A three-time stakes winner at Saratoga, Casa Creed will seek back-to-back wins in Saturday’s $500,000 Fourstardave H. (G1). The seven-year-old horse will square off against seven rivals in the “Win & You’re In” race for the Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1), and regular rider Luis Suez has the call for Bill Mott.
Casa Creed totes the 125-pound high weight in the mile affair over the inner turf following a one-length victory in the Kelso (G3) on Saratoga’s opening weekend, defeating Grade 1 winner Annapolis, who carries 124 pounds. Casa Creed counts the 2019 Hall of Fame (G2) at Saratoga among his 8 stakes wins, finishing third in the 2020 and 2021 editions of the Fourstardave before breaking through with a 1 1/2-length triumph last year. The son of Jimmy Creed will be rallying from off the pace.
Annapolis opened his four-year-old campaign with rallying win in the Opening Verse S. at Churchill Downs on Kentucky Derby week, notching his fifth career stakes tally, and the Todd Pletcher-trained colt owns a 4-2-2-0 record on Saratoga’s turf, including a convincing win in the Saranac (G3) and a runner-up in the Saratoga Derby (G1) last season. Irad Ortiz Jr. rides the stalker.
Pletcher has another contender in Emmanuel, who pocketed his fourth graded stakes win on turf when getting up by a neck in the Poker (G3) on the Belmont Stakes undercard. That marked the four-year-old colt’s first win at the mile distance, and Emmanuel will look to make a late impact with Jose Ortiz.
Grade 2 runner-up Ice Chocolat heads the remaining contestants.
One race earlier on the program, Haul figures to go favored in the $200,000 Saratoga Special (G2). Six two-year-olds are set for the 6 1/2-furlong test, and Haul will make his second start for Pletcher after posting a three-length win as the overwhelming favorite in a July maiden race at Belmont Park.
The $260,000 son of Army Mule showed speed from the start of his debut, and Irad Ortiz will be back up.
Rhyme Schemes crushed maiden special weight foes at Ellis Park when making his second start in mid-June, registering a field-best 93 Brisnet Speed rating for the 9 1/2-length decision. Ricardo Santana Jr. pilots the frontrunning son of Ghostzapper for Norm Casse.
Edified exits a 3 1/2-length score in his first outing at Ellis, and Joel Rosario will be back up on the $650,000 Tapit colt for Steve Asmussen. Lasso invades off a convincing first-out win at Gulfstream Park in early June, Edgard Zayas will accompany the Florida-bred Brethren colt for Juan Alvarado.
