to North America. Brion said that race last month has only expediated his progress.

“His first race back in the states was the Smithwick, so I think he has a lot of improvement in him, just having that run in him,” Brion said.

The Mean Queen, also owned by Buttonwood Farm, appeared on her way to beating the boys before unseating rider Thomas Garner in deep stretch in the Jonathan Kiser Novice on July 28 at Saratoga.

The 5-year-old Doyen mare has already helped Brion accomplish something unprecedented when she captured the Slaney River Hurdle in April in Ireland, making her conditioner the first U.S. trainer to win a hurdle race in the country. She will re-team with Garner again, carrying 147 pounds from post 6.

“She made history for me,” Brion said. “She wasn't the winner of the novice stake, but she was by far the best in that race. There wasn't really anywhere else for her to run until September. She's doing really well. Her name fits her very well; she isn't easy to train, so it's easier just to run her. But she gets some weight off the boys and she's in a good spot. I think she's in with a shot as well.”

A Silent Player, also owned by Naylor, was fifth in the Jonathan Kiser last out in his stakes bow and will carry the co-field-low weight of 142 pounds with Barry Foley set to ride from post 5.

“He suffered an injury to his hind leg in his win in November, so his run back last time was his first time since his injury,” Brion said. “It's a lot harder to have a horse ready to go in Saratoga off an injury. He had to rehab off it, so I think he will be much improved this time around. He's pretty similar to Baltimore Bucko, to be honest. He's the bottom weight at 142, and I think that will really help. I think he'll run a lot better than he did in his last start.”

Hall of Famer Jack Fisher will send out two contenders in City Dreamer and Gibralfaro from posts 1 and 2, respectively.

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Riverdee Stable's City Dreamer ran second to Bodes Well in the Jonathan Kiser Novice and will step up to graded stakes company for the first time, carrying 146 pounds with Parker Hendriks in the irons.

His stablemate, the Riverdee-owned Gibralfaro was third last out in the A.P. Smithwick and will be competing in the Jonathan Sheppard for the third consecutive time, running fourth last year following a runner-up effort to Winston C in the 2019 edition. Gibralfaro will carry 148 pounds and have the services of rider Graham Watters.

Sharon Sheppard's Redicean, second in this stakes last year, two lengths back to winner Rashaan, returned off an 11-month layoff to run fourth in the A.P. Smithwick for trainer Leslie Young. After knocking off the rust, the 7-year-old British bred will break from post 8 carrying 150 pounds with Gerard Galligan aboard.

Half Married Syndicate's Recent Revelations made his first 23 starts in Europe and will look to make his mark in his North American debut, carrying 142 pounds in drawing post 7 with Harrison Beswick up.

Saratoga Live will present daily television coverage of the 40-day summer meet on FOX Sports. For the complete Saratoga Live broadcast schedule, and additional programming information, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule.

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Got Stormy Makes History Again With Second Win In Fourstardave

Two years after securing a triumph in the Grade 1, $500,000 Fourstardave in record-setting fashion, MyRacehorse Stable and Spendthrift Farm's Got Stormy bested males again in the 2021 edition, displaying stalking tactics and making a menacing stretch rally to capture the prestigious one mile event for 3-year-olds and up over the inner turf at Saratoga Race Course.

In capturing the Breeders' Cup “Win And You're In” qualifier, Got Stormy earned an automatic entry into the Grade 1, $2 million Breeders' Cup Mile on November 6 at Del Mar. Four of the last ten editions of the Fourstardave were captured by the subsequent winner of the Breeders' Cup Mile with World Approval [2017], Tourist [2016] and Wise Dan [2012-13] securing the Fourstardave-Breeders' Cup Mile double. Got Stormy finished second to Uni in the 2019 Breeders' Cup Mile.

Got Stormy, a 6-year-old daughter of 2010 Fourstardave victor Get Stormy, arrived at Saturday's engagement off two fifth-place finishes at graded stakes level. But the talented chestnut mare got back to winning form in a familiar spot, becoming the first horse to capture multiple editions of the Fourstardave since 2012-13 Horse of the Year Wise Dan.

Sent off as the third choice in her 2019 Fourstardave coup, Got Stormy returned $27 as the third longest shot in the eight-horse field.

“This was maybe even more exciting because they wrote her off,” Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse said. “They did the same to [2015 Champion Turf Female] Tepin, 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.”

Breaking from post 6 under Tyler Gaffalione, Got Stormy tracked in third as graded stakes-winner Blowout, one of three distaffers in the field, flaunted her usual frontrunning tactics through an opening quarter-mile in 23.45 seconds, 2 ½-lengths clear of 19-1 longshot Whisper Hill in second. Through a half-mile in 46.69 over firm going, Got Stormy maintained third position approaching the far turn as Gaffalione weaved the accomplished mare two paths wide and in the clear.

Blowout was still in front in upper stretch but Got Stormy collared the pacesetter nearing the furlong marker and drew away to a 1 ½-length victory in a final time of 1:33.09.

Set Piece was a late-rallying second, a half-length ahead of Grade 1 Jackpocket Jaipur-winner Casa Creed.

Got Stormy secured a third Grade 1 conquest, and seventh overall graded stakes win. In addition to her two non-consecutive Fourstardave victories, she captured the Matriarch at Del Mar in November 2019.

“She was taking me the whole way,” said Gaffalione, a three-time stakes winner this meet. “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 unleased a big run and it was all over from there.”

Casse said a second Breeders' Cup Mile will likely be in the works following Saturday's victory.

“It would have to be the Mile,” Casse said. “I have to think [about potential races in between]. It's so difficult with her; there's things she really likes and things she doesn't. I took her to Woodbine two years ago and she got beat there [second in the Grade 1 Woodbine Mile]. I have to think it over. I have to talk to the owners, so we'll figure it out.

“It turned out perfect,” Casse continued. “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. You could see how well she was training. She loves it here. She trains great here.”

Jockey Florent Geroux, aboard runner-up Set Piece, said his horse may not have cared for the surface.

“He did great. I felt the track wasn't playing in our favor,” Geroux said. I was up against it from the beginning since my horse is a deep closer, but he came running at the end. I'm very proud of his effort and he ran a good race. The mare really loved the track and she's great at this time of the season.”

Got Stormy, previously owned by Gary Barber, was purchased by her current ownership group for $2.75 million at the 2020 Fasig-Tipton November Sale.
Bred in Kentucky by Mt. Joy Stables, Pope McLean, Marc McLean and Pope McLean, Jr., Got Stormy banked $275,000 in victory, enhancing her lifetime bankroll to $2,398,403 through a record of 30-12-5-3.

Completing the order of finish were Blowout, Daddy Is a Legend, Raging Bull, Whisper Not and Field Pass.

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