Test Of Faith primed for Park MGM Pace

After finishing 2020 with seven consecutive wins, Test Of Faith has picked up this harness racing season where she left off. The 3-year-old female pacer is 3-for-3 and will look to push her victory streak to 11 in Friday’s $150,000 Park MGM Pace at Yonkers Raceway.

Test Of Faith was one of the event’s two elimination winners last week. She captured her division in 1:52.1, the faster of the two splits, and drew post three for the final. David Miller will be in the sulky for trainer Brett Pelling.

The Park MGM Pace, for 3-year-old fillies, is one of four Grand Circuit stakes for 3-year-olds at Yonkers on Friday. The track also hosts the first two legs of the Trotting and Pacing Triple Crowns, the MGM Yonkers Trot and MGM Grand Messenger Stakes, as well as the New York New York Mile for female trotters.

Test Of Faith has won 11 of 12 starts in her career and earned $562,700 for owners Mel Segal, Kentuckiana Racing Stable, and Eddie Gran. The filly finished second in her lone defeat, which came when she made an interference break in a division of the New York Sire Stakes at Tioga Downs.

“She’s come back really good,” Miller said. “She grew up some from last year, she’s a little bigger, but she’s pretty much the same horse. She’s always been real nice to get along with, and is a real professional at her job. Whatever needs to be done — leaving, ducking, sitting in — she does. That’s a plus.”

Test Of Faith was last season’s fastest 2-year-old pacer thanks to her 1:48.4 win in a division of the International Stallion Stakes at Red Mile. She became only the third 2-year-old pacer in history to win in less than 1:49, joining filly Warrawee Ubeaut and gelding Elver Hanover, who both paced 1:48.3.

Her other Grand Circuit stakes triumphs last year were the Kentuckiana Stallion Management Stakes at Harrah’s Hoosier Park and a division of the Bluegrass. She also was the New York Sire Stakes champion, winning the final at Yonkers.

Test Of Faith was not eligible to the Breeders Crown, so she was turned out following the International Stallion in early October.

“She ended up the year in good shape — sound, healthy — and usually that’s a good indication (of how a horse might return),” Miller said. “The first time I qualified her back this year she seemed just as good as she was last year.”

So far this season, Test Of Faith is the sport’s fastest 3-year-old filly pacer, with a time of 1:49.1 in an Open for 3-year-old filly pacers at The Meadowlands on June 19. She opened her campaign with a 1:52.1 triumph in a New York Sire Stakes division at Saratoga. The time was one-fifth of a second off the track record for a 3-year-old filly pacer.

In her Park MGM Pace elimination, Test Of Faith started from post six (moving in from post seven following the scratch of Fire Start Hanover) and got away fourth, where she remained until beginning a first-over move coming off the turn following the half-mile point. She took the lead at the top of the stretch and won by three-quarters of a length over Classicist.

“The other night was a bit of a test for her, I had to leave and then come first over with her, but she held strong,” Miller said.

“You go to the races with her, and you figure you’ve got a real good shot,” he added.

In Friday’s final, Test Of Faith will see seven rivals, including seasonal unbeaten Heart Of Mine, who won her elimination by one length over Darby Hanover in 1:54.2. Heart Of Mine, 6-for-6 this season, will leave from post one with Scott Zeron listed to drive for trainer Linda Toscano.

Heart Of Mine’s wins this season include a division of the Reynolds Memorial at Yonkers and two divisions of the New York Sire Stakes.

Last year, Heart Of Mine won one of 11 starts, with the victory coming in a track-record 1:53.2 New York Sire Stakes performance at Saratoga. She finished second on five occasions, including to Test Of Faith in the NYSS championship.

“She’s grown up a lot,” Toscano told DRF Harness’ Jay Bergman. “She was just immature, but I still thought she had a productive season.”

Racing begins at 7:15 p.m. (EDT) Friday at Yonkers. For complete entries, click here.

Following is the field for the Park MGM Pace.

Race 7 – $150,000 Park MGM Pace final
1-Heart Of Mine (Scott Zeron/Linda Toscano)
2-Marsala Hanover (Scott Zeron/Linda Toscano)
3-Test Of Faith (David Miller/Brett Pelling)
4-Darby Hanover (Andy Miller/Julie Miller)
5-Classicist (Todd McCarthy/Tahnee Camilleri)
6-Shania Blue Chip (Dexter Dunn/Noel Daley)
7-So Irresistible (Andrew McCarthy/Bruce Saunders)
8-Lyons Softassilk (Tim Tetrick/Jim King Jr.)
AE-Lindy At The Beach (Todd McCarthy/Domenico Cecere)

by Ken Weingartner, for the US Trotting Association