Halladay wires Fourstardave for Grade 1 breakthrough

Trainer Todd Pletcher felt that Halladay “had a little bit of a pace advantage” over his rivals Saturday in Saratoga’s Grade 1, $400,000 Fourstardave Handicap. Jockey Luis Saez let his mount take advantage of that speed, and he pulled off a gate-to-wire victory.

Halladay, a 4-year-old War Front colt, scored his first Grade 1 triumph in the Fourstardave. He won back-to-back races this spring at Gulfstream Park before finishing fourth July 26 at Saratoga in the Bernard Baruch Handicap (G2).

After conceding the lead early on in the Bernard Baruch, the plan Saturday was for Halladay to take it from the beginning.

“I know he’s way better on the lead,” Saez said. “He likes to run free.”

Halladay went :23.85 and :47.19 through the first two panels of the Fourstardave, a mile-long turf trip that drew nine older horses. Got Stormy, the 2019 winner of this event, followed the leader with Emmaus to her outside.

Coming into the stretch, Halladay stayed to his left lead. He fought off the challenge from Got Stormy and ran along the rail to a one-length victory.

“Luis said when turned for home, he kicked so hard, like the ground kind of slipped away from him a little bit,” Pletcher said. “That was when he went back to his left lead. But he just left him alone because he was running.”

Halladay covered the eight furlongs in 1:33.32 and returned $12.60 as a 5-1 shot. Behind runner-up Got Stormy was Casa Creed.

Runners to miss the board included a quartet of Chad Brown trainees: Raging Bull, Uni, Valid Point and Without Parole. Uni, the Eclipse Award 2019 Champion Older Female, went off Saturday as the 2-1 favorite.

Harrell Ventures campaigns the Kentucky-bred Halladay, who clinched a Breeders’ Cup Mile berth with his Fourstardave victory. He joins Circus Maximus, Gran Alegria, Mohaather, Palace Pier, Raging Bull and Vardy as Challenge Series race winners for the Mile division.