2025 Test Stakes Contenders at Saratoga

Echo Sound enters from back-to-back graded wins and looks to make more noise in the 100th running of the Grade 1, $500,000 Test Stakes, a seven-furlong sprint for sophomore fillies, at Saratoga Race Course on Saturday, August 2.

The Test is slated as Race 10 on Saturday's 13-race card, which features the Grade 1 Whitney Stakes [Race 11], a "Win and You're In" for the Breeders' Cup Classic, the Grade 1 Saratoga Derby Invitational [Race 9], Grade 1 Fourstardave [Race 8], a "Win and You're In" for the Breeders' Cup Mile, and Grade 2 Saratoga Special [Race 3]. First post is 12:05 p.m. Eastern.

The Echo Town bay, trained by Rusty Arnold, captured the six-furlong Grade 3 Miss Preakness on May 16 at Pimlico Race Course ahead of a last-out 4 1/4-length annexing of the Grade 3 Victory Ride sprinting 6 1/2 furlongs on July 3 here.

In the Victory Ride, a race named for the Arnold-trained 2001 Grade 1 Test-victor, Echo Sound tracked the pacesetting Hollygrove through a half-mile in 44.85 seconds on the fast dirt, taking command in the turn under returning rider Luis Saez and separating from runner-up returning rival Beauty Reigns in a final time of 1:15.49. The performance earned a career and field-best 101 Beyer Speed Figure.

"I think she ran well and she has never had a bad effort," said Arnold. "She's run good in every race she's ever been in. She got beat once and she was second."

Echo Sound [post 6, Luis Saez] won 3-of-4 starts as a juvenile, taking the Myrtlewood in October at Keeneland before a runner-up effort in the Fern Creek in November at Churchill Downs to cap her campaign.

"She came back stronger at three," Arnold said. "Hopefully, she'll keep going forward from here. We're going to find out on Saturday."

Bred by Duignan at his Springhouse Farm along with Vision TBs, Bruce Pieratt and Patricia Pieratt, Echo Sound is a half-sister to Grade 2-winner Pick of the Litter out of the late Fusaichi Pegasus mare Eagle Sound, a half-sister to Grade 2-winner Wild Syn.

Arnold entered another top contender in Kilwin (BBN Racing) [post 2, Jose Ortiz], the last-out 1 1/4-length winner of the seven-furlong Leslie's Lady on June 8 at Churchill Downs. There, the Twirling Candy bay was making her dirt debut, earning a career-best 96 Beyer and her first victory since the $1 million Untapable in September at Kentucky Downs in her second of five turf starts.

Kilwin was also a solid fifth-place in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf in November at Del Mar. She squared off against well-regarded Shisospicy in her first two outings this year when sixth in the Listed Limestone in April at Keeneland and second in the Grade 3 Mamzelle in May at Churchill Downs.

"Hopefully, they both get good trips and run well," Arnold said. "Kilwin was pretty good on the turf. I don't know if she ran better on dirt because she won a million dollar race on turf... can't complain about that. Her dirt race was good and opened up some new options for us."

Kilwin is a half-sister to Grade 2-winning millionaire One Timer and Grade 1-placed Just Basking out of the Blame mare Spanish Star, a half-sister to 2019 Grade 1 Belmont Stakes-winner Sir Winston. Her second dam is Grade 1-placed La Gran Bailadora.

"Grade 1s are hard to find for 3-year-old filly sprinters, and this is the one we found," said Arnold. "Unfortunately for me, they're both in the same race. I would rather have two different spots, but there weren't any."

Arnold has already enjoyed sophomore filly graded success at the Saratoga summer meet, sending out Daisy Flyer to win the turf Grade 3 Lake George presented by Surfside on July 26.

Hall of Famer Bill Mott brings Grade 3-placed Beauty Reigns [post 8, Irad Ortiz, Jr.] and 2-for-2 Ragtime [post 1, Junior Alvarado] as he seeks his first win in this event since Dream Supreme in 2000. He also won with Missed the Storm in 1993.

Beauty Reigns (Tranquility Lake Farms), an Into Mischief gray, enters from a pair of sprint stakes placings here when third in the Jersey Girl to Indy Bay and second in the Victory Ride. She has hit the board in all five career sprint starts including her most recent win in a May 2 optional claimer at Churchill Downs.

Out of the unraced Tapit mare Ilsa, Beauty Reigns' second dam is 2009 Broodmare of the Year Sweet Life, who produced multiple Grade 1-winners Sweet Catomine and Life Is Sweet.

Godolphin's Kentucky homebred Ragtime enters from a 4 1/4-length allowance score versus elders over course and distance on July 5. The Union Rags chestnut earned a career-best 96 Beyer and validated a 3 3/4-length debut score over the same course on June 6, which received an 86.

Ragtime is a half-sister to Grade 3-winner Snowbell out of the 2007 Grade 2 Honorable Miss-winner Burmilla, a full-sister to dual graded stakes-winner Magicalmysterycat.

Grade 3-winner Cash Call [post 4, Flavien Prat] ships in for Hall of Famer Bob Baffert on a three-race win streak at Santa Anita Park. The McKinzie bay graduated third-out sprinting six furlongs in April, stepped up to dominate an optional claimer at the same distance in May, and stretched out to win the 1 1/16-mile Grade 3 Summertime Oaks last out on June 7.

Baffert has won this event previously with subsequent Champion Female Sprinters Indian Blessing [2008] and Gamine [2020], as well as with Contested [2012].

Cash Call is a half-sister to Grade 3-placed Strategic Dreams out of the winning D'wildcat mare D'fashion, a half-sister to Grade 1-placed Express Tour and stakes-winner Kitty Cat Express. She was a $600,000 purchase at the 2024 OBS Spring Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training.

Reddam Racing's Look Forward [post 3, Umberto Rispoli] was a last-out three-length runner-up to La Cara in the nine-furlong Grade 1 DK Horse Acorn on June 6 here. Trained by Michael McCarthy, the Bolt d'Oro bay edged Scottish Lassie for place-honors, and that rival returned to trounce the Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks on July 19 here.

Look Forward, aside from the classy top-level placing last out, has done some of her best running around one turn. She captured the seven-furlong Grade 2 Eight Belles on May 2 at Churchill Downs as well the Listed Santa Ynez going the same distance in January at Santa Anita.

Look Forward, a $285,000 purchase at the 2023 Keeneland September Yearling Sale out of the winning Into Mischief mare Troublesome, is a half-sister to Grade 3-placed Amidst Waves.

Rounding out the field are two-time winner Me and Molly McGee [post 5, Frankie Dettori] for trainer Peter Eurton and stakes-placed Artisma [post 7, John Velazquez] for conditioner Richard Baltas, the respective one-two finishers of a six-furlong allowance versus elders on June 22 at Churchill Downs.

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