Carl Spackler grabbed Grade 1 laurels for the first time in his career with a victory in the Grade 1 $500,000 FanDuel Fourstardave Handicap Aug. 11 at Saratoga Race Course.

Carl Spackler is a 4-year-old homebred colt owned by Bob Edwards' e Five Racing Thoroughbreds. He is named for the oddball groundskeeper character Carl Spackler in the comedy classic "Caddyshack."

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"He's no longer a Cinderella story," said Edwards in a play on words from the well-known Bill Murray movie line.

The four-legged Carl Spackler, who has been chasing a Grade 1 win much like the way the Bill Murray movie character futilely tried to stop a gopher from chewing up the golf course, finally bagged his elusive prize as he took down his initial top-level win in his ninth career start.

"We thought early on he could be a Grade 1 winner," said Edwards. "(Trainer Chad Brown) liked him early on. He had a nice (maiden) win at Gulfstream and a series of little things that happened to him. He's a resilient horse. He came back from colic surgery to win at Churchill Downs (in May). He looked like a million dollars today and he ran like it."

The Fourstardave is part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge "Win and You're In" series, so the win secured Carl Spackler an expenses-paid spot in the Nov. 2 FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile presented by PDJF at Del Mar.

"I love the Breeders' Cup. My stats are pretty good there," said Edwards, who has a trio of wins at the World Championships.

For Brown, North America's premier turf trainer, it was his first career victory in the Fourstardave Handicap.

“I haven't won it because it is a hard race to win, so that makes it even more special. It is a very challenging race to win," Brown said. “I had a feeling today, and then with just a little bit of cut in the ground, I think he's even just a little bit better. I really felt today would be his day and it was."

In a field of six. Strong Quality set the early fractions of :24.76 and :49.24 over good turf with Carl Spackler comfortably chasing in second.

Jockey Tyler Gaffalione, Edwards' son-in-law and the husband of his daughter Cassidy, kept Carl Spackler ($6.10) in second before moving to the front turning for home. In front by 1 1/2 lengths at the eighth pole, Carl Spackler crossed the wire 3 1/2 lengths ahead in 1:36.63 for the mile.

More Than Looks, making his first start since finishing sixth in the Breeders' Cup Mile, was second, a length-and-a-half ahead of Godolphin's Ottoman Fleet, who was third as the 3-2 favorite.

Brown indicated Carl Spackler would likely get one more start before the Breeders' Cup.