Harrah's Philadelphia: Test Of Faith, Forbidden Trade take qualifiers

Test Of Faith, the fastest 2-year-old of 2020, showed she's ready for whatever her opponents may throw at her with a sensational qualifying victory in 1:53 1/5 at Harrah's Philadelphia Tuesday morning.

The Art Major filly, trained by Brett Pelling for Melvin Segal, Kentuckiana Racing Stable, and Eddie Gran, was reserved off early fractions of 28 2/5 and 58 2/5 by driver David Miller, sitting third, four lengths off at the half. Test Of Faith moved up to second, still six lengths off the lead, by the 1:26 three-quarters, but she roared her individual last quarter in 26 to be a 1 1/2 length winner. Test Of Faith now has two winning qualifiers in preparation for 2021, a year after her 1:48 4/5 win at Lexington was quicker than even “the boys” among freshmen.

Forbidden Trade, the 2019 Hambletonian winner who would draw post four for this Sunday's $100,000 Maxie Lee Trot at Philly an hour later, got a good workout in another qualifier, winning in 1:58 1/5 with back fractions of 57 3/5 - 28 1/5. Bob McClure drove the son of Kadabra for trainer Luc Blais and owner Determination.

Shnitzledosomethin qualified in 1:53 3/5 for driver David Miller, trainer Dylan Davis, and owners Howard Taylor, Edwin Gold, Abraham Basen, and Richard Lombardo. The son of Fred And Ginger will not be in the $100,000 Commodore Barry Pace, but he may be on a strong undercard on Sunday.

Hambletonian eligible Macho Martini, who won eight of 11 starts in 2020 and earned $342,147, got his year off to a good start with a second-place finish timed in 1:59 3/5 in the final qualifier on the card. Also trained by Blais for owner Determination, the 3-year-old finished with a 29 1/5 final quarter to lose by just a length to filly Sweet Bouquets.

-edited release (PHHA/Harrah's Philadelphia)