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Master of The Seas continues Breeders’ Cup defense campaign in G1 FanDuel Fourstardave

by Michael Adolphson

Reigning Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Mile champion and Eclipse Award finalist Master of The Seas makes his long-anticipated Empire State debut in Saturday’s Grade 1, $500,000 FanDuel Fourstardave, at Saratoga Race Course. The one-mile inner turf handicap for 3-year-olds and up offers a “Win and You’re In” berth to the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Mile in November at Del Mar.

Stabled at Saratoga’s Godolphin-owned Greentree since late spring, the dyed-in-the-wool miler is a 6-year-old gelded son of Irish 2000 Guineas winner Dubawi and French 1000 Guineas runner-up Firth of Lorne. He has made his last four starts in North America at the distance, including one-sided wins in September’s Grade 1 Woodbine Mile and April’s Grade 1 Maker’s Mark Mile at Keeneland - the latter his lone start this year.

Training forwardly toward his relaunch to the second-half of the season, the Charlie Appleby pupil has slowly tightened the screws in the mornings, including a four-furlong breeze in 48 flat - ranked fourth of 75 moves - on July 26 over the Oklahoma training turf. The eight-time graded/group stakes winner and earner in excess of $2.5 million seeks to add to what has already been a prolific career when Flavien Prat rides from post 2 carrying a field-high 126 pounds.

“We’re very happy with him and he’s a horse who goes very well fresh,” said Chris Connett, assistant to Appleby. “Ever since he won the Maker’s Mark down at Keeneland, this was always the idea to come to the Fourstardave with a fresh horse. He’s been working nicely over the Oklahoma track. He’s just a lovely horse to be around who keeps it pretty simple for us.”

The Godolphin team will also send the in-form Ottoman Fleet to post, fresh off a pair of Churchill Downs 1 1/16-mile stakes wins in June - the Grade 3 Arlington and Grade 2 Wise Dan. An easy winner of those runs, the $574,516 Tattersalls October 2020 purchase returns to top-level company for the first time since a runner-up effort to subsequent 2024 Grade 1 Resorts World Casino Manhattan winner Measured Time in Meydan’s Jebel Hatta in January, while dropping back in distance to one mile for the first time in his career.

A winner of five graded/group stakes, including Belmont’s Grade 2 Fort Marcy last year, the millionaire makes his 20th start, this time with Hall of Famer Joel Rosario in the saddle from post 6 assigned 123 pounds.

“He’s a horse the team has always liked, who’s been pretty consistent in Dubai and Europe,” Connett continued. “This year, he’s put together a pair of very nice wins cutting slowly back in trip. Last time, Flavien got off him and said, ‘I think he’s getting quicker,’ which is a nice thing to have going into a big race like this. We have one horse at proven Group 1 level and another in really good form who deserves a chance.”

One of the few New York turf Grade 1s to elude Chad Brown is the Fourstardave, but that could change on Saturday, especially with e Five Racing Thoroughbreds’ Carl Spackler [post 4, Tyler Gaffalione, 122 pounds] carrying the flag.

A son of dual French classic winner Lope de Vega, the 4-year-old colt is 4-for-5 at one mile and 3-for-4 at Saratoga, including the course-and-distance Grade 3 Kelso on July 13. The emblazoned chestnut finished up his prep work with a best-of-6 five-furlong breeze in 1:01.55 on August 2.

“He breezed good,” Brown said. “It was a little maintenance work and I was real pleased with it. It would be nice to secure him a Grade 1. When he’s on his game, he’s a top-level horse and he seems to be rounding right back into form. He’s a very solid horse and I do think he’s got another forward move in him at some point. I hope that’s in this race.”

Victory Racing Partners’ Cherie DeVaux-trained Grade 3 winner More Than Looks [post 7, Irad Ortiz, Jr., 120 pounds] makes his first start of the season in the Fourstardave, one week after being scratched from the rained-off Listed Fasig-Tipton Lure on August 3 at The Spa. A respectable sixth in Master of The Sea’s Breeders’ Cup Mile, he rallied impressively to pass seven horses in the stretch and lose by two lengths.

“It is not an ideal ‘Plan B’ to come off such a long layoff into this spot,” DeVaux said. “Ultimately, I think he obviously belongs with these horses, but it’s a tough spot to return to the races. I wouldn’t be opposed to running if the turf had a bit of give in it. We were going to run yesterday if it had stayed on the turf.

“The goal is definitely to run him back in the Breeders’ Cup Mile,” DeVaux continued. “He ran exceptionally well in that race last year, but just couldn’t get in a position to make his run. He came home in 22 and change after being last basically the whole race until the top of the stretch. He does belong with these horses, but he is coming back from a pretty significant tendon injury, so we are just hoping we can have him about 80-85 percent ready for this run.”

Striking while the proverbial iron is hot, Spendthrift Farm’s Major Dude [post 3, John Velazquez, 120 pounds], trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, was an eye-catching winner in nine-furlong optional-claiming company at The Spa on July 20, quickly spurting clear in mid-stretch to win by two lengths. A triple graded stakes winner over as many tracks, including Aqueduct’s Grade 2 Pilgrim in 2022, he cuts back to the same distance over which he won the Grade 2 Penn Mile in 2023.

Gary Barber and Kinsman Stable’s dual Listed stakes winner Strong Quality [post 1, Dylan Davis, 119 pounds] has failed to hit the board in three Grade 1 tries and enters off a seventh in the Grade 1 Resorts World Casino Manhattan, but has finished fifth or better in all other stakes attempts. He represents connections who must be respected, including three-time Fourstardave-winning Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse.

“He loves it up here,” Casse assistant Shane Tripp said. “He’s put on some weight and I’m looking forward to leading him over. With his speed, I’m looking forward to running him a mile around those two turns. He’s such an honest horse. He shows up every time.”

Jordan V Wycoff’s Money Supply [post 5, Manny Franco, 119 pounds] seeks his fourth victory of the season when he goes to post for trainer Joe Sharp.

Winner of last month’s Listed Jonathan B. Schuster Memorial at Horseshoe Indianapolis, the son of Practical Joke steps up significantly in class in what will be his second start on turf. A Saratoga winner last year on dirt for former trainer Chad Brown, he was claimed out of that run for current connections and proceeded to win five straight races, as well as six of his past eight.

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The Grade 1 Saratoga Derby Invitational, which was originally scheduled for Saturday, August 3, was canceled and re-scheduled for Saturday, August 10 due to heavy rainfall.

For the second consecutive year, per a partnership between the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) and Moonee Valley Racing Club, the $600,000 affair’s winner will receive an automatic berth into the prestigious Group 1, AUD$5 million Ladbrokes Cox Plate, set to take place on October 26 in Australia.

The 1 3/16-mile Mellon turf test for sophomores, originally carded with eight horses, was brought back as an extra with entries taken Sunday and again attracted a field of eight.

From the original field, the Aidan O'Brien-trained dual group-stakes winner Diego Velazquez returned to Europe; Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey-trained Cugino was scratched Saturday after spiking a temperature and did not re-enter; and the Chad Brown-trained White Palomino has opted out.

However, the field is boosted by the addition of last-out Grade 1 Belmont Derby Invitational-winner Trikari [post 8, John Velazquez] for trainer Graham Motion.

The Oscar Performance bay has won 4-of-7 starts, including wins this year in the 1 1/16-mile Rushaway in March at Turfway Park, and a 47-1 annexing of the 1 1/16-mile Grade 2 American Turf in May at Churchill Downs.

Five members of the original Saratoga Derby Invitational field return for Saturday's test, including the third and fourth-place Belmont Derby finishers in Legend of Time [post 1, Flavien Prat] for trainer Charlie Appleby and Royal Majesty [post 3, Junior Alvarado] for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott. Also returning are the Christophe Clement-trained graded stakes-winning duo of Deterministic [post 6, Joel Rosario] and Carson's Run [post 4, Dylan Davis], along with allowance winner Izzy d'Oro [post 2, Irad Ortiz, Jr.] for trainer and co-owner Blake Kelly.

Additional newcomers to the Saratoga Derby field are dual Grade 3-winner First World War [post 7, Frankie Dettori] for trainer Brendan Walsh, and graded stakes-placed Fulmineo [post 5, Tyler Gaffalione] for trainer Arnaud Delacour.

The Fourstardave is slated as Race 10 on Saturday’s 12-race card, while the Saratoga Derby Invitational will go as Race 6. A lucrative program also features the Grade 2, $200,000 Saratoga Special in Race 8, the re-scheduled Grade 2, $300,000 Troy in Race 9 and the Listed $150,000 Galway in Race 12. First post is 12:35 p.m. Eastern.

Saratoga Live will present live coverage and analysis of the Saratoga Race Course summer meet on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule/.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Saratoga Race Course, and the best way to bet every race of the summer meet. Available to horse players nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.