Fourstardave Handicap
Horse race
The Fourstardave Handicap is a Grade I American Thoroughbred horse race for horses that are three years old or older over a distance of one mile on the turf course scheduled annually in August at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York . The event currently carries a purse of $500,000.
History
The event was inaugurated on 31 July 1985, Opening Day of the Saratoga meeting for that year as the Daryl's Joy Stakes at a distance of 1+ 1 ⁄16 miles and was won by Roving Minstrel who was ridden by United States' Racing Hall of Fame jockey Ángel Cordero Jr. in a time of 1:452 ⁄5 .[ 1] The New Zealand-bred Daryl's Joy was a Two Year Champion in 1968 there, and after a successful spring campaign in Australia in 1969 winning the W. S. Cox Plate and Victoria Derby the colt was sold to the US where he won six races in eleven starts for United States' Racing Hall of Fame trainer Charles E. Whittingham .[ 2]
Early winners of the event won even more important events and the status of the race grew in importance. In 1988 the event was classified as Grade III .[ 3] The winner of the First Division of the split divisions in 1989, the British bred horse Steinlen later that year would win the Breeders' Cup Mile . In 1990 and 1991, the New York State bred Fourstardave won the race.[ 4]
In 1995 New York Racing Association renamed the event to The Fourstardave , nicknamed "The Sultan of Saratoga" because he won at least one race at the Saratoga track each year from 1987 to 1994. Fourstardave died of a heart attack in October 2002 at the age of 17 and is buried in Clare Court at Saratoga Race Course. This is a rare honor since only three horses are buried there.[ 5]
In 2012 the distance of the event was decreased from 1+ 1 ⁄16 miles to one mile.[ 3]
The event was upgraded to Grade II in 2000[ 4] and achieving Grade I status in 2016.[ 6]
The race was moved off the turf to dirt in 1992 and 2002 due to weather conditions.[ 3] In 2002 the grade of the event was lowered due to the change of surface as designated by the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association .
In the 2014 renewal, Seek Again set a Saratoga course record in the event which was broken again in 2019 by the mare Got Stormy, who is the only mare to have won the race.[ 7] In 2021 Got Stormy won the event again at odds of 12–1.[ 8]
Several horses who have won this event became celebrated champions. The 1993 winner Lure went on to win the Breeders' Cup Mile later in the year also the 1996 winner Da Hoss went on to win the Breeders' Cup Mile later. Both horses were two-time winners of the Breeders' Cup Mile . The 2005 Brazilian bred winner Leroidesanimaux would become US Champion Male Turf Horse . Dual winner Wise Dan would become US Horse of the Year in both 2012 and 2013 the years he won of the event. The last horse to win the event and the Breeders' Cup Mile was the champion World Approval in 2017.
Records
Speed record:
1 mile: Got Stormy (2019) – 1:32.00
1+ 1 ⁄16 miles: Fourstardave (1991) – 1:38.80
Most wins:
2 – Fourstardave (1990, 1991)
2 – Wise Dan (2012, 2013)
2 – Got Stormy (2019, 2021)
2 – Casa Creed (2022, 2023)
Most wins by a jockey :
Most wins by a trainer :
Most wins by an owner:
2 – Fernwood Sable (1986, 1987)
2 – Frances A. Genter (1987, 1988)
2 – Richard Bomze & Bernard Connaughton (1990, 1991)
2 – Juddmonte Farms (1992, 2014)
2 – Darley Stable (2003, 2009)
2 – WinStar Farm (2011, 2016)
2 – Morton Fink (2012, 2013)
2 – LRE Racing, LLC and JEH Racing, LLC (2022, 2023)
Winners
Year
Winner
Age
Jockey
Trainer
Owner
Distance
Time
Purse
Grade
Ref
Fourstardave Handicap
2024
Carl Spackler (IRE)
4
Tyler Gaffalione
Chad C. Brown
e Five Racing Thoroughbreds
1 mile
1:36.63
$500,000
I
[ 9]
2023
Casa Creed
7
Luis Saez
William I. Mott
LRE Racing & JEH Racing Stable
1 mile
1:34.20
$500,000
I
[ 10]
2022
Casa Creed
6
Luis Saez
William I. Mott
LRE Racing & JEH Racing Stable
1 mile
1:34.20
$500,000
I
[ 11]
2021
ƒ Got Stormy
6
Tyler Gaffalione
Mark E. Casse
Spendthrift Farm & My Racehorse Stable
1 mile
1:33.09
$500,000
I
[ 8]
2020
Halladay
4
Luis Saez
Todd Pletcher
Harrell Ventures
1 mile
1:33.32
$400,000
I
[ 12]
2019
ƒ Got Stormy
4
Ricardo Santana Jr.
Mark E. Casse
Gary Barber & Southern Equine Stable
1 mile
1:32.00
$500,000
I
[ 7]
2018
Voodoo Song
4
Jose Lezcano
Linda L. Rice
Barry K. Schwartz
1 mile
1:35.96
$513,750
I
[ 13]
2017
World Approval
5
Manuel Franco
Mark E. Casse
Live Oak Racing
1 mile
1:37.65
$500,000
I
[ 14]
2016
Tourist
5
Joel Rosario
William I. Mott
WinStar Farm , Wachtel Stable, Gary Barber
1 mile
1:34.29
$500,000
I
[ 15]
2015
Grand Arch
6
Luis Saez
Brian A. Lynch
Jim & Susan Hill
1 mile
1:34.65
$500,000
II
[ 16]
2014
Seek Again
4
Joel Rosario
William I. Mott
Juddmonte Farms
1 mile
1:33.25
$500,000
II
[ 17]
2013
Wise Dan
6
John R. Velazquez
Charles LoPresti
Morton Fink
1 mile
1:34.00
$500,000
II
[ 18]
2012
Wise Dan
5
John R. Velazquez
Charles LoPresti
Morton Fink
1 mile
1:37.30
$500,000
II
[ 19]
2011
Sidney's Candy
4
John R. Velazquez
Todd A. Pletcher
WinStar Farm & Rubio B. Stable
1+ 1 ⁄16 miles
1:43.25
$150,000
II
[ 20]
2010
Get Stormy
4
Javier Castellano
Thomas M. Bush
Sullimar Stable
1+ 1 ⁄16 miles
1:39.09
$150,000
II
[ 21]
2009
Justenuffhumor
4
Alan Garcia
Kiaran P. McLaughlin
Darley Stable
1+ 1 ⁄16 miles
1:42.83
$158,750
II
[ 22]
2008
Red Giant
4
John R. Velazquez
Todd A. Pletcher
Peachtree Stable
1+ 1 ⁄16 miles
1:41.93
$150,000
II
[ 23]
2007
Silver Tree
7
Kent J. Desormeaux
William I. Mott
Peter Vegso
1+ 1 ⁄16 miles
1:41.88
$150,000
II
[ 24]
2006
Remarkable News (VEN)
4
Javier Castellano
Angel A. Penna Jr.
Holly Rincon
1+ 1 ⁄16 miles
1:40.81
$147,000
II
[ 25]
2005
Leroidesanimaux (BRZ)
5
John R. Velazquez
Robert J. Frankel
Stud TNT
1+ 1 ⁄16 miles
1:39.92
$200,000
II
[ 26]
2004
Nothing to Lose
4
John R. Velazquez
Robert J. Frankel
Kenneth & Sarah Ramsey
1+ 1 ⁄16 miles
1:39.50
$200,000
II
[ 27]
2003
Trademark (SAF)
7
Richard Migliore
Kiaran P. McLaughlin
Darley Stable
1+ 1 ⁄16 miles
1:39.29
$200,000
II
[ 28]
2002
Capsized
6
José A. Santos
Lisa L. Lewis
Gold Spur Stable & Stonerside Stable
1+ 1 ⁄8 miles
1:50.90
$200,000
III
Off turf [ 29]
2001
Dr. Kashnikow
4
John R. Velazquez
John C. Kimmel
Erdenheim Farm
1+ 1 ⁄16 miles
1:39.30
$200,000
II
[ 30]
2000
Hap
4
Jerry D. Bailey
William I. Mott
Edward White & Michael Paulson
1+ 1 ⁄16 miles
1:40.24
$200,000
II
[ 31]
1999
Comic Strip
4
Pat Day
Neil J. Howard
William S. Farish III , G. Watts Humphrey Jr. & James Elkins
1+ 1 ⁄16 miles
1:41.76
$150,000
III
[ 32]
1998
Wild Event
5
Mark Guidry
Louis M. Goldfine
Arthur I. Appleton
1+ 1 ⁄16 miles
1:39.25
$114,900
III
[ 33]
Fourstardave Stakes
1997
Soviet Line (IRE)
7
Pat Day
Kiaran P. McLaughlin
Shiek Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum
1+ 1 ⁄16 miles
1:39.99
$112,500
III
[ 34]
1996
Da Hoss
4
John R. Velazquez
Michael W. Dickinson
Prestonwood Farm
1+ 1 ⁄16 miles
1:40.54
$118,500
III
[ 35]
Daryl's Joy Stakes
1995
Pride of Summer
7
Eddie Maple
Anthony J. Bizelia
TOC Stable, et al.
1+ 1 ⁄16 miles
1:40.85
$115,400
III
[ 36]
Daryl's Joy Handicap
1994
§ A in Sociology
4
Jean-Luc Samyn
Philip G. Johnson
Barbara Ronca
1+ 1 ⁄16 miles
1:41.23
$115,400
III
[ 37]
Daryl's Joy Stakes
1993
Lure
4
Mike E. Smith
Claude R. McGaughey III
Claiborne Farm
1+ 1 ⁄16 miles
1:40.84
$120,200
III
[ 38]
1992
Now Listen
5
John R. Velazquez
Robert J. Frankel
Juddmonte Farms
1 mile
1:36.64
$119,400
III
Off turf [ 39]
1991
Fourstardave
6
Mike E. Smith
Leo O'Brien
Richard Bomze & Bernard Connaughton
1+ 1 ⁄16 miles
1:38.80
$119,400
III
[ 40]
1990
Fourstardave
5
Mike E. Smith
Leo O'Brien
Richard Bomze & Bernard Connaughton
1+ 1 ⁄16 miles
1:41.20
$95,250
III
[ 41]
1989
Steinlen (GB)
5
Ángel Cordero Jr.
D. Wayne Lukas
George E. Rowand
1+ 1 ⁄16 miles
1:41.00
$89,925
III
Division 1 [ 42]
Highland Springs
6
Edgar S. Prado
Barclay Tagg
Wildenstein Stable
1:41.60
$89,925
Division 2 [ 43]
1988
San's the Shadow
4
Ángel Cordero Jr.
Timothy A. Hills
Frances A. Genter
1+ 1 ⁄16 miles
1:40.00
$93,900
III
[ 44]
1987
Persian Mews (IRE)
4
José A. Santos
Thomas J. Skiffington
Fernwood Stable
1+ 1 ⁄16 miles
1:42.00
$85,200
Division 1 [ 45]
Duluth
5
Jean Cruguet
Flint S. Schulhofer
Frances A. Genter
1:42.80
$85,200
Division 2 [ 46]
1986
Mourjane (IRE)
6
José A. Santos
Thomas J. Skiffington
Fernwood Stable
1+ 1 ⁄16 miles
1:42.80
$56,600
[ 47]
1985
Roving Minstrel
4
Ángel Cordero Jr.
Larry A. Kelly
Craig F. Cullinan Jr.
1+ 1 ⁄16 miles
1:45.40
$56,100
[ 1]
Legend:
Dirt
Turf
Notes:
§ Ran as an entry
ƒ Filly or Mare
See also
References