Many Horses for the Course in Rescheduled Fourstardave

Of the nine horses entered for Saturday's GI Fourstardave H., pushed back a week by the torrential storm that wiped out the bulk of the Aug. 13 program at Sarartoga, fully five are black-type winners over the local turf course, helping to give the race a truly wide-open feel.

Tourist (Tiznow) is the 5-2 favorite on Travis Stone's morning line, even though he remains in search of his first victory this season. Winner of this track's restricted Sir Cat S. in 2014 and runner-up in that year's GI Secretariat S., the striking dark bay was beaten a neck into third by Grand Arch (Arch) in the GI Shadwell Turf Mile at Keeneland last October and filled the same spot behind the filly Miss Temple City (Temple City) in that track's GI Maker's 46 Mile S. on his 5-year-old bow Apr. 15. A one-paced fourth in the nine-furlong GI Woodford Reserve Turf Classic May 7, he cut back to a mile and found only Midnight Storm (Pioneerof the Nile) too strong in the GI Frank E. Kilroe Mile S. at Santa Anita June 4, earning a career-best 109 Beyer Speed Figure. Joel Rosario is charged with working out a trip from gate eight Saturday.

Grand Arch, desperately unlucky to drop a head decision to Seek Again (Speightstown) in the 2014 Fourstardave, made amends last summer when holding off Ironicus (Distorted Humor) by a head. Third to Tepin (Bernstein) in the GI Breeders' Cup Mile following his Shadwell success, the veteran was a stubborn third to Takeover Target (Harlan's Holiday) and tough-trip Ring Weekend (Tapit) in Pimlico's GII Dixie S. May 21. He gets back to his preferred two-turn mile after finishing sixth behind all-the-way winner Obviously (Ire) (Choisir {Aus}) in the GIII Poker S. at Belmont June 18.

Ring Weekend, winner of this track's GIII Saranac S. in 2014 and hero of the 2015, went missing for 14 months and turned in a brave effort in the Dixie, racing off the track most of the way before getting picked off at the wire by Takeover Target, who rallied smartly through the rain-affected ground to be just up. Takeover Target outfinished A Lot (Tapit) to scoop last year's GII Hall of Fame S. at the Spa.

Force the Pass (Speightstown) was an intended runner in the Dixe, but was one of several scratches owing to the showery weather. Another runner set a hopeless task chasing Obviously when second in the Poker, he most recently raced heads apart with King Kreesa (King Cugat) in the July 16 Forbidden Apple S. downstate and couldn't quite outsprint the New York-bred, going down by a nose. With a relative lack of early speed signed on Saturday, the latter will be in front from the rail draw and wil take them as far as he can. Runner-up to Horse of the Year Wise Dan (Wiseman's Ferry) in the 2013 Fourstardave, King Kreesa had things very much his own way last year before settling for fourth, beaten a length.

“His race in the Forbidden Apple was a huge effort, a really gutty effort,” trainer David Donk said. “I think right after that I was pointing to the West Point just to stick with New York-breds, but he ran so well and the race changed complexion when Tepin wasn't going to run, Ironicus wasn't ready and Obviously wasn't going to come. So I really thought it was different kind of race and it's $500,000 and I think he deserves the opportunity.”