Be Your Best finds room and pulls way in P.G. Johnson Stakes
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Be Your Best shot through an opening along the rail in midstretch and may have run herself right into contention for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf with a professional 3 3/4-length victory in Thursday’s $150,000 P.G. Johnson Stakes at Saratoga.
Sitting a ground-saving third early on under Jose Ortiz, Be Your Best rallied along the inside of the pacesetting Recognize just before the eighth pole and drew clear for the convincing score.
Whichwaze, who had to be backed out of the starting gate after the horse to her inside, Lady Jasmine, acted up pre-race, rallied to get second by a half-length over Recognize. Idea Generation was a nose back in fourth and was followed in the order of finish by Pachuca, Damaso, Lady Jasmine, and Indian Spideroo.
The victory in the P.G. Johnson for Be Your Best followed a 3 1/4-length maiden score here July 31 and has trainer Horacio De Paz thinking about the Breeders’ Cup in two months at Keeneland.
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“Oh definitely,” said De Paz, who trains the Irish-bred daughter of Muhaarar for Michael Ryan. “See how she comes out of it. I think she’s deserving of that spot, she does everything right.”
Ortiz has been getting on Be Your Best for several months and liked her development. Even though the early pace was slow Thursday, Ortiz dropped Be Your Best behind horses and to the inside. At the top of the lane, Ortiz briefly considered going outside, but then dropped back to the inside because he would have been forced to go several paths wide in the stretch.
“The filly was so easy to ride, she’ll do whatever I asked her to do,” Ortiz said. “She relaxed well, and you can see a beautiful turn of foot. Turning for home, the rail opened up and she gave it to me.”
Be Your Best covered the 1 1/16 miles over firm ground in 1:45.67 and returned $4.70 to win as the favorite.
De Paz said validating her maiden win was huge for Be Your Best “because now you can definitely move forward. She has the class to continue on and have a good year.”
Whichwaze did well to get second after some anxious moments before the race. Lady Jasmine, in stall 1 – just outside of Whichwaze – reared and her jockey, John Velazquez, wound up in Whichwaze’s stall.
Dylan Davis, the rider of Whichwaze, had to get off his filly who was briefly backed out of the stall and examined by the on-site track veterinarian.
“Johnny ended up diving into my stall and pushing me off my filly,” Davis said. “I ended up getting out of there okay and she ran a great race.”