Test Score finds the right trip in the Pegasus Turf, Coglianese Photo
Gulfstream Park Press
HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – After together a career year in 2025 that included his first Grade 1 win and more than $1 million in purse earnings, Amerman Racing homebred Test Score got 2026 off to a fabulous start by fending off longshot Almendares in mid-stretch and outlasting late-running stablemate One Stripe by a neck in Saturday’s $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational (G1) at Gulfstream Park.
The eighth running 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 featuring 10 stakes, seven graded, 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 he and jockey Manuel Franco their first Pegasus Turf wins. The winning time over a firm turf course was 1:47.04.
“I felt really good about running these horses, but I felt really good about running my horses all day and none of them had won,” Motion said. “This was the icing on the cake today. What a great day.”
Test Score was facing older horses for the first time in the Pegasus Turf after notching three wins, one second, three thirds and more than $1.3 million in purse earnings from eight starts at 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 stakes winner in South Africa, was making his fourth North American start and second straight at Gulfstream, where he romped by 5 ¼ lengths in a one-mile optional claiming allowance Dec. 26.
“I’m going to give [Test Score] a bit of a break. He’s had a long year. I wanted to point for this race. We’ll freshen him up for the spring,” Motion said. “One Stripe, I think the future is unlimited for him. The distance really helped him today.”
Cabo Spirit broke well from Post 8 in a field of 12 under Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith and quickly established himself on the lead, going the opening quarter-mile in 23.71 seconds pressed to his outside by millionaire Major Dude with Cugino racing in the clear three wide in third and Test Score settled on the rail in fourth.
The half-mile went in 47.23 seconds with the top four unchanged as the group rounded the far turn. Cabo Spirit clung to a short lead at the top of the stretch with the rest closing in around him led by Test Score, who surged past the tiring leader in mid-stretch followed on his right hip by Almendares, sent off at 35-1.
Franco set Test Score down for a drive inside the eighth pole and the 4-year-old son of champion Lookin At Lucky began to edge clear but One Stripe, who was unhurried off the pace in the early going, came with a dramatic late run on the far outside and came up 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 position going into the first turn,” Franco said. “I held my position the whole time until we got to the backside. After that I was happy with where I was and how my horse was traveling.
“At the three-eighths pole, the horse on the lead got away a little bit and I was able to go outside him,” he added. “When [Test Score] made the front early he kind of waited a little bit, but when he felt the competition again he gave me another gear.”
One Stripe finished a length ahead of Almendares, who edged 40-1 longshot Astronomer by a head for third. It was another nose back to the 6-5 program favorite, Program Trading, followed by Fort Washington, Chasing the Crown, Call Sign Seven, Cabo Spirit, Beach Gold, Cugino and Major Dude.
Balnikhov, the lone-also eligible, was scratched and ran third earlier on the card in the $225,000 William L. McKnight (G3).
Test Score was beaten just a half-length as the favorite following a troubled trip in the 1 1/8-mile Hollywood Derby (G1) Nov. 29 on the Del Mar turf, after which he endured a two-day van ride back to South Florida from California. 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) Nov. 1 at Del Mar, where he finished 10th, by virtue of his victory in South Africa’s King’s Plate. Prior to the Breeders’ Cup, the 5-year-old made his North American debut in the Sept. 13 Woodbine Mile (G1), finishing fifth.
“[Test Score] had a lot of trouble in his last race and still ran 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’ve traveled from South Africa to watch this horse run. He’s a really good horse. You’re going to hear a lot from this horse this year.”
