Testa Rossi Will Face Full Field in Saturday's Mrs. Revere
Testa Rossi shown winning the 2014 Florida Oaks at Tampa Bay Downs
After sustaining a minor injury from her fourth-place performance in the April 5 Ashland (Grade I) at Keeneland, multiple graded stakes winner Testa Rossi-FR will make her return to the races against an overflow field of 14 3-year-old fillies in Saturday’s $200,000-added Mrs. Revere (GII) at Churchill Downs.
The 3-year-old daughter of Mr Fong began her career in 2013 in her native of France where she won three of five starts prior to being purchased by owners James Covello, Thomas Coleman and Doheny Racing Stable and shipped to trainer Chad Brown in August of last year.
She won her U.S. debut in the Miss Grillo (GIII) at Belmont Park and followed that with a runner-up performance in the 2013 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (GI). She started her 3-year-old campaign with a win in Gulfstream Park’s Florida Oaks (GIII) before suffering a minor setback after her performance in the Ashland.
“She suffered a minor injury after the Ashland,” Brown said. “But she came back from it in good order and has been training well since.”
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The Ashland was the only non-turf start for Testa Rossi, and her jockey Jose Lezcano said immediately following the Ashland that he didn’t think she handled the Polytrack as well as he had hoped.
“The race was a little rough to begin with, but she recovered,” Lezcano said. “I don’t think she handled the surface too good.”
Brown recognized Saturday’s Mrs. Revere as a favorable return situation for Testa Rossi and said the race had been on their radar for the last three months.
“We’ve had the Mrs. Revere circled since about August,” Brown said. “We just looked at it as a good spot to bring her back. Beyond the Mrs. Revere I have no plans for her yet.”
Lezcano, a regular rider on the New York circuit for the majority of 2014, will make the trip to Louisville to ride Testa Rossi in her return Saturday. She will break from the one-hole.
The Mrs. Revere goes as the ninth of 10 races with an approximate post time of 4:36 p.m. ET.
