Johannes Starts 2025 Campaign in Fourstardave

West Coast horses normally do not leave Del Mar and ship cross country for a Saratoga Race Course turf stakes.

But Johannes  is not your typical turf horse.

A finalist for the Eclipse Award as the outstanding male turf horse a year ago, he will make his long-awaited 2025 debut Aug. 2 in the $750,000 Fourstardave Stakes (G1T) at the Spa, a race that could provide him with a return trip to the Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T) at Del Mar.

"It's a grade 1. It's a 'Win and You're In' and we thought we'd take advantage of those opportunities," trainer Tim Yakteen said.

As a Breeders' Cup Challenge Series event, the winner of the mile Fourstardave will get a free, automatic spot in the Mile, which was the lone blemish on the son of Nyquist  's 2024 record. He finished second to More Than Looks   by three-quarters of a length at Del Mar in the World Championships.

WATCH: Yakteen on Johannes' First Day at Saratoga

A homebred owned by Cuyathy LLC, he closed out the year with a victory in the San Gabriel Stakes (G2T) at Santa Anita Park but came out of his fifth win in six 2024 starts with bone bruising that required a few months off and allowed Yakteen to patiently train him for an abbreviated 5-year-old campaign.

"Everything's been uneventful and he's doing super," Yakteen said. "We'll find out if he's 100% but he's doing exceptionally well."

While the ultimate goal is the Breeders' Cup back home at Del Mar, Yakteen says he'll take it one race at a time to the get the son of the Congrats mare Cuyathy  there.

"Last year we had a pretty defined plan, but we'll take it one step at a time," Yakteen said. "I imagine we'll have only one more race after this before the Breeders' Cup."

The field of 10 for Saturday's grade 1 stakes also includes a duo for trainer Chad Brown, who won the Fourstardave for the first time last year with Carl Spackler .

Brown will send out grade 1 winner Spirit of St Louis , who is coming off an infrequent subpar performance, and Intellect , who is seeking an initial graded stakes win.

Owned by Madaket Stables, Michael Dubb, and Richard Schermerhorn, Spirit of St Louis never fired as a 9-5 favorite in the June 8 Manhattan Stakes (G1T) at the Spa, which came on the heels of his triumph in the Turf Classic Stakes (G1T) at Churchill Downs.

"The only thing that concerns me is I haven't seen his best numbers (speed figures) at Saratoga. Dry or soft," Brown said about the son of Medaglia d'Oro  . "He's run some nice races here, but in looking at his entire body of work, he hasn't run his fastest at Saratoga."

Intellect, a son of Intello  owned by Madaket, Dubb, and Steven Bouchey, started his career in France before he was bought and given a year off. In three 2025 United States starts for Brown, he has two seconds and a third, including a length loss last time out when second in the Kelso Stakes (G3T) at the Spa.

"He's doing good. He was just a little too close to the pace last time," Brown said. 

The field also includes St. Elias Stable, Ken Langone, Steven Duncker, and Vicarage Stable's Deterministic , a Liam's Map   colt who won the Manhattan to give trainer Miguel Clement his first grade 1 win since taking over the stable of his late father, Christophe, who died May 25.