Casa Creed faces strong Pletcher pair in Fourstardave defense

Casa Creed will take on a pair of multiple graded-stakes winners in Annapolis and Emmanuel as he attempts to protect his title in Saturday’s 39th running of the Grade 1, $500,000 Fourstardave Handicap going one mile over Saratoga's inner turf.

The Fourstardave is a win-and-you’re-in qualifier, offering an automatic entry into the Breeders’ Cup Mile in November at Santa Anita.

Casa Creed, who sports field-high earnings of $2,185,308, boasts a 5: 3-0-2 record over the Spa turf. The 7-year-old Jimmy Creed bay’s winning form at Saratoga includes triumphs in the 2019 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame (G2) as well as the Kelso (G3) last out on July 15, where he raced to the outside of Annapolis down the backstretch before launching his bid around the far turn en route to a one-length victory. In last year’s Fourstardave, Casa Creed bested eventual champion female turf horse Regal Glory by 1 1/2 lengths after finishing third in the prior two runnings.

A win in the Fourstardave would give Casa Creed a pair of dual victories in a Grade 1 on the NYRA circuit. He captured back-to-back editions of the Jaipur (G1) going six furlongs at Belmont Park in 2021-22 before finishing third to reigning Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint winner Caravel in this year’s renewal on June 10.

Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott said Casa Creed, who finished a close second in the 1351 Turf Sprint (G3) in February at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Saudi Arabia, continues to train with vigor.

“He hasn’t missed any days. He’s been to the track, he’s had a couple of nice works. We’re just hoping for good weather,” Mott said. “He’s one of those horses that really takes good care of himself. He’s just in a good cycle. I guess he likes this time of year.”

Luis Saez will pilot Casa Creed, who will carry 125 pounds, from post 6.

Annapolis will attempt to turn the tables on Casa Creed as one of two Fourstardave aspirants for Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher.

The 4-year-old son of War Front raced to the inside of Casa Creed and fanned four to five wide around the far turn but could not reel in the winner in deep stretch. He entered the Kelso from a triumphant seasonal debut when defeating stakes-winner Churchtown by a head in the May 4 Opening Verse at Churchill Downs.

Annapolis enjoyed a prosperous sophomore campaign, which included a victory against elders in the Turf Mile (G1) in October at Keeneland, defeating Grade 1 winner Ivar and 2020 Breeders’ Cup Mile winner Order of Australia. He won the Saranac (G3) before the Turf Mile and was second to multiple Grade/Group 1 winner Nations Pride in last year’s Saratoga Derby Invitational (G1).

Pletcher expressed hope that Annapolis can work out a more favorable trip when attempting his second Grade 1 conquest.

“We just didn’t get away great. We got bottled up in the first turn and Casa Creed got the jump on us,” Pletcher said. “We were able to get to him late. This time, we’d like to get free a little bit sooner.”

Annapolis is full brother to stakes-placed Nevisian Sunrise and is out of the Grade 1-placed dual surface star My Miss Sophia, whose half-brother Materiality won the Grade 1 Florida Derby in 2015.

Pletcher will also saddle Emmanuel, who enters from two month’s rest after winning the Poker (G3) on June 10 at Belmont Park and earning a career-high 100 Beyer Speed Figure. The dual-surface-winning son of More Than Ready previously was a close third in the Dinner Party (G3) on May 21 at Pimlico.

The bay colt sports a consistent 5: 3-0-1 record this season, which kicked off with victories in the Tampa Bay (G3) in February and the Canadian Turf (G3) in March at Gulfstream Park. His only off-the-board effort this year took place when a distant seventh in the Maker’s Mark Mile (G1) in April at Keeneland.

“He’s doing well. We ran him back in three weeks following the Pimlico race, so we wanted to give him a little freshening for this race,” Pletcher said. “He’s pretty versatile in his running style so we’ll see how the field shapes up.”

Emmanuel initially contested dirt, winning his first two career starts and finishing third in the Blue Grass (G1) last April at Keeneland behind Zandon and Smile Happy before capturing his turf debut in last year’s Pennine Ridge (G2) at Belmont Park.

Current meet leading rider Irad Ortiz Jr. will pilot Annapolis at z124 pounds from post 4, while Emmanuel, at 121 pounds, will leave from post 1 in rein to Jose Ortiz.

Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse captured nonconsecutive runnings of the Fourstardave with multiple Grade 1-winning distaffer Got Stormy in 2019 and 2021 and will saddle three contenders for this year’s running.

Ice Chocolat (post 7, Joel Rosario, 118 pounds) brags the most graded stakes form of the Casse bunch and enters from a fourth in the Kelso. The Brazilian-bred Goldikovic 5-year-old was a close second in the Jacques Cartier (G3) on May 14 over the all-weather surface at Woodbine three starts back and was runner-up in the Kennedy Road (G2) on Nov. 27 over the same course.

My Sea Cottage (post 3, Dylan Davis, 114 pounds) will see a boost in class, entering from a local starter allowance score on July 13 going the Fourstardave distance. The Irish-bred Shalaa 5-year-old has yet to contest a graded stakes but has finished no worse than third in his previous seven starts.

Full Screen (post 2, Manny Franco, 115 pounds) will race with blinkers off in his second start for Casse, arriving from a fifth in a local one-mile allowance optional claimer on July 20. The Ontario-bred Big Screen dark bay won Woodbine’s Elgin last August and Lake Ontario in November for his previous conditioner Julie Belhumeur.

Rounding out the field is the Naipaul Chatterpaul owned and trained So High (post 5, Ruben Silvera, 116 pounds), who races with cheek pieces off after a seventh-place finish in the United Nations (G1) on July 22 at Monmouth Park.

The Fourstardave honors the “sultan of Saratoga,” who was best known for winning at least one race at the Spa every year from 1987 to 1994 in a racing career that featured 100 starts. Trained by Leo O’Brien and owned by Richard Bomze and Bernard Connaughton, Fourstardave was a 10-time winner at Saratoga, with five of those races taking place on the turf, including two editions of the West Point and back-to-back editions of his namesake race in 1990-91, which at the time was run as the Daryl’s Joy (G3).

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