2026 Fourstardave Stakes Preview at Saratoga Race Course

Key Takeaways:

• The Fourstardave once again brings together the nation's top turf milers, with a compact but deep Grade 1 field competing for a coveted Breeders' Cup Mile berth.
• Defending champion Deterministic returns to face a talented group that includes multiple Grade 1 winners and several horses riding winning streaks, setting up one of the summer's strongest turf races.
• Deterministic's proven Saratoga form, tactical running style, and ability to handle softer ground make him the horse to beat as he seeks a successful title defense.
• Zulu Kingdom has the versatility, Grade 1 credentials, and unbeaten record on rain-affected turf to make him a major contender if conditions deteriorate.
• Lagynos enters in career-best form with five straight victories, but bettors should demand value as he steps up against a deeper field at a distance that may be slightly shorter than ideal.

Thoroughbred racing’s biggest stars come to Saratoga every summer, and the Grade 1 Fourstardave has emerged as the best turf mile race of the summer in the United States. Year after year, it draws the best of the turf mile division, and this year is no exception. The purse is a lucrative $750,000, and the field of seven top older horses includes defending champion Deterministic, Grade 1 winners Zulu Kingdom, Rhetorical, and Classic Q, as well as Lagynos, who still seeks a Grade 1 win but, like Deterministic, is also riding a five-win streak into the race.

The Fourstardave also offers a Win and You’re In bid to the Breeders’ Cup Mile on October 31 at Keeneland. The race has built an excellent reputation as a live Breeders’ Cup Turf Mile prep race. Over the last few decades, five horses have won both this race and the Breeders’ Cup Mile in the same year: Lure (1993), Da Hoss (1996), Wise Dan (2012, 2013), Tourist (2016), and World Approval (2017).

The race began as the Daryl’s Joy Handicap and was renamed for Saratoga Race Course fan favorite Fourstardave in 1996. The race was run as the Fourstardave Handicap between 1998 and 2024, but has been run as under weight-for-age stakes conditions since 2025.

2026 Fourstardave Stakes Information

• Race Date: Saturday, August 8
• Track: Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, NY
• Post Time: 5:14 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time
• Distance: one mile on the inner turf track
• Age/Sex: three-year-olds and up
• Where to Watch: FanDuel TV, Fox
• Where to Bet: FanDuel Racing

Fourstardave Stakes Draw and Odds

This is the field for the 2026 Fourstardave Stakes, including post positions, trainers, jockeys, and morning-line odds. Note that at least one scratch is expected: Mark Casse told Daily Racing Form that he plans to run either Mi Bago or Classic Q, but not both.

Fourstardave Stakes Prep Race Results

Well befitting a proper Grade 1 race with a Breeders’ Cup bid at stake, everyone in the Wise Dan field comes out of a solid effort in a graded-stakes race.

Three of the horses in the field raced in Grade 1 races last out. Both Deterministic and Rhetorical come out of the Manhattan (G1) on June 6 at Saratoga: Deterministic stalked the pace and got up to win by half a length, while Rhetorical led most of the way and was just overtaken late to finish fourth, 1 ¼ lengths behind Deterministic. Classic Q also comes out of a Grade 1 race on Belmont Day: she led at every call to beat fillies and mares over this course and distance in the Just a Game (G1).

Three other horses come out of the Kelso (G3), a race over this course and distance on July 5. Both dead-heat winners are entered back in the Fourstardave: Mi Bago led at every call, while Zulu Kingdom rallied from a couple lengths off the pace to get on even terms at the wire. Capitol Hill, toward the rear for much of the race, improved in the lane to finish fourth, three lengths behind Mi Bago and Zulu Kingdom.

The only horse in the field who doesn’t come out of a race at the Spa is Lagynos. He comes out of a victory in the Wise Dan (G2) at Churchill Downs on June 27, where he rallied from midfield and kept finding to the wire to win by three-quarters of a length over Mercante.

Fourstardave Stakes Contenders

Here is a closer look at the 2026 Fourstardave Stakes contenders, in order from the rail out.

1. Rhetorical: A versatile sort, he has been able to stretch out to longer than a mile, which he showed when winning the Turf Classic (G1) at Churchill Downs two back in frontrunning fashion. However, he doesn’t need the lead, as he’s not a frontrunner at the flat mile, and there is enough pace drawn into this race (even with the assumption that one of Mark Casse’s speed demons will scratch) that a trip a length or two off the lead won’t be a problem. The biggest questions are the rail, which could cause some traffic when the real running begins, as well as the condition of the course, since there is rain in the forecast and he has never run over a track less than firm.
2. Mi Bago: One of two entrants for Mark Casse, he may or may not run since Casse is only planning to run either him or Classic Q. It makes sense, as both are speed horses. He has shown strong form at Saratoga this summer, romping in a New York-bred stakes over Grade 1 winner Spirit of St. Louis before dead-heating with Zulu Kingdom in the Poker. However, his form over firm ground is significantly better than his form over softer going – and, with rain expected not only Saturday but also in the days leading up to it, he is unlikely to get his preferred conditions.
3. Zulu Kingdom: He rallied into a comfortable pace to catch Mi Bago and get a share of the win on the wire in the Kelso, and now it’s back up to Grade 1 company. He certainly belongs – he’s a two-time Grade 1 winner, including in the Maker’s Mark Mile (G1) this year. He led at every call to win that, but has won from a stalking spot as well. He also is a perfect three-for-three running on turf that is less than firm, meaning the rainy weather moves him up.
4. Classic Q: The other Mark Casse entrant – she will be a game-time decision, as Casse plans to only run either her or Mi Bago. Casse is no stranger to running a live filly in the Fourstardave: he trained two-time winner Got Stormy. If Classic Q goes, she should be the pacesetter, as she consistently does her best work on the lead. The course conditions are a question for her, as she does her better work on firm ground – though her last try over less-than-firm ground was a credible fourth behind Shisospicy in the Music City (G2), a turf sprint at Kentucky Downs where she rallied for four despite coming from near the rear, a solid enough effort for a horse going shorter than her best and taken off her usual best race shape. If she is the Casse horse who goes, she has some upside, especially for a piece.
5. Deterministic: He won this race a year ago, and even though he went on the shelf for nine months after that win, he picked up right where he left off, with victories in the Fort Marcy (G3) and then the Manhattan. Expect him to work a stalking trip; he can set the pace going longer, but at a flat mile he is perfectly happy to track in close range of the pace without having to set it. He is also a Grade 1 winner over good ground, in the Manhattan last year, meaning he doesn’t need the ground to be firm in order to run his best race.
6. Capitol Hill: This Bill Mott trainee is the closest thing this field has to a new face, in that he is the only horse in the field who hasn’t won a graded-stakes race yet. He came close – he missed by a nose two back in the Poker. He was making up ground late in the Kelso, though had to settle for fourth, three lengths behind Mi Bago and Zulu Kingdom, both of whom were more forwardly placed. He will need a hot pace to be a factor in this, and he is also unproven on rain-affected going, with his only start on less-than-firm turf being a well-beaten 11th in a stakes at Kentucky Downs last year.
7. Lagynos: He was seventh in this race last year, beaten four lengths, but he has taken a step forward at age five. He hasn’t finished off the board in nine starts since, including five straight wins coming into the Fourstardave, with four of those coming in graded stakes. He doesn’t win by flashy margins, but he just keeps getting the job done, sitting a few lengths off the pace and rallying in time, whether he gets a quick pace in front of him or a more pedestrian one. He also gets the red-hot jockey Jose Ortiz, his regular rider, back in the irons. However, now Lagynos faces better foes, and he tends to show better form going slightly longer than this, meaning that even in this kind of red-hot form there are questions and bettors should demand a price before using him as more than an underneath type.

Fourstardave Stakes FAQ

Q: When is the 2026 Fourstardave Stakes?

A: The 2026 Fourstardave Stakes happens Saturday, August 8 at 5:14 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. It is the 10th of 14 races on the day, and one of four Grade 1 affairs.

Q: Where is the Fourstardave Stakes?

A: The Fourstardave Stakes is one of the highlights of summer racing at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York.

Q: Which trainer has the most wins in the Fourstardave Stakes?

A: Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott leads all trainers with six wins in the race. His first came in 2000 with Hap, while his most recent came in 2023 with Casa Creed, when he took down his second straight edition of the Fourstardave. Mott can extend his record to seven wins if long shot Capitol Hill rises to the occasion.

Q: Who is the favorite for the Fourstardave Stakes?

A: The 2-1 morning-line favorite for the 2026 Fourstardave Stakes is Deterministic. He is likely to hold as the favorite – he has won five straight races dating back to the Fort Marcy in May of 2025, and even though most of his form has been going longer than this, he won this race last year and proved he could hold his own at the top level going just a mile. However, watch for action on Zulu Kingdom (7-2), a Chad Brown trainee who won the Maker’s Mark Mile earlier this year, as well as Rhetorical (5-2), a Will Walden charge who won the Keeneland Turf Mile (G1) last year.

Q: Who is the best Fourstardave Stakes jockey?

A: John Velazquez has won an incredible nine editions of the Fourstardave (or its predecessor, the Daryl’s Joy Stakes) between 1992 and 2013. Velazquez can extend that record to 10 if he wins with Classic Q.

Q: Who won the Fourstardave Handicap in 2026?

A: Deterministic won the 2025 Fourstardave for trainer Miguel Clement and jockey Kendrick Carmouche. Clement and Carmouche bring him back for a title defense attempt.

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