Allowance replaces Johnstone Mile

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The $135,000 Johnstone Mile, for a second time, failed to fill for Sunday and will not be brought back. The race, formerly known as the Saratoga Dew, was for New York-bred fillies and mares at a mile.

Three horses who were eligible for that race instead wound up in an open-company seven-furlong allowance/optional $62,500 claiming race that, on the overnight, is called the Johnstone. The Johnstone Mile was named to honor the late Bruce Johnstone, a former trainer and racing official on this circuit.

Brattle House, who trainer Bill Mott was hoping to run in the Johnstone Mile, winds up in this spot. The 4-year-old daughter of Malibu Moon who brought $775,000 as a yearling, has won her last two starts by open lengths. For Mott, she won a first-level allowance versus open company June 12 by five.

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“She likes training, she’s aggressive, we’ve run her the one time, she broke good and she did the rest,” Mott said.

While Mott had planned to run Brattle House a mile, he said the seven furlongs of this race “looks like it’s not going to hurt her.”

Betsy Blue, beaten a neck in this condition July 20, and Honey Money, ninth in that same race, also were eligible for the Johnstone Mile but instead are in here.