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Remarkable upset in Fourstardave

Remarkable News added a Grade 2 to his record with the Fourstardave (Bill Roberts/Horsephotos.com) Continuing his rapid rise in the turf ranks, Holly Rincon's REMARKABLE NEWS (Ven) (Chayim) set a controlled pace in splendid isolation en route to a decisive score in Sunday's $147,000 Fourstardave H. (G2) at Saratoga, while 3-5 favorite Artie Schiller (El Prado [Ire]) never threatened and dropped back a well-beaten fourth. With Javier Castellano in the saddle, Remarkable News sprang from the gate purposefully and secured the early lead without difficulty. The Angel Penna Jr. trainee carved out comfortable fractions of :24 2/5, :48 1/5 and 1:11 3/5 as he strode 1 1/2 lengths clear of Diamond Green (Fr) (Green Desert) and Artie Schiller, who were racing in tandem. Into the stretch, Remarkable News continued to travel superbly as he opened up by three lengths through a mile in 1:34 3/5. The only momentary danger was the late-running Ashkal Way (Ire) (Ashkalani), who catapulted off the turn in a smart rally, but the winner had too much left and easily held sway by 2 1/2 lengths. "After the last time, when he had a troubled trip (in the July 2 Poker H. [G3]), we learned something," Castellano said. "He doesn't want to be held back. He likes to run free. With no speed in there, they let me go slow the first and second quarter, and when I asked him to run, he gave it to me. This horse has never been better." "When you see it on paper," Penna observed, "you don't want to be on the lead, but there is no speed, so we ended up on the lead. The horse relaxed. Everything went right and he responded. I could be wrong, but I think he is the first horse to go wire to wire this meet on the grass.

"Today I wanted to see if this horse belonged here," the horseman added. "He proved it to me."

It was another 1 1/2 lengths back to Diamond Green in third. Artie Schiller checked in a further 3 1/2 lengths adrift in fourth. The heavy favorite didn't muster much of a response when coming under a hard ride on the far turn, and after steadying in traffic at the top of the lane, he beat a quick retreat. Noble Causeway (Giant's Causeway) became detached from the rest of the field early and reported home 10 lengths behind Artie Schiller.

"I had a great trip," Garrett Gomez said of his ride on Artie Schiller. "He left the gate in good shape. When it came time to answer the questions, he just didn't answer any. He was empty at the quarter pole."

As the 9-2 second choice, Remarkable News paid $11, $4.90 and $6.90. Ashkal Way, the nearly 5-1 third choice, gave back $5.10 and $7 while ending the $47.80 exacta. Diamond Green returned $7.70 to show at odds of 6-1, rounding out the $156.50 trifecta (2-5-1).

A late developer, Remarkable News has never been off the board in nine lifetime starts (9-6-2-1), all on the turf. He broke his maiden in his second career start last September at Belmont Park and cleared his first allowance condition next time out at Aqueduct. After a third-place effort in his 2006 debut, the four-year-old chestnut registered sharp wins in a pair of allowances. He successfully stepped up into stakes company in the Connaught Cup S. (Can-G3) at Woodbine, dueling for the lead throughout to score a determined photo-finish victory. In his prior start, as Castellano mentioned, Remarkable News encountered trouble while closing from off the pace to grab second in the Poker. With this first U.S. graded stakes on his resume, his bankroll totals $313,483.

Bred by Agropecuaria Luisiana S.A. in Venezuela, the winner is out of the Alhajras mare Unreachable, making him a full brother to the Venezuelan stakes-placed Sir Antonio. This is the family of multiple Grade 1 winners Adjudicating and Dispute, Grade 1 victor Time for a Change and Australian Group 1 hero Secret Savings.

"We're going to keep him at a mile," Penna said, "and look at something like the Shadwell (Turf Mile [G1] at Keeneland on October 7) or the Kelso (Breeders' Cup H. [G2] at Belmont Park on September 30)."

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