Test Score gets 1st Grade 1 win in Belmont Derby at Saratoga

Test Score aced his second attempt at a Grade 1 victory when storming home with a 1 1/4-length win under Manny Franco in Friday’s $750,000 Belmont Derby Invitational, a 1 1/8-mile turf test for seven 3-year-olds at Saratoga.

Trained by Graham Motion, Amerman Racing’s Kentucky homebred son of Lookin At Lucky became racing’s newest millionaire. He entered from a game runner-up finish to Zulu Kingdom in the American Turf (G1) on May 3 at Churchill Downs, where he finished just 1 1/4 lengths behind the multiple graded-stakes winner. One race before the Belmont Derby, Chad Brown-trained Zulu Kingdom won the Manila (G3) to run his record to 6-for-7.

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“We pointed for this race after Churchill,” Motion said. “I was really hoping not to run against Chad’s horse, which worked out. He showed the form is very legitimate by winning the previous race. Two nice horses.”

Motion and Amerman teamed for their second consecutive Belmont Derby score after sending out Trikari to win last year’s edition going 1 3/16 miles at Aqueduct.

“To do it two years in a row for Mr. (John) Amerman, I haven’t trained for him for very long. It’s pretty cool,” Motion said. “Two serious horses.”

Amerman echoed Motion’s sentiments and praised his work with the victorious colt.

"I'm never confident in these Grade 1 races,” Amerman said. “There were an awful lot of good horses in this race, and he endured, so that was good. We will talk with Graham about what race is next.”

Test Score faced his farthest test to date and showed good energy as he emerged from post 5 to settle in third position. Tank exited the inside post and took his place at the front to mark the opening quarter-mile in 23.66 seconds over the firm footing.

New Century tracked in second with Test Score two lengths behind him and a gap back to the rest of the field as Tank rolled through the half-mile in 47.79 seconds. Franco had the top pair well-measured and asked Test Score to start his bid just as Oisín Murphy coaxed New Century to the outside of Tank approaching the turn.

Motion said he was surprised to usual late runner New Century so close.

“It didn’t look like there was much speed,” Motion said. “I was a little surprised that Oisín went on. It really helped us actually. It put us in a great spot.”

Meanwhile, World Beater pounced from mid-pack to loom large widest of all while Luther split rivals to make his move in tandem. The race was still Tank’s to lose as he dug in gamely and turned back New Century after three-quarters of a mile in 1:11.59. Franco angled his charge around the embattled duo and unleashed Test Score to chip away at the lead down the center of the lane with Luther and World Beater to his outside.

“I loved where he was, but I have to be honest. I was a little worried at the top of the stretch. I thought he really wasn’t going anywhere,” Motion said. “He’s got a tendency to do that this horse, but he’s so tenacious. He really doesn’t quit.”

Stubbornly, Tank refused to yield inside the final furlong, but Test Score proved even more determined as he drew away from the pacesetter and his pursuers to cross the wire first with a time of 1:45.56.

World Beater kept rolling down the stretch to nab place honors from Luther by a nose with Tank completing the superfecta. New Century and Final Gambit finished fifth in a dead heat. Early Adopter came in last. Flying Mohawk, who was reported to have had colic surgery Thursday, was scratched.

Franco, aboard Test Score for five of his seven previous outings, said he was content to bide his time behind the frontrunners.

“I had the trip that I wanted. I knew I was going to be forward, so when I saw those two going, I said, OK, I tuck in a little bit,” Franco said. “And then on the backside he was relaxed, taking me the right way, and when he felt the company by the three-eighths pole, I knew he was there for me. So I let him go a little bit, because he takes a little bit to get going, but as soon as he gets going, he don’t stop, so that is why he got the win." 

Jaime Torres, jockey of Riley Mott-trained World Beater, said the last-out winner of the listed Audubon proved his ability in top company.

“I let him break and see where he was. He was feeling great there on the backside,” Torres said. “Maybe I tried to set up a little bit wide and kept him on the bridle, and on the turn I had horses inside of me trying to push me out. I think he could’ve been a little bit closer, but I don’t think he would’ve beat that horse today. But yeah, it was a lot of fun, and I think in the future that is where he belongs right in Grade 1s.”

Test Score added to previous graded success in the Transylvania (G3) in April at Keeneland along with three other stakes placings that included his American Turf effort.

Test Score is out of 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. He banked $412,500 in victory to raise his earnings to $1,074,025 while returning $8.60 on a $2 win ticket.