A quarter century later, Victory Ride’s performance in the 2001 G1 Test still shines

Before the Grade 1 Test in 2001, much of the attention surrounded Xtra Heat, the now Hall of Famer who was 14-for-16 entering the seven-furlong sprint for sophomore fillies. She was fresh off a stakes record-setting score in the Grade 1 Prioress at Belmont Park that earned a 113 Beyer Speed Figure, and a victory in the Test appeared to be the next logical step for one of the country’s most dominant sprinters.

However, the up-and-coming Victory Ride had other ideas. 

Trained by George “Rusty” Arnold for owner G. Watts Humphrey Jr., Victory Ride entered the Test with just three career starts. In her April 13, 2001 debut at Keeneland, the sophomore daughter of Seeking the Gold dominated seven-furlong maiden company by 14 1/4 lengths over next-out winner Laurie’s Balada. The final time of 1:22.34 earned a 108 Beyer.

“I usually don’t breeze them very fast before they debut, but she breezed out of the gate beforehand and was brilliantly fast,” Arnold said, referencing a 46.40-second bullet half mile on April 7, 2001. “She was the favorite her first time out, drawn wide in the 10 hole of 11, and that race was over pretty quick.”

The following month at Belmont Park, Victory Ride set the pace at the same distance to defeat allowance elders by seven lengths under Jean-Luc Samyn, validating her impressive first race. That effort prompted a try in the one-mile Grade 1 Acorn there in June, where Victory Ride teamed up with future Hall of Fame jockey Edgar Prado, as her debut pilot Pat Day rode reigning Champion Juvenile Filly Caressing. 

In the Acorn, Victory Ride stalked along the inside during the early stages and was a close third as Forest Secrets took command through three-quarters in 1:09.95. Victory Ride made her move up the rail in the stretch, and put a neck in front inside the sixteenth-pole, however the 50-1 longshot Forest Secrets battled back in the final strides to prevail by a neck in a final time of 1:34.92. 

“We changed riders three times, I remember that really well. Pat Day took off to ride the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies winner, and I don’t think Edgar knew our horse really well at the time,” said Arnold. “He made an attempt to rate her, and she ended up getting beat by a horse that should’ve never beat her. She came back well and we planned to go to the Test, and she did everything right heading into it.”

Rather than contest the nine-furlong Grade 1 Mother Goose at Belmont, Arnold would wait to run Victory Ride in the Test, over her preferred seven-furlong distance in late July at Saratoga Race Course.

Victory Ride exited post 7-of-8 under Prado and settled into fourth position, six lengths off the John Salzman-trained Xtra Heat, who was carrying a field-high 123 pounds and dueled with Harmony Lodge through the opening quarter-mile in 21.51 seconds. 

“For whatever reason, I thought it was a two-horse race,” Arnold recalled. “But then another filly pushed Xtra Heat along, which helped us.”

The Rick Wilson-piloted Xtra Heat and Harmony Lodge continued to battle through the half-mile in 44 flat, with Victory Ride quickly gaining ground with a wide move. Rounding the turn, Xtra Heat shrugged off Harmony Lodge, but still had a quarter-mile left to withstand Victory Ride’s powerful outside charge.

“I knew they were flying up front,” Prado told the Daily Racing Form post-race. “Even though we were behind turning for home, I was very confident we would get by Xtra Heat.”

The pair were on even terms inside the furlong marker before Victory Ride surged clear in the final sixteenth to defeat Xtra Heat by 3 1/4 lengths in a final time of 1:21.72. Nasty Storm rallied from last-to-3rd, followed by Kimbralata, Carafe, Forest Secrets, Harmony Lodge and Secret Liaison. 

“That was a really good race,” Arnold said. “We ended up running by Xtra Heat in the final eighth. She was so talented.”

The win established Victory Ride as one of the nation’s top sophomore fillies, handing eventual Champion 3-Year-Old Filly Xtra Heat just her third defeat in 17 career starts. The two would not rematch, as Victory Ride suffered a condylar fracture during a subsequent workout that sidelined her for the remainder of the season. The gutsy filly returned with a victory in the Madison at Keeneland the following spring over next-out Grade 1-winner Celtic Melody.

“She missed a long time and probably didn’t come back as good as she was,” Arnold said. “She just wasn’t as brilliant when she came back. She did beat a Grade 1-winner for [trainer] Jimmy Jerkens, but then didn’t run as well in the Shuvee at Belmont. We took her to Monmouth and she won the Omnibus, then tried her longer in the Spinster at Keeneland; ran her once at Churchill and then retired her.”

Arnold said the Test was Victory Ride at her best.

“It’s always been a standout race for 3-year-old fillies,” Arnold said. “Xtra Heat was a Champion, there were a few others in there that ended up being very, very good and I think the filly that we won it with was exceptional.”

Last year, Arnold captured the Test again with Kilwin, who stumbled badly at the start and rallied from off the screen to defeat Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott’s next-out Grade 3 Dogwood-winner Ragtime by a neck.

“Kilwin had been coming from off the pace, but never like that,” Arnold said. “I had written her off after the start, to be honest. I didn’t think she had any chance. That was one of the most remarkable runs by a filly that I’ve ever had.”

Between Victory Ride and Kilwin, the Test was won by four subsequent Champions, including Indian Blessing [Female Sprinter, 2008]; Covfefe [Female Sprinter, 3-Year-Old Filly, 2019]; Gamine [Female Sprinter, 2020]; and Pretty Mischievous [3-Year-Old Filly, 2023].

Among its 100-plus year history, Hall of Famers to capture the Test include Gamely, Ta Wee, Desert Vixen, My Juliet, Lady’s Secret, Safely Kept and Go for Wand.

“I think this race is just a really good ‘Test,’” Arnold concluded. “The race is in Saratoga, held midsummer, you get some milers turning back and some sprinters stretching out. Looking back through the history of it, it takes a really good filly to win it.”

A talented group has assembled once again for Saturday’s 101st running of the Grade 1, $500,000 Test presented by Ticketmaster, with each contender looking to add their names to the long history of brilliant winners of a true test for sophomore fillies.