Baffert's Illumination Meets Acorn Top Three in Test

When Saratoga Race Course stages the Longines Test Stakes (G1) Aug. 7, more than the eight 3-year-old fillies entered will be attention grabbers. Also of note is the Test participation of Racing Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert.

Illumination , a fast, last-out winner June 4 at Santa Anita Park, is Baffert's first New York entrant since a judge granted him an injunction July 14 that permits him to race at New York Racing Association tracks, citing a lack of due process afforded him by NYRA. This spring, NYRA banned the West Coast-based trainer following Medina Spirit 's failed drug test following the colt's first-place finish in the May 1 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) at Churchill Downs—one of five Baffert trainees to fail tests in a year's time. 

Baffert won the Test last year with Michael Lund Petersen's eventual champion Gamine . The trainer also won the race in 2012 with Natalie Baffert's Contested  and in 2008 with Patti and Hal Earnhardt's Indian Blessing .

Though Illumination has shown promise—defeating maidens by eight lengths last out for owners George Bolton, Peter and Karin Leidel, Barry Lipman, and bloodstock agent Kerri Radcliffe—her accomplishments don't match others in the Test. From five lifetime starts, the daughter of Medaglia d'Oro   has a pair of stakes placings, including in the Del Mar Debutante Stakes (G1) last summer in California.

The Test favorite, Klaravich Stables' Search Results , has won three stakes, including the June 5 Acorn Stakes (G1) at Belmont Park. Her only loss in five starts was a gritty runner-up finish to Malathaat  in the April 30 Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) at Churchill Downs.

Search Results, the Test highweight at 124 pounds, was only a small margin superior over two of her Test foes in the Acorn, defeating runner-up Obligatory , owned by Juddmonte, by a half-length, and Gary Barber's third-place finisher Make Mischief , by a length and a half.

Irad Ortiz Jr., a two-time Test winner, rides Search Results.

Also entered Saturday are Souper Sensational , Zaajel , Always Carina , and Bella Sofia .

Souper Sensational and Zaajel are graded stakes winners around one turn. Always Carina was runner-up to Zaajel in the Mother Goose Stakes (G2) as the heavy favorite. And Bella Sofia is 2-for-3, her only loss being a runner-up finish in the Jersey Girl Stakes.

Make Mischief also ran in the Mother Goose, finishing fourth for Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse.

"When we broke her, I told Gary I thought she was a pretty good filly," Casse said. "I think she just needed a little more ground and a little bit of time to grow up. Her races this year have been good."

Casse also conditions Live Oak Plantation's Souper Sensational, a daughter of Curlin   who captured the Victory Ride Stakes (G3) last out and the Glorious Song Stakes at age 2. Casse said Charlotte Weber, owner of Live Oak Plantation, helped select the $725,000 purchase from the Blake-Albina Thoroughbred Services consignment to The Saratoga Sale in 2019 at Fasig-Tipton.

"She's a really good horsewoman herself, she knows what she's looking at. We go around at the sale and she usually picks out one or two and that's how we got her," Casse said.

Chad Brown trains both Search Results and Three Chimneys Farm's Always Carina. The trainer won the Test in 2018 with Separationofpowers  for Klaravich Stables.

Hall of Famers Bill Mott and Todd Pletcher—trainers of Obligatory and Zaajel, respectively—are both dual Test winners, though neither has won the race in more than 20 years.

Entries: Longines Test S. (G1)

Saratoga Race Course, Saturday, August 07, 2021, Race 8

• Grade I
• 7f
• Dirt
• $500,000
• 3 yo Fillies
• 4:34 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Illumination (KY)	John R. Velazquez	118	Bob Baffert	12/1
2	2Souper Sensational (KY)	Ricardo Santana, Jr.	120	Mark E. Casse	6/1
3	3Zaajel (KY)	Joel Rosario	122	Todd A. Pletcher	8/1
4	4Obligatory (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	122	William I. Mott	4/1
5	5Always Carina (KY)	Flavien Prat	118	Chad C. Brown	3/1
6	6Make Mischief (NY)	Tyler Gaffalione	118	Mark E. Casse	12/1
7	7Search Results (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	124	Chad C. Brown	5/2
8	8Bella Sofia (KY)	Luis Saez	118	Rudy R. Rodriguez	6/1