One of only two grade 1 races restricted to 3-year-old fillies around one turn in North America, the $500,000 Test Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course Aug. 2 will be exactly as the name describes.
Eight fillies are set to line up in search of their first top-level victory.
"The Test always comes up tough," trainer Rusty Arnold said about the seven-furlong contest. "You get some fillies who want to go a little bit farther backing up, some sprinters stretching out. ... A lot of it is going to be who gets the trip and shows up on Saturday with their best."
Arnold is represented by two runners in this year's edition, including morning-line favorite Echo Sound. The Gabriel Duignan-owned daughter of Echo Town has impressed so far in her career, running her way to a 5-for-6 record with close to half a million in earnings.
"She's not run a bad race in her life, so you know she's going to show up," Arnold said.
After a delayed start to her season, Echo Sound has rattled off two eye-catching victories in grade 3 company. She posted a career-best 108 Equibase Speed Figure in the July 3 Victory Ride Stakes (G3) at Saratoga—a race Arnold said set her up perfectly for the Test. This race, one day short of a month since the Victory Ride, will be the quickest turnaround in her career so far as she tests seven furlongs for the first time.
Video: Victory Ride S. (G3)
"That's one factor, she's run a very fast race and she's coming back in four weeks. We would prefer a couple more, but we didn't have a couple more," Arnold said. "She's done well (since the Victory Ride). Her works were good, (jockey) Luis (Saez) was on her the other day and thought she traveled great and her energy level was good, so we're ready to go."
Echo Sound will break from post 6 while her stablemate, Kilwin, will break from the 2 with Jose Ortiz aboard for the first time. A stakes winner on turf at 2, BBN Racing's Twirling Candy filly conquered her first dirt test with a 1 1/4-length win in the June 8 Leslie's Lady Overnight Stakes at Churchill Downs at the same seven-furlong distance.
"This is a lot tougher of a step up," Arnold said of the competition compared to her previous dirt start. "The seven-eighths is obviously something that's not going to be a problem for her. She ran good on the Churchill dirt, and we're going to see if she can transfer her form to Saratoga."
Posting a 104 ESF, the dirt victory opened the door for connections to seek a grade 1 score on the path to the $2 million Music City Stakes (G2T) at Kentucky Downs Sept. 6.
"There just aren't a lot of opportunities for a 3-year-old filly to win a grade 1," Arnold said. "The group made the decision she deserves her chance in the grade 1, and we're going to give it to her."
Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott has also come to play with a pair of runners himself. He bookends the field with Godolphin's Ragtime along the rail and Tranquility Lake Farms' Beauty Reigns on the far outside.
Beauty Reigns has run well in stakes company already, having placed twice at the level at Saratoga while exiting a runner-up finish to Echo Sound in the Victory Ride.
Meanwhile, Ragtime tests these waters for the first time after beginning her career 2-for-2. Both her maiden race and allowance victories at Saratoga were open to older horses, but the Union Rags filly was still able to take the spotlight with a combined margin of victory of eight lengths.
"It's a big jump," Mott said of the competition. "Of course, it's a big jump to the (allowance race) against older horses and New York-breds that have gone through all their conditions, but she handled that well."
The theme of pairs continues in a duo of California-based graded stakes-winning fillies shipping in for the grade 1 attempt.
Edward Childs' Cash Call cuts back from a 1 1/16-mile victory in the Summertime Oaks (G3) at Santa Anita Park June 7 for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert. Flavien Prat takes up the irons for the first time as she aims to extend her win streak to four.
Also cutting back is Reddam Racing's Look Forward for trainer Michael McCarthy, who, although based in California, has only raced there once in five starts this year. The Bolt d'Oro filly exits a solid runner-up finish at the Spa in the June 6 Acorn Stakes (G1) at 1 1/8 miles. Previously, she flashed her talent over seven furlongs with a triumph in the Eight Belles Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs in May.
Rounding out the field are Me and Molly McGee, who enters stakes company on a two-race win streak, and Artisma, runner-up to Look Forward in January's Santa Ynez Stakes at Santa Anita Park.
Saratoga Race Course, Saturday, August 2, 2025, Race 10Entries: Test S. Presented by Ticketmaster (G1)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Ragtime (KY) Junior Alvarado 122 William I. Mott 4/1 2 2Kilwin (KY) Jose L. Ortiz 122 George R. Arnold II 6/1 3 3Look Forward (KY) Umberto Rispoli 122 Michael W. McCarthy 8/1 4 4Cash Call (KY) Flavien Prat 122 Bob Baffert 5/1 5 5Me and Molly McGee (KY) Lanfranco Dettori 122 Peter Eurton 8/1 6 6Echo Sound (KY) Luis Saez 122 George R. Arnold II 9/5 7 7Artisma (KY) John R. Velazquez 122 Richard Baltas 20/1 8 8Beauty Reigns (KY) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 122 William I. Mott 6/1
