Amerman Racing’s Kentucky homebred Test Score stormed home a 1 ¼-length winner of the $750,000 Belmont Derby Invitational (G1) during the July 4th Racing Festival at Saratoga.
Trained by Graham Motion, the son of Lookin At Lucky entered the Belmont Derby off a runner-up finish in the American Turf (G1) at Churchill Downs in May. Ridden in the Belmont Derby by Manuel Franco, Test Score bobbled at the start. He secured a stalking position from third in the early going of the 1 1/8-mile turf test. With patient handling, he angled out five wide into the upper stretch, seized command a sixteenth out, and edged away late to score comfortably in 1:45.56.
Test Score: Back-to-back Belmont Derby Wins for Motion and Amerman
Motion and Amerman teamed up for their second consecutive Belmont Derby after sending out Kentucky-bred Trikari to win last year’s renewal at Aqueduct.
“To do it two years in a row for Mr. Amerman, I haven’t trained for him for very long, it’s pretty cool—two serious horses,” Motion said.
Amerman echoed Motion’s sentiments. “I’m never confident in these Grade 1 races,” he said. “There were an awful lot of good horses in this race, and he endured. So that was good. We will talk with Graham about what race is next. He is an amazing horse. It looks like he is kind of trotting along, in a good position, but then he gets his kick.”
Franco, aboard Test Score for five of his seven previous outings, said he was content to bide his time behind the frontrunners.
“I had the trip that I wanted,” related Franco. “I knew I was going to be forward. And then on the backside, he was relaxed, taking me the right way, and when he felt the company by the three-eighths pole, I knew he was there for me.”
With the win, Test Score adds to previous graded success in the Transylvania (G3) at Keeneland in April, along with three other stakes placings. Test Score is out of the winning Kitten’s Joy mare Joy of Learning, a half-sister to multiple graded stakes winners Coffee Clique and Admission Office.