Of all the horses that have left their mark in Saratoga in the course of the more than 150 years of horse races of the racing track, one horse became more synonymous with the historical Upstate New York location than any other. That horse was Fourstardave, “The Sultan of Saratoga.” This Saturday, the track will organize his annual tribute to Fourstardave in the form of his namesake Stakes Race, De Grade 1 Fanduel Fourstardave Stakes on 2 August.
For a period of almost a decade from 1987, the blue rubbish gelding went on the track in Saratoga every summer and won at least one race in the Spa every year for a series of eight consecutive years. During that time his celebrity grew every year until he reached the status of the living legend. Crowds packed the track when he ran and followed the masses are every movement as paparazzi that strayed on celebrities on the red carpet. Are there many years better horses to race on Saratoga? Of course, but no horse has ever captured the imagination of Saratoga’s on-track fans than Fourstardave. He showed up every year and always achieved at least one profit from the public from 1987 to 1994.
The career of Fourstardave ended in 1995 with a lifelong record of exactly 100 starts with 21 victories, 18 seconds and 16 thirds and income of more than $ 1.6 million. Nine of his lifelong victories came in Saratoga, with six Stakes victories, including back-to-back victories in 1990-91 in the Joy Stakes of Grade 3 Daryl, the race that Nyra turned into the Fourstard dave in 1995. The race was held for the first time in honor of him the following season and has since been upgraded to the status of degree 1.
Fourstardave was bred and partially owned by Richard Bomze, a indigenous New Yorker who was known as publisher of the American Turf monthly Horse Racing Magazine and the American Turf Club weekly fit and ready horses to view newsletter, and the Sports reporterAn athlete gambling tip tip -sheet that is more generally known as “The Blue Sheet.”
Bomze bought Fourstardave’s Dam (mother), Broadway Joan, for $ 2,500 and she not only continued to produce Fourstardave, but also his full brother (the same dam, the same father) Fourstars Allstars Allstar Allstar, another effort that was won the first breeders in 1991.
The inheritance of Fourstardave lives on in various ways to this day, mainly because of the legacy of Bomze that Fourstardave has helped build. First and foremost there is the race, the Fourstardave Handicap. There is also a “street” in Saratoga called Fourstardave Way. It is actually less a street and more a driveway of Lincoln Avenue that leads to the famous backyard of the Siro restaurant, where crowds of thirsty racing fans come in to keep the party on the races after a day. Go take your photo next to the street board and then go to Siro’s a raise a Glass to Saratoga’s favorite New York-bred grass cut.
The legacy of Fourstardave also lives on, is by the American Turf Club Weekly fit and ready horses to view newsletter, the last remnant of Bomze’s venerable old racing activities that still exists to this day. The magazine had a 72-year history from 1946 to 2018. Bomze died at the age of 2014 at the age of 76. His old friends Allen and Lobat Hakim from Long Island took over the publication tasks after his death and have since maintained the newsletter for horse racing fans.
The last, and perhaps the most meaningful way, the inheritance of Fourstardave lives, is with the Belmont Park Child Care AssociationOf which Bomze was one of the founders in December 1998. The Belmont Child Care Association among chairman of the board Michael Dub later opened Anna House, which has been constantly expanded and recognized since then as the leading backstall childcare provider and the early childcare center.
So when the field of grade 1 turf horses enters the starting gate for the fourstard dave stakes on 2 August, take the time to think about how the race got its name and how Fourstardave left its mark on Saratoga Race Course and then.
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