Fourstardave Attracts Deep Field as New Grade I

There typically aren't many holes on the Grade I schedule at Saratoga. Pretty much every major division is covered. But until this year, one such gap existed for turf milers, who had to wait until the GI Woodbine Mile in September to get their shot at a top-level score. That is no longer an issue, as the Fourstardave H., thanks in large part to consistently strong fields, and such big-name winners as Wise Dan (Wiseman's Ferry), carries the Grade I tag for the first time this Saturday, and will have nine horses (plus one main-track-only entrant) contest the eight panels.

Defending champion Grand Arch (Arch), who gutted out a neck victory at 8-1 in last year's renewal, will attempt for a repeat while trying to bounce back from an uncharacteristically poor effort last out. The gelding captured the GI Shadwell Turf Mile last fall fate this Fourstardave triumph and closed his season with a solid third in the GI Breeders' Cup Mile. A narrow third in the GII Dixie May 21 at Pimlico to start his 7-year-old campaign, Grand Arch most recently finished a distant sixth in the GIII Poker S. June 18 at Belmont. He comes into this off a six-furlong breeze in 1:14 2/5 on the Saratoga main track Aug. 4.

“He's never run bad at Saratoga so we're hoping he gives us a repeat performance,” trainer Brian Lynch told the NYRA notes team. “There's the old saying 'horses for courses' and it seems like he likes this one. He's never really run good in those one-turn mile races at Belmont. We gave him a little bit of time and hopefully we've got him back on the right track. He seems like he's in good order going into Saturday.”

Ring Weekend (Tapit) and Force the Pass (Speightstown), the only other Grade I winners in the field, will also try to relive some 2015 glory. Ring Weekend took the GI Frank Kilroe Mile last March at Santa Anita, but was laid up afterward for over 14 months and returned with an unlucky second in the Dixie while hung wide throughout. Force the Pass, never out of the trifecta in 11 career starts, dominated the inaugural GI Belmont Derby last summer, but has yet to find the winner's circle since, running third in the GIII Appleton S. at Gulfstream Apr. 2 and completing the exacta in the aforementioned Poker and Forbidden Apple S. July 16 at Belmont.

Morning-line favoritism lies with Tourist (Tiznow), third by a neck to Grand Arch in the Shadwell Turf Mile and eighth in the Breeders' Cup Mile, off a big-figure runner-up effort in the GI Shoemaker Mile S. last out June 4 at Santa Anita. He couldn't quite get by Midnight Storm (Pioneerof the Nile), who returned with an equally gutsy win in Del Mar's GII Eddie Read S. July 17, but earned a 109 Beyer for the performance, the highest number earned by any runner in this field.

Takeover Target (Harlan's Holiday), victor of the GII Hall of Fame S. on this course last summer, will try to bounce back from a fourth-place in the Poker. Prior to that, he scored a neck victory going from last to first in the Dixie.

A viable longshot is Amerman Racing's A Lot (Tapit), who set a course record at Belmont in winning the seven-furlong Elusive Quality S. Apr. 30 and closed to be fourth, 1 1/4 lengths off another course record in the GIII Jaipur there June 11. A one-run closer in both of those races, he figures to show more speed in this stretch-out to two turns.