Saratoga: Test Score chases 1st Grade 1 win in Belmont Derby

Grade 1-placed Test Score seeks his first top-level victory in Friday’s Grade 1, $750,000 Belmont Derby Invitational, a nine-furlong turf route for sophomores, on day two of the July 4th racing festival at Saratoga.

Trained by Graham Motion, the son of Lookin At Lucky enters from a game runner-up effort in Churchill Downs’s 1 1/16-mile Grade 1 American Turf (G1) on May 3 won by Zulu Kingdom, who is entered in Friday’s Manila (G3) at Saratoga.

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Test Score tracked a close fifth under regular rider Manny Franco in the two path as Mi Bago set splits of 23.57 seconds, 47.76 and 1:11.97 over the good footing. Franco angled his charge out into the four-path as the field straightened for home and Test Score responded with a strong drive down the center of the course, finishing just 1 1/4 lengths behind Zulu Kingdom while a nose better than returning rival New Century.

“He’s very brave, this horse,” said Motion, who won this event last year with Trikari. “Manny gets along with him so well, and I think when the chips are down, he really is pretty tough. I don’t think he lost much in defeat last time.”

Test Score has hit the board in six of his seven starts, finishing second to subsequent multiple stakes-winner and Grade 1-placed Governor Sam in his July debut at Saratoga. He landed fifth as a maiden in the With Anticipation (G3) ahead of a neck graduation in October at Keeneland and was second by the same margin in the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance in November at Del Mar.

Test Score kicked off his sophomore campaign with a third in the Kitten’s Joy at Gulfstream Park where he went eight wide in the far turn and rallied strongly to finish two lengths back of the victorious Charlie’s to Blame. That effort led to a graded stakes breakthrough with a 1 1/4-length score in Keeneland’s 1 1/16-mile Transylvania (G3) with his typical off-the-pace tactics under Franco. Both the Transylvania win and the American Turf effort were awarded a career-best 88 Beyer Speed Figure. from Daily Racing Form.

“He seems to be doing super, and I couldn’t be happier with him,” Motion said. “We chose to wait for this race, and hopefully we did the right thing. He’s come back and shown that (determination), and I don’t think Gulfstream really suited him that much. His races at Keeneland and Churchill have really justified his form.”

Motion said he expects the talented bay will relish the extra sixteenth of a mile as he faces his farthest test to date.

“I like the mile and an eighth for him, and I think that hopefully will help him,” Motion said. “I’ve been high on this horse since I started breezing him, and you never know how it will pan out, but he always acted like he was one of the best 2-year-olds I had last year.”

Test Score is out of the winning Kitten’s Joy mare Joy of Learning, a half-sister to multiple graded stakes-winners Coffee Clique and Admission Office, as well as dual graded stakes-placed Royal Fury and stakes-placed Schoolofhardrocks.

Franco has the call from post 5.

Steep opposition will be provided by New Century, who seeks his second North American Grade 1 victory after taking Woodbine’s Summer last year when in the care of conditioner Andrew Balding.

Now trained by Brendan Walsh, the son of Kameko made his first outing for his new conditioner in the American Turf, where he was 12th of 14 and 7 1/4 lengths back through the three-quarters call and showed a tremendous turn of foot to just miss place honors.

New Century entered the American Turf from an even fifth-place finish in the Craven (G3) traveling one-mile on the straight in April at Newmarket. That effort marked his first since a close and closing fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf in November at Del Mar, capping a strong campaign that included his win in the Summer and a victory in the Stonehenge in August at Salisbury by a half-length over the reopposing Luther.

Bred in Great Britain by The Potent Embrace Partnership, New Century is out of the unraced Street Cry mare Potent Embrace, who also produced Group 3-winner and Group 1-placed Passion And Glory.

The Belmont Derby will see an alumnus from this year’s Kentucky Derby join the field as Final Gambit returns to the grass. Flying Mohawk, 18th in the run for the roses, also was entered, but was scratched Thursday after having emergency surgery for colic.

Juddmonte’s Kentucky homebred Final Gambit received a field-best 98 Beyer for his game fourth-place finish in the Kentucky Derby when racing over the main track for the first time.

Trained by dual Eclipse Award-winner Brad Cox, the son of Not This Time was last of 19 and 17 lengths back of the pace duel between Citizen Bull and Neoequos before commencing a wide rally heading into the final turn. He steadily improved position under Luan Machado to land just 4 1/4 lengths back of the victorious Sovereignty.

Final Gambit tried dirt again last out when finishing an even fourth in the Matt Winn (G3) on June 8 at Churchill. He earned his way into the Kentucky Derby starting gate with a 3 1/2-length triumph in Turfway Park’s Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) in March over the Tapeta, the surface both of his career wins have come over. He tries turf for the first time since a debut third going one-mile in November at Churchill.

Final Gambit is out of the winning Tapit mare Pachinko, a half-sister to multiple group-winner Announce.

Tank streaks in off three consecutive stakes wins in Florida for trainer Carlos David, most recently taking the 1 1/16-mile Not Surprising by three lengths in wire-to-wire fashion June 7 at Gulfstream.

The Adios Charlie bay began his streak in March when taking the restricted Sophomore Turf at Tampa Bay Downs in prominent fashion. He followed with a hard-fought victory in the one-mile English Channel on May 3 at Gulfstream where he bested the deep-closing Win With Faith by a half-length.

Tank makes his graded debut as he searches for his fifth win in start 11. His consistent 10: 4-2-1 record also includes an 8 3/4-length trouncing of a maiden claimer over the Gulfstream synthetic in October, and a game runner-up effort in the Armed Forces in November at the Hallandale Beach oval. Tank will be making his first start outside of his native Florida.

Completing the field are last-out Audubon winner World Beater for trainer Riley Mott; graded stakes-placed and last-out Audubon fifth-place finisher Early Adopter for five-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown; and English stakes-winner Luther for trainer Charlie Fellowes.