Test score finds the right trip in the Pegasus Turf, Coglianese photo
Gulfstream Park Press
HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Coming off a career year together in 2025 that included his first Grade 1 win and more than $1 million in earnings, Amerman Racing has home-bred Test score got 2026 off to a great start by fending off longshot Almendares in the middle of the rack and durable, late-running stablemate One stripe by a neck in Saturday’s $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1) at Gulfstream Park.
The eighth edition of the Pegasus World Cup Turf and the 10th anniversary of the $3 million Pegasus World Cup (G1) on dirt, both at 1 1/8 miles, and the fifth edition of the $500,000 TAA Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf (G2) headlined a spectacular program with 10 stakes, seven in rank, worth $5.675 million in purses.
Test Score ($17.20) and two-time South African Group 1 winner One Stripe completed a winning exacta for trainer Graham Motion, giving him and jockey Manuel Franco their first Pegasus Turf victories. The winning time on a firm grass track was 1:47.04.
“I felt really good running these horses, but I felt really good running my horses all day and none of them won,” Motion said. “This was the icing on the cake today. What a great day.”
Test Score faced older horses for the first time in the Pegasus Turf after three wins, one second, three thirds and more than $1.3 million in purse earnings from eight starts out of 3 dating back to last February, including victories in the Belmont Derby Invitational (G1), Twilight Derby (G2) and Transylvania (G3).
One Stripe, a four-time group winner in South Africa, made his fourth North American start and second consecutive race at Gulfstream, covering 5 ¼ lengths in a one-mile optional claim allowance on December 26.
‘I’m going to give [Test Score] a little break. He’s had a long year. I wanted to give points for this race. We’re going to freshen it up for spring,” Motion said. “One Stripe, I think the future for him is unlimited. The distance really helped him today.”
Cape Spirit broke well from Post 8 in a field of 12 under Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith and quickly established himself in the lead, covering the first quarter mile in 23.71 seconds, pushed out by Millionaire Major Guy of Cousin racing in the clear three wide in third and Test Score settled on the rail in fourth.
The half mile was completed in 47.23 seconds, with the top four unchanged as the group rounded the far bend. Cabo Spirit clung to a brief lead at the top of the stretch as the rest around him closed in led by Test Score, who overshot the weary leader at half-time, followed on his right hip by Almendares, dismissed at 35-1.
Franco set the Test score for a ride within eighth pole and the 4-year-old son of champion Lookin At Lucky started to go clear, but One Stripe, unhurried to begin with, found himself on the far outside with a dramatic late run to fall just short under his regular South African rider, Gavin Lerena.
“I wanted to come out of there running because I knew there was a lot of speed in the race and I didn’t want to be too far behind. I didn’t want to lose my position going into the first corner,” said Franco. “I stayed in position the whole time until we got to the back, then I was happy with where I was and how my horse was going.
“At the three-eighths pole the horse in the lead got away a little bit and I was able to go outside him,” he added. “When [Test Score] He got to the front early and waited a bit, but when he felt the competition again he gave me another gear.
One Stripe finished well ahead of Almendares, who finished a head ahead in third place with a 40-1 long shot Astronomer lead. It was another nose back to the 6-5 program favorite, Program tradingfollowed by Fort Washington, On the hunt for the Crown, Call sign sevenCabo spirit, Beach goldCugino and Major Dude.
Balnikhov, the only one to also qualify, was scratched and previously placed third on the card in the $225,000 William L. McKnight (G3).
Test Score was beaten just a half-length as favorite after a difficult trip in the 1 1/8-mile Hollywood Derby (G1) on Nov. 29 on the Del Mar turf, before enduring a two-day van ride from California back to South Florida. He improved his career record to 5-3-3 with $2,015,525 in purses earned.
Prior to his first run at Gulfstream, One Stripe earned an automatic trip to the Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) on Nov. 1 at Del Mar, where he finished 10th, thanks to his win in the King’s Plate in South Africa. Prior to the Breeders’ Cup, the 5-year-old made his North American debut on September 13 at the Woodbine Mile (G1) and finished fifth.
“[Test Score] had a lot of problems in his last race and was still running well, he just couldn’t get there. Manny gave him a great ride today,” Motion said. “It’s a little bittersweet [One Stripe ran second] because these guys are such good sports. They traveled from South Africa to see this horse run. He’s a really good horse. You’re going to hear a lot from this horse this year.”
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