P.G. Johnson lineup loaded with debut winners

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – How talented and well matched is the field for the $150,000 P.G. Johnson Stakes on Wednesday at Saratoga? Eight of the 11 juvenile fillies entered for the race, including the one main-track-only runner, won their career debuts. One of them, Cynane, was good enough to earn a ticket to Royal Ascot for the Group 2 Queen Mary off her first start.

All of this should make for an interesting handicapping challenge, assuming the weather cooperates and the P.G. Johnson goes as scheduled at 1 1/16 miles on the turf. As of Monday, there was a 65 percent to 70 percent chance of rain in the forecast.

Cynane was an impressive gate-to-wire, 2 3/4-length winner going five furlongs at Belmont Park at first asking, a performance that earned her the opportunity to run at Royal Ascot. There she finished 10th in a 26-horse field, beaten eight lengths by another U.S. representative, Crimson Advocate, trained by George Weaver, whose wife, Cindy, was badly injured in a training accident in July 2022 and was in attendance for the race.

Trainer Tom Morley gave Cynane a freshening upon her return from England and is looking forward to stretching her out around two turns in the Johnson.

“She really overcame her pedigree to win like she did going short in her first start,” Morley said. “In hindsight, I probably should have waited two days and run her in the Albany [at Royal Ascot], where we would have gotten firmer ground, although if we couldn’t win, I was thrilled to see George and Cindy win that race considering what they’ve been through this year.

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“She is a filly built to go farther and she’s trained fabulously for this race. What she really wants is firm ground, however, so I doubt she’d run if we wind up having any weather.”

Morley will have Weaver and his promising filly Brocknardini, an impressive maiden winner at first asking in her own right, as a key rival in the Johnson. Brocknardini launched her career with a 4 3/4-length victory going 1 1/16 miles here Aug. 2, although she will be stepping up against open company in the Johnson after defeating New York-breds on graduation day.

“I don’t think she was what I considered totally ready to run the first time and she really ran impressively,” Weaver admitted. “Irad [Ortiz Jr.] had a ton of horse, and she really responded when he asked her. Obviously, this is a step up coming out of a New York-bred race, but the way she won the first time gives me confidence she will be really competitive in this spot.”

Trainer Bill Mott entered a pair for the Johnson, Magic Cross and Gala Brand, although he did leave himself the option of running the latter on Thursday against males in the With Anticipation Stakes.

Both fillies won their career debuts quite handily. Magic Cross won by 7 1/4 lengths going 5 1/2 furlongs over the main track at Belmont Park. Gala Brand rallied from more than a dozen lengths off the lead to an eye-catching 2 1/4-length triumph at the same distance here earlier in the summer.

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Mott said he’d prefer to run Gala Brand on Wednesday but entered her in the With Anticipation in case the Johnson came off the turf.

“I wasn’t crazy about sprinting her, I would have much rather had her go a mile the first time,” said Mott, who described Gala Brand’s maiden win as “pretty impressive.”

Miz Sense is the lone main-track entry in the field and would likely loom the horse to beat if the race comes off the turf. She captured her only previous start by 4 1/4 lengths going a mile in a race moved from the grass to a fast main track here July 30.

– additional reporting by David Grening

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