2024 Fourstardave Handicap Preview

A $500,000 purse and a bid to the Breeders’ Cup Mile are at stake in the Grade 1, Fourstardave Handicap at Saratoga Race Course on Saturday, August 10. The summer highlight of the division, this one-mile turf race drew an original field of seven, though the defection of 2023 Breeders’ Cup Mile winner Master of the Seas because of a foot bruise leaves the field at six. The leaders include Wise Dan (G2) winner Ottoman Fleet and the up-and-coming Carl Spackler.

The race will be run Sunday, August 11. It was originally scheduled for Saturday, but Saratoga rescheduled its turf races due to rain from Tropical Storm Debby.

The race began as the Daryl’s Joy Handicap and was renamed for Saratoga Race Course fan favorite Fourstardave in 1996. The race has built an excellent reputation as a live Breeders’ cup Turf Mile prep race. Over the last few decades, five horses have won both this race and the Breeders’ Cup Mile in the same year: Lure (1993), Da Hoss (1996), Wise Dan (2012, 2013), Tourist (2016), and World Approval (2017).

2024 Fourstardave Handicap Information

• Race Date: Sunday, August 11
• Track: Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, NY
• Post Time: 6:16 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time
• Distance: one mile on the inner turf track
• Age/Sex: three-year-olds and up
• Where to Watch: FanDuel Racing, Fox Sports 1
• Where to Bet: FanDuel Racing

Fourstardave Handicap Draw and Odds

This is the field for the 2024 Fourstardave Handicap, including post positions, trainers, jockeys, and morning-line odds.

Fourstardave Handicap Prep Race Results

The six runners in the Fourstardave Handicap all come out of different races, with four coming out of graded-stakes company.

The two coming out of Grade 1 races are the only runners who did not win last out. Strong Quality was last seen in the 1 3/16-mile Manhattan (G1) during Belmont Stakes weekend at Saratoga, setting the early pace before flattening out to eighth and last, beaten seven lengths. More than Looks, the only runner who does not have at least one race this year, has not run since November 4 of last year, when he finished a gaining sixth, beaten only two lengths by Master of the Seas in the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Santa Anita Park.

Two other runners come out of graded-stakes wins. Ottoman Fleet, the horse who stays in for Charlie Appleby, wired the 1 1/16-mile Wise Dan (G2) at Churchill Downs on June 29. Carl Spackler earned his first graded score against older company on July 13 in the Kelso (G3) at Saratoga, winning that one-mile race by half a length over Arlington Million (G1) entrant Talk of the Nation.

Money Supply is the only runner to come out of an ungraded stakes. Freshened up for two months, he returned in the Jonathan B. Schuster Memorial on July 6 at Indiana Grand. Near the rear for much of the 1 1/16-mile race, he rallied in time to get up by a head over.

Major Dude is a multiple graded-stakes winner, but this time, he comes straight out of allowance company on July 20. He tracked the pace and took over late to win a conditioned allowance, going 1 ⅛ miles at Saratoga, clearing off to win by two lengths over Harlan Estate.

Fourstardave Handicap Contenders

These are the runners in the 2024 Fourstardave Handicap, in order of their post positions.

1. Strong Quality: Strong Quality, conditioned by Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse, has one kind of game. Especially from the rail, he has one thing to do: send from the rail and hope he can lead the field on a merry chase. Though it won’t be a giant multi-way battle, he won’t have it easy with Ottoman Fleet and even Carl Spackler likely to be in close range. He is a one-mile winner on both dirt and turf, and that close second over soft ground in the Fair Grounds Stakes (G3) in February suggests he could take to the rain-affected ground. However, he has yet to prove himself good enough against these, and his best hope is to hang on for a piece if someone does not take to the wet footing well.
2. Master of the Seas: Master of the Seas will not run due to a foot bruise.
3. Major Dude: He hasn’t tried Grade 1 company since finishing off the board in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf in 2022, but he won a pair of graded stakes last year, running consistently well in Grade 2 and Grade 3 races. As a four-year-old, he has ran just twice in allowance company and run well both times, including a two-length victory over stakes-winning, multiple graded-stakes placed Harlan Estate last out. That was his first start over the Saratoga lawn. He also has a graded-stakes win over yielding ground as a juvenile, in the Pilgrim (G2). The biggest question for him is the distance, as he has been inconsistent at the flat mile and has been better going a bit longer than this.
4. Carl Spackler: A lightly-raced four-year-old with only eight starts, he steps up to Grade 1 company for the first time. His speed figures are competitive, his tactical speed is appealing in a short field like this, and his strong records both at Saratoga (three-for-four) and at a mile on grass (four-for-five) speak well to his chances. The biggest question for him is the turf condition, as he has never run on lawn rated worse than good. He has won both of those starts on good turf, meaning he might take to the soft going, but the price will be short enough to justify asking the question.
5. Money Supply: Carl Spackler comes out for the Chad Brown barn; Money Supply, on the other hand, was claimed away from that shedrow in August of last year and has since won six of nine for trainer Joe Sharp. That includes the Mineshaft Handicap (G3) on the Fair Grounds dirt. However, turf is a new challenge: he tried the lawn for the first time on July 6, in a listed race of yielding ground. He rallied into an honest but not particularly fast pace to win by a head. The waters get deeper here, and it is unlikely that he will have a true pace collapse to run at. But, if he can step forward and relish wet turf once more, he could find the frame as the longest shot in the field.
6. Ottoman Fleet: He has the class for this field, especially after the defection of stablemate Master of the Seas: he is multiple Grade 1-placed and a multiple graded-stakes winner, including in the Arlington (G3) and Wise Dan (G2) in his last two starts. He has tactical speed from a nice near-outside draw. He also has a Group 3 win at Newmarket last year over soft going, meaning he has a chance to handle the footing after the rain this week. The biggest question is the distance: he has never tried a flat mile. He is a nice horse at 1 1/16 miles and 1 ⅛ miles, but at a short price, it is worth wondering whether a more proven miler like Carl Spackler will get the best of him at this trip.
7. More Than Looks: This is the wild card of the field, but given the sharp Saratoga meet (and the excellent year) that Cherie DeVaux is having, he is interesting. Big-race rider Irad Ortiz, Jr. takes the call, which also strengthens his chances. His gaining sixth, beaten only two lengths in the Breeders’ Cup last year, testifies to his class, and if he developed at all between ages three and four, he could be even tougher. DeVaux excels with layoff horses as well. Watch the price: he still has to answer the question of more rain-affected turf, and he has gotten a faster pace in his previous stakes-level tries than he is likely to get this time. But, if the tote board is skeptical, consider him.

Fourstardave Handicap FAQ

Q: When is the 2024 Fourstardave Handicap?

A: The 2024 Fourstardave Handicap happens Sunday, August 11 at 6:16 p.m. EDT. The race was originally scheduled for Saturday, but was moved out a day due to the rain from Tropical Storm Debby.

Q: Where is the Fourstardave Handicap?

A: The Fourstardave Handicap happens at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York.

Q: Which trainer has the most wins in the Fourstardave Handicap?

A: Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott leads all trainers with six wins in the race. His first came in 2000 with Hap, while his most recent came in 2023 with Casa Creed, when he took down his second straight edition of the Fourstardave.

Q: Who is the favorite for the Fourstardave Handicap?

A: Off strong international form Ottoman Fleet is the 8-5 morning-line favorite for the Fourstardave for trainer Charlie Appleby. However, Carl Spackler is 9-5 on the morning line; given both his mile form and the fact that he hails from the Chad Brown barn, it would be no surprise if Chad Brown actually comes favored at post time.

Q: Who is the best Fourstardave Handicap jockey?

A: John Velazquez has won an incredible nine editions of the Fourstardave (or its predecessor, the Daryl’s Joy Stakes) between 1992 and 2013. Velazquez can make it 10 if he guides Major Dude to victory in 2024.

Q: Who won the Fourstardave Handicap in 2023?

A: Casa Creed won the 2023 Fourstardave for Bill Mott and jockey Luis Saez. Casa Creed was retired earlier this year, and neither Mott nor Saez will appear in the 2024 edition.

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