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Regal Glory takes on the boys in G1 Fourstardave

by Ryan Martin

After beating some of the best in her division in three starts this year, Peter Brant’s Regal Glory will face males for the first time in Saturday’s Grade 1, $500,000 Fourstardave over the inner turf at Saratoga Race Course.

The one-mile turf test is a Breeders’ Cup “Win And You’re In” qualifier, offering the winner an automatic entry into the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Mile on November 5 at Keeneland.

Trained by four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown, the 6-year-old Animal Kingdom chestnut mare captured each of her three victories this year over different turf courses. Following a triumphant 2022 commencement in the Grade 3 Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf Invitational on January 29 at Gulfstream Park, she registered a career-best 104 Beyer Speed Figure with a one-length victory over stablemate Shantisara in the Grade 1 Jenny Wiley in April at Keeneland. She enters off a win in the Grade 1 Longines Just a Game on June 11 at Belmont Park over next out graded stakes winners Wakanaka and stablemate In Italian.

Regal Glory has consistently worked over the Oklahoma training turf, breezing in company with multiple graded stakes winner Technical Analysis. Both horses completed their five furlong moves in 1:00.29 seconds on August 7 – the second fastest of 20 recorded works at the distance. 

Boasting an overall record of 19-12-4-0 and earnings of $2,111,009, Regal Glory has won at graded stakes level seven times. Unbeaten in a trio of starts at the Spa, she won the Grade 3 Lake George and Grade 3 Lake Placid in 2019 before returning two years later to win the De La Rose.

“She’s having a great year - the best year of her career. At age six, she’s been a pleasant surprise,” Brown said. “She’s in great form and she’s run well at Saratoga before so that gives me a lot of confidence.” 

Regular pilot Jose Ortiz will ride Regal Glory from post 3. 

Regal Glory’s biggest challenge may come from stablemate and Juddmonte homebred Masen [post 4, Flavien Prat]. The 4-year-old Kingman gelding made his North American debut as the favorite in the Grade 1 Maker’s Mark Mile on April 15 at Keeneland, missing by a slim margin to Shirl’s Speight. A winner of his last two starts traveling one mile over the Belmont Park Widener turf course, Masen captured the Seek Again on May 22 before securing a graded stakes win in the Grade 3 Poker on June 18. 

LRE Racing and JEH Racing Stable’s Casa Creed, a dual Grade 1-winning millionaire, arrives off a repeat victory in the Grade 1 Jaipur on June 11 at Belmont. He has finished third in the last two runnings of the Fourstardave for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, a four-time Fourstardave winner. The 6-year-old son of Jimmy Creed will attempt his first Spa win since taking the Grade 2 National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in August 2019. 

Luis Saez will pick up the mount from the inside post. 

Hall of Famer Mark Casse, who saddled turf distaffer Got Stormy to two non-consecutive victories in the Fourstardave [2019 and 2021], sends out graded stakes winner Get Smokin [post 5, Javier Castellano] for owners Ironhorse Racing Stable, BlackRidge Stables, T-N-T Equine Holdings and Saratoga Seven Racing Partners.

The four-time winner was second twice at graded stakes level this year, making his 2022 debut when a frontrunning second in the Grade 3 Tampa Bay on February 5 at Tampa Bay Downs. After an international engagement when a distant 16th in the Group 1 Al Quoz Turf Sprint on March 26 at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai, he was a narrowly beaten second in the Grade 3 Arlington on June 4 at Churchill Downs. He arrives from a fourth-place finish to City Man in the Grade 3 Forbidden Apple on the Spa’s opening weekend. 

Completing the field is George Sharp’s Front Run the Fed, a last out stakes winner for trainer Caio Caramori. Previously conditioned by Chad Brown, the 6-year-old son of Fed Biz made his 2022 debut a winning one in Colonial Downs’ Van Clief on July 18. 

Irad Ortiz, Jr will have the call from post 2.

The Fourstardave is carded as Race 10 on Saturday’s 11-race program, which also includes the Grade 2, $200,000 Saratoga Special in Race 4. First post is 1:05 p.m. Eastern. 

Saratoga Live will present daily coverage and analysis of the summer meet at Saratoga Race Course on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, 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.