THIS ONE IS FOR THE GIRL
Got Stormy becomes first filly to win The Fourstardave with a new track record
SARATOGA SPRINGS >> Much of the chatter leading up to Saturday’s $500,000 Fourstardave Handicap (G1) focused on the novelty of having two females entered in a race that had never been won by a female before. Uni, a 5-year-old mare who was riding a five-race winning streak, attracted most of the attention and was sent off as the 9-5 favorite.
The other distaffer, Got Stormy, was running back on a week’s rest after winning the De La Rose Stakes here last weekend. Dispatched as the 5-1 third choice, the 4-year-old filly was kept well off the breakneck pace set by longshot Gidu (20-1). Benefitting from a perfectly gauged ride from Ricardo Santana Jr, Got Stormy came charging off the turn, rolling through the stretch past Gidu, Made You Look and Dr. Edgar en route to a 2½-length victory.
Raging Bull was a hardfought second, with Uni another head back in the show spot. March to the Arch, Made You Look, Hembree, Dr. Edgar, Krampus, Gidu and Ostilio followed in that order.
The winning time of 1:32
flat over a firm Inner Turf course shattered the old mark of 1:33.13 set by Macagone eight days ago.
“She’s amazing,” said winning trainer Mark Casse. “One of the things that’s made her better as she’s gotten older is her ability to relax.
“It’s all about [winning owner] Gary Barber,” Casse added. “I told him why we shouldn’t run her, and he said, ‘That’s good, but are you happy with how she is training?’ I said, ‘Honestly, I’ve never seen her train so good,” and he said, ‘We’re running.’”
Gidu looked like a runaway almost from the start. The 4-year-old Frankel colt led by 5½ lengths after quarter-mile in :22.65 and by a whopping 11½ after a half in :44:61. The lead was down to 3½ lengths after a mile in 1:08.36. At this point, Santana still had a half-dozen lengths to make up with Got Stormy.
“She’s a monster,” said Santana, who replaced regular rider Tyler Gaffalione when Gaffalione honored an earlier commitment to ride March to the Arch. “Mr. Casse told me he had a really good shot for me this weekend, and he believed in this filly, and she ran such a big race. I had plenty of horse at the [three-sixteenths] pole.”
“I told Mark that I always wanted to run back in a week,” said Barber. “When [Got Stormy] won the [De La Rose] so easy, I said we had to try [the Fourstardave]. She loves this course, and she just turned in a dynamite performance. The only concern I had was that Tyler was gone, but with Ricardo, it was perfection.” draft, and the former Gold Glove winner played a key role during the club’s 2014 World Series run.
“I think what we have in that clubhouse is something very special. There’s chemistry,” general manager Brodie Van Wagenen said. “Any player that we were going to bring into this clubhouse, we wanted to make sure that he fit in.”
An All-Star in 2015, Panik hit .271 with 36 home runs and 221 RBIs in six seasons with San Francisco. He has struggled this year, batting just .235 with a career-low .627 OPS in 103 games.
He flied out in his first atbat with New York on Friday night.
“You just don’t know what to expect when something like this happens. For me, it’s the first time in my career being DFA’d and changing teams,” Panik said. “I’ve been with the same organization since 2011 so it’s a lot of excitement right now.”
Panik fills a significant void, with everyday second baseman Robinson Canó out with a torn left hamstring. There is no timetable for Canó’s return, and he could miss the rest of the season.
“He’s been in big situations and a guy that’s been in the World Series. He knows how to play this game,” Canó said about Panik. “I think he’s a guy that’s going to contribute to this season.”
To make room, the Mets designated Adeiny Hechavarría for assignment. The veteran infielder was hitting .204 with five homers and 18 RBIs in 60 games, seeing time at second, third and shortstop.
“It’s a tough decision. Hech has been here. He’s got great defensive skills,” manager Mickey Callaway said. “We feel that (Luis) Guillorme does as well, so it came down to a few factors that we feel is just a baseball decision. It’s always a tough one and we hope that he somehow ends up staying our organization.”
Panik wore No. 2 and batted eighth against Washington.
“Honestly, just being part of a New York team in a push. I know how much excitement there is here. You can feel it,” Panik said. “All my family and friends are all excited about what’s going on with the Mets. For me it’s going to be exciting to go out there.”