After finding La Cara three lengths too good at the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, Look Forward returns to Saratoga for the $500,000 Grade I Test Stakes over 1,400m on Saturday, 2 August.
Not long after capturing the Haskell Stakes at another NYRA track with Preakness hero Journalism, Michael McCarthy now tries for elite success with his daughter of Bolt D’Oro. Look Forward has seen the Acorn Stakes form advertised and how by the third filly home, Scottish Lassie. That one romped to a 15-length victory in the Coaching Club American Oaks.
Rather than face off with those three-year-old fillies again, Look Forward now drops down in distance for a different mission. The Test Stakes of 2025 is an assignment over 400m shorter than the Acorn. Despite this, Look Forward has a Grade II victory over this lesser trip on her resume.
That came in the Eight Belles Stakes at Churchill Downs during the Kentucky Derby meet on the Oaks card in Louisville. Look Forward also previously landed a Listed race around Santa Anita over the winter and the 1,400m. Anything further seems to stretch her stamina, so coming back to this distance actually makes a lot of sense.
An old rival of Look Forward’s in Artisma takes her on again, but Richard Baltas’ Munnings filly shouldn’t be any trouble. After placing in that Listed race behind her, this one filled the same spot behind Me And Molly McGee. Both Peter Eurton’s charge and Artisma are in deep waters now.
Cash Call Bids to Give Baffert Fourth Win
There are seven fillies facing Look Forward in the Spa, however, and she’s not the only one to have run well in Upstate New York before. Godolphin pitch Ragtime in at the deep end after Bill Mott’s daughter of Union Rags notched consecutive minor wins over course and distance. Those two easy wins suggest Ragtime is well above average and worth a shot.
Look Forward isn’t the only Grade II winner in the line-up as Bob Baffert brings Summertime Oaks heroine Cash Call over from coast to coast. Like McCarthy’s filly, this daughter of McKinzie drops down in distance following that 1,800m success from Santa Anita Park.
Baffert seeks a fourth victory in the Test Stakes now with his latest back in 2020. Cash Call recorded good speed figures over sprint distances before stepping up in trip for the Summertime Oaks. She looks a versatile filly attempting something similar to Look Forward, albeit without Saratoga experience.
George Arnold tries to reinvent Kilwin as a dirt horse after running her on grass for most of her career to date, meanwhile. This filly by Twirling Candy ran fifth in the Breeders Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf in the fall. Since a change of surface, however, Kilwin showed some promise when defeating Vodka With A Twist over this distance at Churchill Downs.
That one placed in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies dirt race at the World Championships, so Kilwin beat a useful horse on her last start. She could definitely be open to further progress on this surface, but there are gentler raises in grade than she takes now.
Echo Sound a Big Threat in Test Stakes
Arnold has another, bigger bullet to fire at the race, though, in impressive Victory Ride scorer Echo Sound. A daughter of Echo Town, she followed-up up her Miss Preakness success from Baltimore with another Grade III success. Echo Sound gave 4lb in weight and a comprehensive beating to re-opposing second Beauty Reigns at the Spa over 1,300m
As she defied a penalty for the prior Pimlico win and her sire won the H. Allen Jerkens Memorial over this course and distance, the extra 100m holds no fears for Echo Sound. In fact, all the leading Belmont Stakes racebooks price up the Saratoga action in her favor.
Oddsmakers have Echo Sound as a strong Morning Line favorite, ahead of Ragtime, Cash Call, Beauty Reigns and Kilwin. Should those forecast prices reflect subsequent payouts, there’s no doubt Look Forward represents some value for a barn that has made headlines on the Triple Crown trail and during the summer meet at the Spa already.
Test Sakes 2025 Post Positions Draw & Morning Line Odds
- Ragtime – 4-1
- Kilwin – 6-1
- Look Forward – 8-1
- Cash Call – 5-1
- Me And Molly McGee – 8-1
- Echo Sound – 9-5 fav
- Artisma – 20-1
- Beauty Reigns – 6-1
Our Handicapper’s Verdict
Focusing on course form looks the smart play here with two in particular posting good and impressive efforts at Saratoga Race Course. After proving herself better than Grade III level, it’s easy to see why Echo Sound is favored by oddsmakers forecasting the Test Stakes.
However, the form of the Acorn Stakes looks good and Look Forward is therefore a great Across The Board bet. It wouldn’t be a huge surprise if Ragtime ran well on the upgrade either, while Kilwin – a barn buddy of Echo Sound – remains unexposed on dirt.
WATCH: Relive the Acorn Stakes at Saratoga from the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival
