2024 Test Stakes Preview

Sophomore filly sprinters take the spotlight for the Test Stakes on Saturday, August 3, at Saratoga Race Course. The seven-furlong event drew a field of six, including four graded-stakes winners and another who has come very close to graded triumph on multiple occasions. It is an excellent example of a small but select field, and without a clearly defined horse looming over the rest, it will be an excellent betting opportunity.

2024 Test Stakes Information

• Race Date: Saturday, August 3
• Track: Saratoga Race Course
• Post Time: 3:54 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time
• Distance: seven furlongs
• Age/Sex: three-year-old fillies
• Where to Watch: FanDuel Racing, Fox
• Where to Bet: FanDuel Racing

Test Stakes Draw and Odds

This is the field for the 2024 Test Stakes, including post positions, trainers, jockeys, and official morning-line odds for each runner.

Test Stakes Prep Race Results

All six horses in the Test come out of different races, and five of the six come out of stakes engagements.

The only runner coming out of a graded victory is Emery, who was last seen battling to a half-length win in the Victory Ride (G3) at Aqueduct on July 4. However, four others come out of graded races. My Mane Squeeze was last seen finishing a well-beaten fourth behind Thorpedo Anna in the Acorn (G1) at the Spa during Belmont week, while Denim and Pearls will try to rebound from a seventh-place finish at odds on in the Eight Belles (G2) on May 3. Brightwork has not yet raced this year, but her most recent race was a sixth-place finish behind Just F Y I in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) last fall.

One runner comes out of an ungraded stakes race. Belle’s Blue Bell fon the Maryfield, a dirt sprint at Monmouth, in her last start.

Perhaps oddly, the morning-line favorite is the only one not coming out of a stakes race. Ways and Means was last seen winning a one-mile allowance at Saratoga Race Course on Belmont Stakes weekend by 8 ¼ convincing lengths. It was her first win since a debut maiden victory, though she had plenty of stakes experience in between.

Test Stakes Contenders

These are the six entrants in the 2024 Test Stakes, in order of their post positions.

1. Emery: But for a fourth-place finish behind eventual juvenile filly champion Just F Y I in the Frizette (G1) last year, Emery would be undefeated. That loss came at a mile, meaning Emery is undefeated in her races between six and seven furlongs. The drawback is that she has yet to try Grade 1 company at this shorter distance, meaning she has some class to prove. But, she has tactical speed, can run well from relatively inside posts, and consistently runs races fast enough to be a factor against this set. She also has a nice rapport with Tyler Gaffalione, who has ridden her in all four of her wins; her only defeat came in her only start with a different rider in the saddle.
2. Denim and Pearls: The second-stringer from the Brad Cox barn behind Emery, she looked like a rising star after a 9 ¼-length romp in the Beaumont at Keeneland. However, she came back to earth in the Eight Belles, finishing a well-beaten seventh behind My Mane Squeeze, who she runs into again here. She has upside in this spot: she has been freshened since that last race, and she ran that career-best Beaumont effort fresh. The biggest question for Denim and Pearls is the weather: her two flattest races have come over wet tracks, and there is a chance of rain through Saturday.
3. Belle’s Blue Bell: With ten starts, Belle’s Blue Bell is the most experienced horse in the race. However, most of those have come against lower-level company than this. In fact, she has only tried graded company once, when she ran on belatedly and split the field for a no-threat sixth in the Miss Preakness (G3) two back. She did break through at the stakes level last out at Monmouth, turning the tables on one of her foes from the Miss Preakness (second-place Youalmosthadme) in the Maryfield. However, she will need to be faster in this group, and she has yet to show she is as effective at seven furlongs as she is at six or even five and a half.
4. Ways and Means: Despite lacking a stakes victory, she was well bet in the Kentucky Oaks off of troubled seconds in both the Spinaway (G1) and the Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2). She didn’t run badly, though she flattened late and was a no-threat fourth behind Thorpedo Anna. She got a confidence builder, winning a one-mile dirt allowance at Saratoga Race Course on Belmont weekend, and between that and two good efforts at the Spa last year, it is safe to say she loves this track. There is also a question about how she will handle the slop—it isn’t a huge concern since she is bred nicely for it, and she is probably better going short like this than going the Kentucky Oaks distance, but it is worth considering since she will be a short price.
5. My Mane Squeeze: This New York-bred has won one of her three tries in open company, and it was the one that came over one turn: the seven-furlong Eight Belles at Churchill Downs, where she looked great over a sloppy track. Now she cuts back to seven furlongs after an off-the-board try in the 1 ⅛-mile Acorn last out, and My Mane Squeeze may even catch a sloppy track again as well. She is versatile enough to find a spot forward or rally from midpack, and Luis Saez should be able to get a good effort from her at a square price.
6. Brightwork: Brightwork is the real question mark in this field: she showed a lot of class in her six starts so far, but all of those came last year. The question is whether she has taken a step forward from two to three. However, if she has trained on, she is intriguing: all four of her starts at one turn last year were excellent, including a victory over Ways and Means in the seven-furlong Spinaway (G1) last summer at Saratoga Race Course. The wheels came off in her two-turn starts. Now, she returns to a course she likes, and she is proven over a seven-furlong test. She also gets a nice, clean outside post in a short field, a great spot for showing her tactical speed.

Test Stakes FAQ

Q: When is the Test Stakes?

A: The Test Stakes happens on Saturday, August 3, 2024 at 3:54 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. It is the eighth of 13 races on the card, and one of three at the top level.

Q: Where is the Test Stakes?

A: The race happens at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York.

Q: Which trainer has the most wins in the Test Stakes?

A: Sunny Jim Fitzsimmons won the Test five times between 1928 and 1963. Among trainers entered in the 2024 edition of the Test, two have won the race before. Brad Cox (Denim and Pearls, Enemy) won in 2019 with eventual sprint champion Covfefe, and Chad Brown (Ways and Means) won in 2018 with Separationofpowers.

Q: Who is the favorite for the Test Stakes?

A: Ways and Means is the 7-5 morning-line favorite despite not having a stakes win yet. She has run into trouble several times, and shown she has talent; the fact that Chad Brown trains her also backs up the idea that she’ll be bet down to favoritism. However, make sure to respect action on Emery (5-2) in particular, as she remains unexposed as a sprinter.

Q: Who is the best Test Stakes jockey?

A: Jerry Bailey, now retired, leads all riders with six wins in the Test between 1988 and 2003. Among jockeys with a call in the Test this year, John Velazquez leads with four wins, most recently in 2020 with Gamine. He rides Brightwork this year.

Q: Who won the Test Stakes in 2023?

A: Pretty Mischievous, the Kentucky Oaks winner, won the 2023 Test for trainer Brendan Walsh and jockey Tyler Gaffalione. Walsh does not have an entrant this year, though Gaffalione rides rail-drawn Emery for trainer Brad Cox.

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