Crystalle, controversially disqualified out of a 41-1 upset on debut Aug. 4 at Saratoga, made amends with a last-to-first success in Thursday's P.G. Johnson S. at the Spa to become the first stakes winner for freshman sire Palace Malice.
Rallying from the back to score going away by 2 1/4 lengths in her career bow, the $220,000 OBS April buy was demoted to third in a much-maligned decision for drifting into a foe from a righty whip. Crushed in the wagering to be favored this time at 8-5, the dark bay walked out of the gate and caboosed the field behind splits of :23.29 and :47.19. Picking it up midway around the far turn, she swung widest of all at the top of the lane and still had much to do at the sixteenth pole as Sweet Melania made a break for it, but finished with a flourish despite racing on her left lead to nail that rival by a neck on the wire.
“At the eighth pole, I didn't think she had enough. She kind of stalled a bit but then she got her second wind a little bit and got up just in time,” said winning trainer John Kimmel. “She didn't have much early speed, but she did have a good late kick. That's a good thing to have. We're thinking about Breeders Cup. Now, we'll probably point to the [GII] Miss Grillo [S. Sept. 29 at Belmont] and take it from there.”
Crystalle has a yearling half-brother by Street Boss and a weanling Lookin At Lucky half-brother. Her dam was bred to Jimmy Creed this spring. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
P. G. JOHNSON S., $100,000, Saratoga, 8-29, 2yo, f, 1 1/16mT, 1:41.36, fm.
1–CRYSTALLE, 118, f, 2, by Palace Malice
1st Dam: Undo, by Flatter
2nd Dam: Detach, by Unbridled
3rd Dam: Lovat's Lady, by Lord At War (Arg)
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. ($85,000 RNA Ylg '18 KEESEP; $220,000
2yo '19 OBSAPR). O-Tobey L. Morton & Chuck Hovitz;
B-Glendalough LLC (KY); T-John C. Kimmel; J-Joel Rosario.
$55,000. Lifetime Record: 2-1-0-1, $65,800.
2–Sweet Melania, 122, f, 2, American Pharoah–Sweet N
Discreet, by Discreet Cat. ($600,000 Ylg '18 KEESEP). O-Lawana
L. & Robert E. Low; B-St. Elias Stables, LLC (KY); T-Todd A.
Pletcher. $20,000.
3–English Breeze, 122, f, 2, English Channel–Dreaming of Cara,
by North Light (Ire). ($37,000 RNA Ylg '18 KEESEP). O-Funky
Munky Stable LLC; B-Richard Greeley (NY); T-David G. Donk.
$12,000.
Margins: NK, HF, 3. Odds: 1.65, 2.60, 5.20.
Also Ran: Ginseng, Apurate, Lively Kitten, Lucky Jingle. Scratched: Sunset Promise.
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