SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Deterministic continued his ascension in the male turf division by winning his third consecutive graded stakes and second straight Grade 1 with a solid 1 1/4-length victory in the Grade 1, $750,000 Fourstardave Stakes at Saratoga on Saturday.
Sitting one length off the pacesetting My Boy Prince through the opening six furlongs, Deterministic took the lead in midstretch and held off the late-running Intellect to get the victory. Intellect was three-quarters of a length in front of Win for the Money, who nosed out his Mark Casse-trained stablemate My Boy Prince for third.
Think Big, the Kelso winner, finished fifth and was followed by Cugino, Lagynos, Spirit of St Louis, Johannes, the 9-5 favorite and Neat, the latter being pulled up past the wire by Junior Alvarado and vanned off.
Deterministic added the Fourstardave to victories earlier in the year in the Grade 1 Manhattan here in June and the Grade 2 Ft. Marcy at Aqueduct in April. Deterministic, who won the Grade 3 Gotham on dirt in March 2024, has won his last four starts on turf - all graded stakes - dating back to last November and is 5 for 8 on turf overall.
The victory earned Deterministic a fees-paid berth into the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Del Mar on Nov. 1. The Fourstardave was his second start at a mile, his first win at that distance.
“Before the race everyone was saying is a mile too short for him, now we all say a mile is perfect for him,” trainer Miguel Clement said. “Maybe it’s not so much a question of distance, maybe he’s just top-class.”
Hard to argue.
Deterministic’s victories in the Ft Marcy and Manhattan - both at 1 1/8 miles - came when he led at each point of call.
On Saturday, with the sprinter My Boy Prince stretching out in distance, Deterministic, under Kendrick Carmouche, found himself sitting second, one length behind My Boy Prince, under Jose Ortiz, through six furlongs in 1:10.77. After making the lead in midstretch, Deterministic had more than enough to hold off the late run of Intellect.
Carmouche said Deterministic excels running around turns, so he sent him after My Boy Prince around the far turn.
“I thought they went a pretty slow pace for these types of horses,” Carmouche said. “Once I got to the turn, I let [My Boy Prince] switch leads and I figure I should bring the race to him because my horse runs good around the turns. He loves to hold horses off because he loves the feeling whenever they’re coming.”
Deterministic, a 4-year-old son of Liam’s Map, covered the mile in 1:33.87 over firm ground (101 Beyer Speed Figure) and returned $11.20 as the second choice. Deterministic is owned by St. Elias Stable, Ken Langone, Steve Duncker and Vicarage Stable.
Clement said Deterministic’s versatility - he’s won stakes from on the lead, stalking, and from sixth place in the Grade 3 Virginia Derby - makes him dangerous moving forward.
“Whatever the rider would like to do, he responds to,” Clement said. “He’s very easy to ride, which makes our life stress-free, to be honest.”
Johannes, a five-time graded stakes winner making his first start since December, did not have a stress-free trip as the favorite in the Fourstardave. He was bumped by My Boy Prince coming out of the gate, then got rank going into the first turn under Umberto Rispoli, who had taken him back to last to make sure he didn’t clip heels.
“I had to come back because I would have put him in a bad spot, keep clipping heels,” Rispoli said “It definitely wasn’t the place where I wanted to sit on the turf. I know he’s a horse that’s capable of catching horses in a couple of strides, but the tight turns for him didn’t really help. He kept switching leads. Hopefully, he comes back home sound.”
With Deterministic’s spot in the Breeders’ Cup Mile secure, Clement now must map out a plan to get him there. Grade 1 races like the $1 million Woodbine Mile at Sept. 13 and/or the Grade 1, $1.25 million Coolmore Turf Mile at Keeneland on Oct. 4 will be considered.
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