Separationofpowers Battles Back to Top in Test
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Photo: Skip Dickstein
Separationofpowers (outside) puts away Mia Mischief in the Test Stakes at Saratoga Race Course
Separationofpowers put in a determined rally to catch Mia Mischief coming around the turn for home Aug. 4 in the $500,000 Longines Test Stakes (G1), but her work wasn't over yet.
Down the length of the stretch at Saratoga Race Course, Mia Mischief dug in with tenacity as Separationofpowers tried to pass her on the outside. The two hooked up in a thriller with a furlong to run, but in the final strides it was the Chad Brown-trained Separationofpowers—Klaravich Stables' Candy Ride filly with back class—who edged by her game rival to win by a neck under Jose Ortiz.
"I feel so fortunate she came out on top," Brown said. "She showed her heart and determination. I'm just so proud of my filly, how she showed so much heart to come out on top. I thought Jose rode such an outstanding race, from start to finish. They're a good combination, those two."
The last time Separationofpowers saw the winner's circle, it was after she took the Oct. 8 Frizette Stakes (G1) going a mile at Belmont Park in just her third start. The bay filly romped by 11 3/4 lengths in her debut sprinting six furlongs last July at Saratoga and was third in the Spinaway Stakes (G1) before she picked up her top-level win.
After a fourth in the 1 1/16-mile 14 Hands Winery Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1), Separationofpowers emerged with a chip and was rested until a July 8 return in the Victory Ride Stakes (G3) going 6 1/2 furlongs at Belmont, where she finished fourth after stumbling at the start and getting steadied at the eighth pole. Brown also said she grabbed a quarter and sustained multiple scratches.
"Last time, we just wanted to get her started," he remarked. "(She) had been going under a lot of rehab and patience to bring her back. To bring her back to her race at Belmont and to have her stumble so bad out of the gate ... I actually wasn't sure I'd make the Test with her. Then she came around a couple of weeks later, started breezing again, got to feeling healthy again, and we came back with a beautiful, clean break and a good run."
Unlike her last start, where she made a seven-wide move, Separationofpowers was not caught out as far Saturday. Sent off as the 2-1 favorite in a field of eight, she tracked opening fractions of :22.70 set by Classy Act and :45.73 by Mia Mischief before rolling up in the three path through three-quarters in 1:09.91. The final time for the seven-furlong event was 1:22.78, and Separationofpowers returned $6.60, $3.40, and $2.70.
"I tried to keep her clean, have a clean trip in the turn," Ortiz said. "I went a little bit wider than I wanted to, but I didn't get in trouble. ... I just rode her like the best horse, and I'm glad it worked out."
Trainer Steve Asmussen said he was proud of Mia Mischief's effort in her first grade 1 start.
"She ran a really good race," he said. "She got beat by a grade 1 winner, and obviously we'd like the outcome to be about a neck different, but we're very proud of the filly and we're honored to have her."
After Mia Mischief, it was 3 1/2 lengths back to Kelly's Humor, who completed the trifecta.
Bred by Northwest Farms out of the Empire Maker mare Shehadmefromhello, Separationofpowers was a $190,000 purchase by de Meric Stables from Greenfield Farm's consignment to the 2015 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale.
"Separation of powers is a very important democratic principle, and if we lived by that as a country, we would all be better off," owner Seth Klarman said.