Ladies Shine in Test

[Wandering Eyes]

A competitive group of fillies get their chance to assert themselves in the 3-year-old sprinting ranks in Saturday’s GI Longines Test S. at Saratoga. Standing atop the nine-horse affair is 3-1 morning line choice Heligbrodt, Heider Family Stables and Madaket Stables’ Mia Mischief (Into Mischief), who reeled off consecutive victories in Oaklawn’s six-furlong Purple Martin S. Mar. 24 followed by a front-running score in the May 4 Eight Belles S. over seven eighths at Churchill Downs. Prompted throughout the early going in the 6 1/5-furlong GIII Victory Ride S. at Belmont, the Steve Asmussen trainee succumbed to pressure late, finishing fifth, beaten two lengths. The speed specialist draws the seven hole here. Klaravich Stables’ Separationofpowers (Candy Ride {Arg}), the sole Grade I winner in the field, recorded her career high coming from off the pace in Belmont’s GI Frizette S. over a mile Oct. 8 before flattening to fourth the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Del Mar Mov. 4. Shelved for the remainder of the season, the Chad Brown trainee reappeared with a trouble-ridden, yet productive, fourth in the Victory Ride. Jose Ortiz, who has been aboard for all five prior starts, get the call and looks poised to take advantage of this speed-laden affair. Brown is also represented by Peter Brant’s Alter Moon (Alternation). A debut winner at Gulfstream in January, the bay finished off the board in a pair of Gulfstream stakes before coming home second in the seven-furlong Game Face S. Apr. 21. Facing easy in a June 3 allowance at the Hallandale oval June 3, Alter Moon was an easy five-length winner last out in the Azalea S. June 30. Javier Castellano makes her acquaintance for her Grade bow. Carl Moore’s Classy Act (Into Mischief), runner up in the GII Rachel Alexandra S. in February, was an easy winner in a short test over seven-eighths at Churchill in June before finishing a neck behind winner Dixie Serenade (Uptowncharliebrown) in the Victory Ride, leaving in her wake Separationofpowers and Mia Mischief in her wake.

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