Lady Tak shows true colors

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Trainer Steve Asmussen felt the Grade 1 Test would enable Lady Tak to show how good a filly she could be. And on Saturday afternoon at Saratoga, Lady Tak did not disappoint him.

Pressing the pace from the outset under Jerry Bailey, Lady Tak took command of the $250,000 around the turn and powered home a 4 1/2-length winner over Kentucky Oaks and Acorn winner Bird Town. It was 1 1/2 lengths back to House Party in third.

Not only did Lady Tak win convincingly, but her final time of 1:20.83 for seven furlong also set a stakes record and was 23-hundredths of a second off the track record set by Darby Creek Road in 1978. Go for Wand set the Test record of 1:21 in 1990, and it was equaled by Capote Belle in 1996.

"Everything was conducive to her strengths, and I felt from a long ways out that this race would be a good opportunity for her to show how good she can be," said Asmussen. "She was away good, Jerry gave her a great ride, the weather turns out perfect for us today; everything fell into place, and that's who she can be."

The Test more than made up for Lady Tak's head loss to Bird Town in the Grade 1 Acorn last month at Belmont Park. Lady Tak won for the sixth time in nine starts

"This is the one we wanted to win," owner Bill Heiligbrodt said. "When you like fast horses, this is the race for fillies."

Breaking from post 2, Lady Tak pressed the pace-setting Molto Vita through fractions of 22.66 seconds and 45.27. Around the turn, Bailey asked Lady Tak and she responded by moving through to the front. Turning for home, Bailey simply waved his whip at Lady Tak ($6) and she flew home.

"It was obvious early I wasn't getting out so I made my bed and I decided to stay on the fence and do what I had to do to hold my spot," said Bailey, who won his sixth Test. "Very responsive, very impressive. Even sitting in the gate you know that she's going to be there for you all the way through the race. It was when I wanted to pull the trigger."

Nick Zito, the trainer of Bird Town, said he hopes the Test will set his filly up nicely for the Grade 1 Alabama on Aug. 16.

"Just ran into a better horse today," Zito said. "But, hopefully, she'll have three pretty good weeks and just go forward and everything will be okay."

Asmussen mentioned the Grade 1, $250,000 Gazelle on Sept. 6 at Belmont as a possible next spot for Lady Tak.