Matareya thriving at Spa, Cox confident coming into Test

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – As if Matareya winning each of her last four starts in one-sided fashion, including the Grade 1 Acorn by a widening 6 1/4 lengths in her New York debut wasn’t enough to give her competition nightmares heading into the $500,000 Test, add this fact to the list. Her trainer, Brad Cox, believes the way Matareya has trained up to the race suggests she may be sitting on an even better effort in the prestigious seven-furlong dash for 3-year-old fillies.

Matareya has flourished throughout her 3-year-old campaign, which began with a 5 1/4-length allowance win at the Fair Grounds. She returned to capture the Grade 3 Beaumont by 8 1/2 lengths six weeks later at Keeneland; the Grade 2 Eight Belles at Churchill Downs by 2 1/2 lengths on the Kentucky Oaks undercard; and then overcame a bit of an unlucky start to dominate the one-mile Acorn on Belmont Stakes Day.

Both the Beaumont and Eight Belles were decided at the same distance as the Test. Flavien Prat, who rides her again here Saturday, has been aboard Matareya for each of her last three wins.

“She’s been here a solid month, had four works, and is doing really well,” said Cox. “Her coat is amazing, she’s carrying good weight, she looks good physically, she seems to like the main track here, and this looks like a great spot for her on paper.”

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Cox believes the turnback to seven furlongs exiting the Acorn will be yet another advantage for his filly.

“I think seven-eighths is really her thing,” Cox noted. “Six furlongs is a little too short and while she can get the mile, this is the perfect distance for her. And I really think she’s doing even better coming into this race than the last.”

About the only negative for Cox is that Matareya drew the rail in the seven-horse field, although he’s confident Prat will be able to work out a good trip on the prohibitive favorite.

“The one hole is not the best spot but she’s very quick from the gate and Flavien has ridden her now in her last three races and she’s certainly done well in all three,” said Cox. “We’ll just leave it up to him and see how it goes.”

The Test is the first of three Grade 1 stakes to be decided Saturday at Saratoga. Matareya’s six rivals will all have to improve significantly from a Beyer Speed Figure standpoint to compete with her.

Hot Peppers is also coming off a graded stakes victory, having won the Grade 3 Victory Ride in a game, wire-to-wire effort last month at Belmont Park but earned a mere 74 Beyer for the effort. The win was the fifth in six starts this season for the daughter of Khozan, who was purchased privately this winter and ultimately transferred to trainer Rudy Rodriguez prior to her one-sided triumph in the six-furlong Jersey Girl on June 12.

“The competition will be tough but she’s doing well and looks like she could make the next step,” said Rodriguez.

Although there is plenty of speed signed on for the Test, Rodriguez said he has no plans to fool with what’s worked best for Hot Peppers.

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“I’m not going to change tactics, we know she wants to be in control,” Rodriguez said.

Elm Drive has shipped east from her Southern California base and into trainer Michelle Nevin’s barn for the Test. A Grade 2 winner at 2, she also figures to force the early issue while coming off a third-place finish in the Grade 2 Great Lady M. on July 4 at Los Alamitos.

Sterling Silver would figure to benefit from a contentious pace, although she did not take advantage of a similar situation in the Victory Ride when turning in an even effort to finish third, 3 1/4 length behind Hot Peppers.

Chi Town Lady has shown the ability to run late in her previous races, although she was no match for Matareya when finishing a well beaten fifth in their first meeting in the Beaumont.