Bella Sofia dazzles with triumph in Test Stakes

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - What Bella Sofia lacked in experience coming into Saturday’s $500,000 Test Stakes at Saratoga she made up for with pure speed and talent, running her seven rivals off their feet to register a convincing 4 1/4-length victory over Souper Sensational in the prestigious Grade 1 dash for 3-year-old fillies.

Bella Sofia came into the seven-furlong Test as the least-experienced member of the field along with Always Carina, both having made just three previous starts. Unraced at 2, Bella Sofia debuted with a flourish this spring at Belmont Park, drawing away to an 11 1/4-length maiden victory. She returned five weeks later to finish second after setting a hotly contested pace making her stakes bow in the Jersey Girl, before getting back on the winning track with another one-sided, 6 1/2-length allowance win just four weeks ago. That performance prompted trainer Rudy Rodriguez to try her in the Test.

With jockey Luis Saez aboard, Bella Sofia broke very alertly from her outside post before being reserved within easy striking distance of the pacesetting Illumination. Bella Sofia engaged the leader while a bit wide into the stretch, readily took command upon settling for the drive, drew well clear despite ducking in briefly from a right-hand stick near the furlong marker, and was never menaced thereafter while kept under a rousing ride to the end.

Souper Sensational, runaway winner of the Grade 3 Victory Ride in her previous start, prompted the early running briefly from the inside before easing back after the opening quarter-mile. Souper Sensational saved ground into the stretch, angled out to commence her bid at the top of the lane and continued willingly to clearly be second-best while never threatening the winner. Search Results came wide off the turn but lacked the necessary response at the end, finishing third as the 8-5 favorite. She was followed across the wire, in order, by Always Carina, Obligatory, the tiring Illumination, Zaajel, and Make Mischief.

Bella Sofia, a daughter of Awesome Patriot who brought a bargain $20,000 at the OBS 2-year-old sale in 2020, completed the seven-furlong distance in 1:21.54 over the fast track and paid $10.40. She earned a 101 Beyer Speed Figure, a career best.

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“This is very special, the ownership group they didn’t pay a lot of money for her, but she’s very fast and I’m grateful for the opportunity they gave me,” Rodriguez said. “In her first race she just drew away easily. I know we asked a lot of her in her second start and she ran very well then, too, but somebody chased her all the way around.”

Rodriguez acknowledged that Bella Sofia got the ideal trip in the Test.

“When you draw the outside you pretty much let the jockey figure out what to do,” said Rodriguez, a former rider himself. “She broke better than anybody and I thought she might go to the lead when she broke that good. But she was going nice and rating comfortably for (Saez) and when he asked her she was there for him. She did lug in a little bit when he hit her, which might be a combination of her still being green as well as being a little tired, but she still ran very, very fast.”