Grand Arch Pulls the Upset in Fourstardave
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Jim and Susan Hill's Grand Arch roared past pacesetter King Kreesa entering the stretch and repelled the come-from-behind bid from Ironicus to win the $500,000 Fourstardave Handicap (gr. IIT) in a thrilling four-horse finish Aug. 15 at Saratoga Race Course.
Ridden by Luis Saez for trainer Brian Lynch, the 6-year-old Arch gelding broke through at 8-1 odds, winning by a neck after finishing second by the same margin in last year's Fourstardave. He improved to 6-6-6 from 22 career starts while adding a second graded win to his record.
Ironicus, the 2-1 favorite who was trying to complete a last-to-first rally, bested 2014 Fourstardave winner Seek Again for second by neck while King Kreesa, who set a slow pace, hung on for fourth a half-length back.
Fifth behind King Kreesa last time out in the Forbidden Apple Stakes July 11 at Belmont Park, Grand Arch tracked that rival from third, and then was all out get the win in 1:34.65 on firm turf.
"We felt like he needed his last race there at Belmont, but he certainly ran big in this race last year and he got the job done today," Lynch said. "I'm a big fan of King Kreesa's after his last couple of races and to beat him in a hard-fought stretch drive, it was a thrilling race."
Grand Arch paid $18.20, $7.60, and $4.90, and Ironicus retured $4.30 and $3. Seek Again paid $4.20 to show.
Grand Arch, getting six pounds from 122-pound highweight Mshawish, was third early as King Kreesa set moderate fractions of :24.20, :48.30, and 1:12.03 through six furlongs.
Eased off the rail turning for home, Grand Arch took off after King Kreesa and caught him at eighth pole before gamely fending off Ironicus, who swung six wide into the stretch unleashed a torrid drive to just miss.
The victory was redemption for Grand Arch, who a year earlier received a similar trip in the Fourstardave before being edged on the wire by Seek Again.
Grand Arch, who won the 2014 King Edward Stakes (Can-II) at Woodbine, was bred in Kentucky by Hunter Valley Farm and Stephen Hillen. His dam is the El Gran Senor mare Bacinella.
The Hills purchased Grand Arch for $120,000 at the 2010 Keeneland September yearling sale, where Indian Creek's agency consigned for Iroquois Bloodstock IV. Indian Creek spent $80,000 the previous year to buy him as a weanling at Keeneland November. He has since earned $1,007,230 during four seasons of racing.
Mshawish was fifth, followed by Jack Milton, Grand Tito, and Skyring to complete the order of finish.