Crystalle seeks redemption in P.G. Johnson

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Officially, Crystalle enters Thursday’s $100,000 P.G. Johnson Stakes a maiden after being disqualified from an apparent easy victory in her career debut earlier this month. But maiden or not, Crystalle looks like the one to beat in the P.G. Johnson, which drew a field of eight juvenile fillies to go 1 1/16 miles over the Mellon turf course.

Crystalle rallied from last under Chris Landeros to readily blow by the leaders and win going away as a 41-1 outsider launching her career at the same distance over turf here on Aug. 4. But after a very lengthy deliberation, the stewards disqualified Crystalle from first and placed her third for interfering with Sparkling Sky in late stretch which, in their opinion, cost Sparkling Sky a placing. It was a controversial decision that still has trainer John Kimmel bristling three weeks later.

“I didn’t think it was a very good call because I felt Jose Ortiz might have grabbed his horse when we went past him thinking our horse was going to come over. But there was never any contact,” said Kimmel. “Putting all that aside, she ran a tremendous race. She was just galloping along behind the field and when she started to gain momentum, [Landeros] hit her one time and she blew by horses. According to the Trakus stat, she ran her last quarter in 22.11, which is a pretty good kick. I just felt bad for the owner, I felt bad for Chris, and I felt bad for my $30 ticket.”

The fact the disqualification left Crystalle a maiden is in large part responsible for her winding up in the P.G. Johnson on Thursday. Kimmel said he contemplated running her in the Natalma Stakes at Woodbine on Sept. 15 or in a race at Kentucky Downs, but was concerned the race might overfill and that Crystalle’s maiden status would keep her out of the field.

“This is kind of a back-up plan,” he said. “It’s a little closer than I’d like since her last start, but she’s come back well.”

Kimmel has also made a rider change, replacing Landeros with Joel Rosario for the P.G. Johnson.

“There should be plenty of pace,” said Kimmel. “Hopefully she’ll get into a nice rhythm and find a path when it comes time. And Joel should fit her nicely.”

Crystalle is one of two maidens in the P.G. Johnson lineup, along with Apurate. They share the highest Beyer Speed Figure, a 70, among the eight fillies entered. Apurate took a run at the pacesetting favorite Morning Gold before finishing a distant second in her only start on turf.

Like Crystalle, English Breeze should also appreciate an honest pace, having rallied from midpack to capture her debut by 4 3/4 lengths going 1 1/16 miles on the grass against New York-breds here on Aug. 14. Ginseng registered a 2 1/2-length triumph launching her career earlier this month at Indiana Downs.