Explora Cruises in Test to Record First Grade 1 Victory
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Photo: Skip Dickstein
Explora rolls to victory in the Test Stakes at Saratoga Race Course
The "Amigos for Life" had a party Aug. 8 in no less opulent of a setting than the winner's circle at Saratoga Race Course after a grade 1 stakes.
In a performance that stamped her as a filly to watch in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint (G1), Explora romped to a 5-length victory in the $500,000 Test Stakes (G1) for 3-year-old fillies, much to the excitement and joy of longtime friends Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert and owners Mike Pegram, Karl Watson, and Paul Weitman, a.k.a. The Three Amigos.
"I am so grateful because Mike flew all the way up here. I think the last time Mike was here was for McKinzie. It's tough to get Mike here, so I am glad he made it," Baffert said. "They're my best friends. So, when you win for them, it's extra special. We talk almost every day. They love the sport. They have the passion and know how to ride out the bad times. You have to have the stomach for it."
The bad times were nowhere in sight Saturday as Explora, the runner-up in last year's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1), notched her initial grade 1 win.
"She's been phenomenal. She has so much class. It's nice to get a grade 1 win for her. My team at Churchill Downs got her ready for this. They did a great job," Baffert said about the Blame filly who won for the sixth time in 10 career starts.
One of Explora's four losses came in the spring when she tired after setting the pace in the 1 1/8-mile Kentucky Oaks (G1) and finished fourth.
"After the Oaks, (jockey Flavien Prat) said, 'Keep her one turn,'" Baffert said.
That made the 7-furlong Test the main summer target and a front-running score in the June 7 Leslie's Lady Stakes at Churchill Downs had her on edge for a big effort Saturday.
The biggest concern for the filly bred by Mesingw Farm out of the Bernardini mare Collections Choice came before the race when she became hot in the paddock on a steamy day at the Spa.
"She was getting a little warm but luckily once we hosed her down and she settled back down, she got quiet. I told Prat, he didn't need to warm her up. She was warm. Just take her right to the gate," Baffert said.
Once the race started, Explora was third behind pacesetting Movie Night🔥 , then took charge with a three-wide move on the turn and scampered away from her seven rivals in the stretch to cross the wire in 1:22.42.
Hat Creek Racing's Percy's Bar , an Upstart filly trained by Ben Colebrook, rallied from seventh to be second by 1 3/4 lengths over Spendthrift Farm's Goodall🔥 , a daughter of Yaupon trained by Steve Asmussen
Explora was bought for $350,000 from the Crane Thoroughbred Services consignment at the 2025 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale and has earned $1,534,415.
She is the fifth of six foals from her dam and the only stakes winner. Collections Choice most recently foaled a Beau Liam🔥 colt in 2025.