Harness: Test Of Faith has the looks of a unique talent

The work of a handicapper is evaluating talent. Notably the effort is put in to differentiate one horse from another and place a wager to justify one's own ability. Over the course of time you can safely analyze the types of horses you like and the ones you prefer to bet against. Horses come in all shapes and sizes and standardbreds can be closers or speed horses. In recent years, if horses couldn't show early speed they tended to get very little consideration.

There were many young horses you could watch that started their respective careers with a "tightener" and that meant one or two easy races from off-the-pace to get a foundation before putting the horse on the front end. Routinely many trainers would be concerned about letting a horse go to the front too many times for fear that they won't be able to relax in future races and eventually burn out.

To my surprise and amazement, a horse has emerged over the last few weeks that has virtually obliterated the norm in so many ways that suggests she's something quite unique. Test Of Faith, who has rattled off consecutive Grand Circuit victories in a manner I've never seen in more than 40 years of watching the sport, is that horse.

A filly by Art Major from a Cams Card Shark mare that earned over a half-million dollars, it wasn't that surprising to see Test Of Faith capture the New York Sire Stakes final less than a month ago. She had methodically entered every contest, and with the exception of one incident that forced her to lose stride, she could have completed the New York circuit perfectly. The blemish aside, Test Of Faith was a front-end machine that won her Sire Stakes races with ease.

The scene shifted to Hoosier Park on September 25 and trainer Brett Pelling put David Miller behind Test Of Faith for the first time. Jim Marohn Jr. had done an exceptional job handling the filly inside the Empire State, but Miller has been enjoying incredible success in 2020 and seemed a fitting choice. While there have been countless top fillies emerging from New York over the years, the state has struggled to match the numbers produced in neighboring Pennsylvania where, of course, far more horses are produced annually. Nevertheless, Test Of Faith would take on all comers in the Kentuckiana Stallion Management event and do so in a way few juvenile pacing fillies I've witnessed can match. Sacrificing position while sitting fourth behind the undefeated Somethingbeautiful, Miller bided his time in fourth through a soft 57 second opening half. Test Of Faith got her cue and marched up without cover during the third quarter but still was well off the leader after three quarters timed in 1:25 1/5. The sprint was on, with the Indiana-bred Somethingbeautiful at the advantage, but the lead evaporated almost instantly when Miller called on Test Of Faith and she just exploded to a 1:51 3/5 career-best mile that included a 25 3/5 final quarter.

As impressive as the Kentuckiana Stallion Management victory was it was clearly just a two-filly race in the end and that Test Of Faith proved better than her Indiana-based rival could not be considered proof enough of her status among the elite fillies in 2020 or beyond. Yet the specific nature of her victory and then one she provided this past Friday at The Red Mile, suggests Test Of Faith is truly an uncommon arrival on the racing scene. In the Bluegrass on October 2, again Miller sacrificed the top spot to the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes-hardened Marsala Hanover and waited patiently through relatively moderate fractions that saw the leader hit three quarters in 1:24 with Test Of Faith cruising on the outside. Miller hardly moved a muscle as Test Of Faith devoured ground effortlessly, putting away Marsala Hanover to score in the $133,500 contest in a career-best 1:50 3/5 clocking.

This Friday, Test Of Faith will return at The Red Mile for what will be her ninth and final start of 2020. Test Of Faith is not eligible to this year's Breeders Crown and her trainer conceded much of that has to do with planning.

"We wanted to get her ready for the first New York Sire Stakes at Monticello in early June," said Pelling. "If not for COVID-19 she could have had two or three more starts in New York. With the change in schedule it actually worked out well for her to have space between each race." So instead of likely finishing her campaign with 12 or 13 starts, Test Of Faith will conclude her first year with but nine.

Pelling has liked Test Of Faith from the word go and suggests the filly is not only fast but easy to handle. "She's one you can loose-line," Pelling said in deference to the ease at which you can take her out and have her relax. "She's ready to go when you ask her to."

Pelling, of course, recognizes that few fillies are as easy to relax and can take air without suffering some of the consequences. Over her last two races Test Of Faith has looked to handle the overland trips as if they are just training miles, with Miller asking for speed and getting the type of response rarely seen by juvenile fillies.

"The race at Hoosier was something else," said Pelling, "David (Miller) told me after the race that he'd never sat behind a 2-year-old filly that took off like she did in that last eighth."

For Test Of Faith, Friday will be her Breeders Crown. A convincing victory should be enough to conclude she fits atop this division. In 2014 another daughter of Art Major, J K She'salady went undefeated in 12 starts on her way to a Horse of the Year title. Unlike Test Of Faith, she was kept off the New York Sire Stakes circuit and had her races spaced between June and late November.

Pelling is looking ahead. "She'll get turned out at Kentuckiana Farms after Friday and she's fully staked as a 3-year-old," Pelling said.