Dogtag's P.G. Johnson win bittersweet for owners

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Jaime Roth was nervous being at Saratoga on Thursday, and it wasn’t because she was the owner of the favorite for the $100,000 P.G. Johnson Stakes.

On Sunday, Roth watched on television from her home as Bowie, a filly she owned with her parents Nanci and Larry – the trio comprise LNJ Foxwoods – took a bad step during the running of Sunday’s Smart N Fancy Stakes, suffered multiple fractures to her left foreleg, and had to be euthanized on the course.

Though still in mourning for Bowie, Roth could allow herself to exhale and smile Thursday after Dogtag, a homebred daughter of War Front, rallied along the rail under Javier Castellano to win the P.G. Johnson by one length over a five-wide rallying Varenka.

“I feel like I’m really still in shock with what happened with Bowie, I haven’t really processed it,” Roth said after the winner’s circle presentation. “I felt like it was really important to be here today.

“It’s not every day you get a homebred who’s everything,” Roth added. “She’s a beautiful horse, so well bred. To run in a stakes race in her second race ever, I felt as hard as it would be to be here after what happened – and you’re obviously nervous it’s going to happen again – I felt like it was important and I’m so glad I came.”

Trainer Chad Brown could not make it to the winner’s circle following his meet-leading 37th victory as his brother-in-law, the bloodstock agent Brian Morgan, collapsed earlier in the day at the track and was pronounced dead at Saratoga hospital.

The start of the P.G. Johnson was delayed by 10 minutes after Mintd, Brown’s other runner in the race, was scratched when she flipped near the starting gate just prior to the field being loaded. Once walked off the course and onto the main track, Mintd got away from an outrider and ran loose on the main track for several minutes before being caught by a worker on the backstretch.

During the race, Dogtag was sitting fourth behind a trio of horses – Road Tiger, O’Malley and Chocolate Kisses. Around the far turn, it looked as though Dogtag was struggling with the yielding turf.

But when an opening presented itself turning for home, Castellano shot Dogtag on through and she picked up the pace and was able to outfinish Varenka, who was rallying five wide underneath John Velazquez.

“Sooner or later those horses were going to come back,” Castellano said. “I tried to figure out my move. I didn’t want to go wide, at the same time I didn’t want to be stuck behind horses. She struggled a little bit on the turn and then when I asked her, she went through a tiny hole along the rail. Not too many young horses do that. I was very impressed.”

Dogtag covered the 1 1/16 miles in 1:45.82 and returned $4.30 as the even-money favorite.

Varenka finished second by five lengths over Chocolate Kisses. O’Malley, Road Tiger and Chasing the Kitty completed the order of finish.