Minit to Stardom Brings Sentiment and Form Into Test

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Photo: Skip Dickstein
Minit to Stardom gallops under exercise rider Melanie Giddings at Saratoga Race Course

Trainer Al Stall Jr. is the first to admit the obvious where Minit to Stardom is concerned.

It's a big ask sending a filly from the ranks of state-bred and allowance company into a grade 1 race—at Saratoga Race Course, no less. It takes confidence to take a daughter of Louisiana legend Star Guitar  and have her—in just her fourth start—throw it down against some distaffers well-versed in the higher levels of the game. Her unbeaten record and combined win margin of 18 3/4 lengths make her no one's longshot. Still, there would be some element of surprise if the filly Stall calls "no shrinking violet" has a floral arrangement draped over her at the conclusion of the Longines Test Stakes (G1) Aug. 4.

"This will be a monster class test for her," Stall said.

Here's what is also evident to Stall's eye, though: In Minit to Stardom's three starts, he has yet to see Brittlyn Stable's homebred appear to extend herself. In her most recent outing May 27 at Churchill Downs, she whipped through six furlongs in 1:09.30 while making jockey Corey Lanerie look like he was merely along for the ride. She has a physical build that touts the ability beneath—a good thing, considering the weight of sentiment she will be carrying along with the 116 pounds she was assigned for her first graded outing.

Every trainer wants to collect grade 1 wins, but Stall has more than the usual motivation for hoping Minit to Stardom proves best of the nine-horse field for the seven-furlong Test Stakes. The bay filly might as well have a fleur-de-lis groomed onto her flank, given the level of Louisiana pride she represents.

Her sire is none other than Cajun icon Star Guitar, the former Stall trainee who captured four consecutive Louisiana-bred Horse of the Year titles before his retirement in 2012. When the son of Quiet American went to stud, his owner/breeder Evelyn Benoit—aka the First Lady of Louisiana racing—invested in quality mares for her Brittlyn Stables in an effort to make sure her millionaire color-bearer was given every chance at success in the breeding shed.

A victory this weekend would make Minit to Stardom her sire's first graded stakes winner, but that milestone would be secondary compared to the resonance it would have with another native of her home state. The Lafayette-born Lanerie will again be guiding the filly this weekend as he seeks his first grade 1 win since the 2017 Central Bank Ashland Stakes. This will be his first top-level race since the shocking June 22 death of his wife, Shantel.

"There are more layers (to this race) than even we know about," Stall said. "Starting with the horse, it would be a tremendous Louisiana victory, obviously. Then you go into the sire. This is one of his first horses to step outside of state lines and to have her look good in Kentucky and possibly do well up here. Ms. Benoit puts a lot into it. She owns the (dam, Wild About Marie), and I have her full sister (Wild About Star) running in a stakes race the same day at Louisiana Downs, so it's huge for her stallion and her fillies that she has in that family.

"Then you throw Corey on top of that with what's going on. It's just one layer after another."

There is also the matter of uncovering just how good Minit to Stardom is, something Stall will get a hard read on against the likes of grade 1 winner Separationofpowers and 3-1 morning-line favorite Mia Mischief in the Test.

Her sample size is small, but Minit to Stardom has given her connections reason to think she is only getting warmed up in terms of her talent. After easily winning her first two starts against state-breds at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots last year, the filly was slated to make her season debut during the Louisiana Premier Night card at Delta Downs in February but had to miss that outing due to illness.

When Minit to Stardom finally made her sophomore debut in a six-furlong, optional-claiming allowance race at Churchill Downs in May, she had Stall shaking his head for good reasons as she contested the early pace before surging up on the turn and coasting under the wire 6 1/4 lengths in front.

"We knew she was a nice filly, we knew she was training well, but we had no idea she would run 1:09 1/5 over a really good field," Stall said. "Really, Corey, he didn't let her run a whole lot, so right then and there, we knew it was time to find a spot.

"She's done everything in a jog. And you say, 'Well, that's (against) Louisiana-breds,' but that race in Kentucky was not a bad field and … she did it like a hammer. She was the winner about a sixteenth of a mile out of the gate if you put a freeze frame on her. She's got genuine speed, which is a good thing, and that race is what emboldened us to move forward."

While there are no overwhelming figures in this year's Test, as evidenced by Minit to Stardom's 6-1 standing on the morning line, Separationofpowers brings proven form over the track and back class into her second start of 2018.

The Chad Brown-trained daughter of Candy Ride  broke her maiden going six furlongs at the Spa last year and was third in the Spinaway Stakes (G1) before defeating eventual divisional champion Caledonia Road in the one-mile Frizette Stakes (G1) Oct. 8 at Belmont Park.

In her first start since running fourth in the 14 Hands Winery Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1), Separationofpowers was caught wide en route to finishing fourth in the July 8 Victory Ride Stakes (G3) at Belmont.

"She's doing really well coming in, so we'll send her in and see what happens," said Brown, who will also saddle stakes winner Alter Moon in the Test. "She had a terrible break last time and stumbled. It was a tough trip, but she got the race she needed. Hopefully, she moves forward off that first start of the year and runs a big race in the Test."

The Steve Asmussen-trained Mia Mischief captured the Eight Belles Stakes presented by Kentucky Trailer (G2) at Churchill Downs and had her form flattered when Talk Veuve to Me, the runner-up that day, returned to take the July 14 Indiana Oaks (G3). In her most recent start, Mia Mischief suffered her first off-the-board effort in eight starts when she finished a tiring fifth in the Victory Ride.