'Admiral Tries to Turn Tables in Fourstardave

(from track report)
Pont Street Stable's Tap The Admiral, winner of Churchill Downs' Firecracker Breeders' Cup (gr. II) in July, was one of 12 horses entered in the $200,000 Fourstardave Handicap (gr. IIT) at 1 1/16 mile on the turf.

Grade 1 winner Evening Attire was entered as main track only and would be the starting high weight at 127 pounds if the race were switched to the main track.

Post time for the Fourstardave, which was carded as the ninth race, is 5:02 p.m.

Tap The Admiral finished fourth behind Trademark in the July 25 Bernard Baruch (gr. IIT) and is one of a number of Fourstardave entrants exiting the race. Tap The Admiral's trainer, Del Carroll, said his horse had a couple of excuses and is expecting a better performance.

"I think shipping to Churchill Downs, getting a career-best effort out of him, shipping back to New York, then to Saratoga and running on 20 days rest may have caught up with him," Carroll said. "This horse has always been a little coltish and (jockey Corey) Nakatani (aboard Rouvres) was trying to get out on the turn. Samyn (aboard Tap The Admiral) didn't let him out, which is what I would've done, and they bumped a few times. This horse loves to battle and I think most of his attention went to the horse next to him instead of down the lane."

Trademark, a near five-length winner of the Baruch Handicap, looks like the horse to beat for trainer Kiaran McLaughlin. A 7-year-old, Trademark received a perfect, ground-saving trip under jockey Richard Migliore before bullying his way through a slight opening on the rail. Trademark will attempt to turn the tables on War Zone, a Bobby Frankel-trained colt who defeated him by a half-length in Belmont's Poker (gr. IIIT) on July 5. War Zone drew post 3 under jockey Javier Castellano while Trademark drew post 5 with Migliore.

McLaughlin, who won this race in 1997 with Allied Forces, said, "His effort in the Baruch looked great to the naked eye, but on the figures I use he got the same number he got in the Poker. I was concerned going before the Baruch that he might regress off such a big effort in the Poker, but he didn't. He's doing super. Any give in the ground will help him."

$200,000 Fourstardave Handicap (gr. IIT), 3 & up, 1 1/16 mile on turf
PP. Horse, Trainer, Jockey, Wgt.
1. Quest Star, Elliott Walden, Edgar Prado, 116
2. Union One, Michael Dickinson, Jean-Luc Samyn, 112
3. War Zone, Bobby Frankel, Javier Castellano, 119
4. Tap the Admiral, Del Carroll, Mike Luzzi, 115
5. Trademark, Kiaran McLaughlin, Richard Migliore, 118
6. Tam's Terms, Lawrence Murrary, Horacio Karamanos, 115
7. Finality, Todd Pletcher, John Velazquez, 116
8. Rouvres, Christophe Clement, Alex Solis, 115
9. Political Attack, Michael Matz, Mark Guidry, 119
10. Patrol, Bill Mott, Jerry Bailey, 117
11. Rock Slide, Neil Howard, Pat Day, 115
main track only
12. Evening Attire, Pat Kelly, Mark Guidry, 127