The Fourstardave Handicap (Grade 1)- $500.000 Purse
SAR- For Three Year Olds and Upward
One Mile on the Inner Turf
August 11, 2018

Once again, it was raining at Saratoga. This has been the theme of the meet, and on Saturday the track would be Muddy/Soft. This would deal the horses in the 15th running of the Fourstardave Handicap and additional obstacle to overcome. After battling with the elements over eight furlongs, Mb Stables would pick up his first ever Fourstardave win with The Hand Youre Dealt, one of the top choices for the race. He had run well in the Shoemaker back in May, and now with this win, he will certainly be one to watch as we approach BC time. The winning jockey is J Alvarado, and it is his first win in the stake, too. Congratulations to them! The time of the victory was 1:36.85 on the soft going. Here’s a look at it!

(1/4 Mile- :24.09)- From the outside, TwinTowersRacing’s Bandito starts the quickest and is able to move mostly all the way to the rail in time for the first turn. He will have some company there, as John Henry’s Cobra Skull was also a quick starter, and is able to ride the rail for the turn. These two open up quickly by two and a half lengths on the rest of the competition. Next in line, we see Expressly, from Nakamura Stables and Nice Dive, out of Threshold, running side by side for the third position. About another two lengths, there is a three wide group consisting of Stormy Bello (Joshua Stables) on the rail, BC Mile Champion Ingrained (Mb Stables) in the middle, and Devil Six (D J C Racing Stables) on the outside. Trailing would be the eventual winner, The Hand Youre Dealt, from Mb Stables. He had six lengths to make up at this point.

(½ Mile- :48.36)- At the front, the two leaders do not seem to be having any difficulty with the soft going. Bandito is looking sharp, and really seemed to handle the turn well. Cobra Skull is hanging right there with him, and the gap is still two and a half to third place. In that position is Nice Dive, who also looked good in the turn, and pulled away from Expressly, who had previously been keeping him company. Expressly was a length behind him now, and pulling up to his outside for the backstretch trip would be Devil Six. Stormy Bello remained on the rail, and trailed by six, as the Mb Stables teammates trailed the field. The Hand Youre Dealt had a little more then seven lengths to make up now.

(Top Of Stretch, 1.7F To Go)- Towards the end of the backstretch, Nice Dive became even more ambitious and pulled into a three wide position on the track to get by the two front runners. Bandito and Cobra Skull would make him earn the pass, but by the top of the backstretch, he was in front, and looking pretty good. Devil Six wanted to follow him through at the top of the turn, and also seemed in good position. As this was going on, J Alvarado gave notice to The Hand Youre Dealt that it was time to go, and man, did he ever explode. There was some advance at the beginning of the turn, but midway through it, until the top of stretch, it was quite an impressive sight to watch. Now, at the top of the stretch, he had just two lengths to make up. That was not the only move being made. Along the rail, Stormy Bello also hit his best stride, and was able to methodically cut into the lead as they moved around the turn. He was ahead of The Hand Youre Dealt at this point, and a length and a half from the lead. Expressly was dropping out, and Ingrained was still well back.

(Finish- 1:36.85)- With a furlong to go, Nice Dive was trying to hold on, but he would not have enough. Coming through on the inside, Stormy Bello would take the lead for a little bit, but The Hand Youre Dealt was also running well on the outside. Devil Six tried to a player here for a bit, but could not keep up with the top two. In the final moments, The Hand Youre Dealt would have just a little more power in his stride, and is able to get the win over a strong effort by 61/1 longshot, Stormy Bello. Devil Six is third, nipping Nice Dive for that spot at the line. It was a gap of four and a half to Cobra Skull and Bandito, who tired out at the same pace. Ingrained and Expressly were even further back.

About The Winner- The Hand Youre Dealt, trained by Mb Stables, and ridden to victory by J Alvarado, is a four year old gelding by General Motors, and is out of Upper Hand. He was bred in Florida by Mb Stables as a second quarter two year old, and they have been together throughout. Congratulations to the connections! The win is his fifth in 17 starts, his second stake win, and his first graded win. His career earnings are now $599.080.

Track: Soft
Time: :24   :48¹  1:12³  1:36⁴

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 6 – 1 Paid 200.40
$1 Trifecta: 6 – 1 – 5 Paid 1,952.50

Scratched: Apollos Gold

— NS

Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES