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Originally Posted by parsixfarms
It's not "merely a prep" for the Test, but when how often do you hear connections say that they are pointing to the Prioress? If you look at horses like Fanny Freud and Dream Rush, their connections had stated that they were pointing to the Test, and the Prioress was the bridge to get them there.
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I wouldn't argue with the Test being the most important race of the year for 3yo filly sprinters, and one of the biggest for any 3yo filly in this country (thinking back to when horses like Go For Wand, Versailles Treaty, Heavenly Prize, etc contested the race).
But that doesn't mean there's some sort of Derby trail-like road to get them to the race. It's a 7 furlong sprint. I think its safe to say for the most part that horses that run in races like the Acorn, Prioress, Azalea, etc. before the Test, are in those races to win. In addition, since most of the same horses shows up from race to race within the division, you have to think that all the Grade 1 races in a given division are affected.
If the Prioress has been weak for years now, then I'd presume that the Test itself hasn't been so hot, either.
Where's the list of the last 10 Test winners? We already know that a good chunk of them were Prioress winners, too.
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While the Test has generally had deep fields worthy of the designation, the Prioress has often not had fields of similar depth or quality. It's not to say that the Prioress is a "bad" race, I just don't believe it's worthy of a Grade I designation.
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Well, the Prioress was only made a Grade 1 about 10 years ago so it must have been doing something right to get that far. With the shift in NYRA stakes recently essentially ending the Triple Tiara of old, the Acorn has taken a more prominent role in the 3yo filly sprint ranks. Since the Prioress sits between that prestigious race and the Test, I think its possible that the Prioress will grow stronger over time. Like I said, it's at least maintaining a "one Grade 1 winner" quota for the last several runnings. They might have to change the distances to make them more logical.