FOURSTARDAVE (G2) RECAP: Sunday, August 1, 2010

Sunday, August 1, 2010

 

 

GET STORMY GOES ALL THE WAY IN FOURSTARDAVE

 

By Jon Forbes

 

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Get Stormy, who had a five-race winning streak end in his most recent start, returned to form on Sunday at Saratoga Race Course with a gate-to-wire victory in the 26^th running of the Grade 2, $150,000 Fourstardave.

 

Owned by his breeder, Mary Sullivan of Sullimar Stable, Get Stormy earned his first stakes victory when he won the Lure last year at Saratoga, then added victories in the Grade 3 Bryan Station at Keeneland and the Grade 3 Commonwealth Turf at Churchill Downs in the fall. A 3 ½-length victor of the May 22 Elkwood at Monmouth Park in his first start of 2010, Get Stormy faded to fourth in the Grade 2 King Edward at Woodbine June 27 and was attempting to start a new string of victories in the Fourstardave.

 

After stumbling at the start, Get Stormy recovered to grab a 1 ½-length lead, maintaining that advantage through fractions of 23.65 and 47.01. Pinckney Hill drew within a length of the pacesetter as the field turned for home, but Get Stormy had plenty in reserve, holding sway under a drive to win by 1 ¼ lengths, with Public Speaker edging out Zifzaf by a nose for second.

 

"My horse likes to be close to the pace – if he isn't on the lead he can be second or third, but he loves to go on the lead," said winning rider Javier Castellano. "Turning for home, everybody thought I didn't have a horse and they were asking, and he took off again."

 

Get Stormy's final time for 1 1/16^th miles on the Mellon Turf Course was 1:39.09, just 0.18 seconds off the track record set by the race's namesake when he won this race – then called the Daryl's Joy – in 1991.

 

"We got the kind of course he has proven himself on," said winning trainer Tom Bush. "He was really kind of rattling down the backside, and I wasn't sure if he'd have enough left. The fractions were pretty legit. This horse really is something special. He was a very light and narrow horse as a baby and he grew into such a strong, big horse. We want to sit down and back up from the Breeders' Cup and figure out what he needs to do between now and then."

 

The 3-2 favorite in the field of seven, Get Stormy returned $5.10 for a $2 win wager and improved his record 6-2-1 from 14 starts. The $90,000 winner's share of the purse boosted the homebred's career earnings to $435,961.

 

Whatsthescript, Radical Sabbatical, Pinckney Hill, and Wesley completed the order of finish.

 

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