SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – A pick six carryover of $132,232 awaits horseplayers Wednesday at Saratoga, a sequence that includes a highly competitive running of the $150,000 Johnstone Stakes for fillies and mares at seven furlongs.
The New York Racing Association decided to combine two New York-bred stakes, one at six furlongs and one at a mile, in both the female and male divisions and make one seven-furlong race for each gender. The Johnstone, which drew a field of 11, was shortened from one mile while the Union Avenue was eliminated. On Thursday, the John Morrissey, extended from six furlongs, will be run at seven furlongs, while the Evan Shipman, which had been run at one mile the last few years, was eliminated. The Morrissey drew a field of 13.
The Johnstone field is led by open-company stakes winners My Mane Squeeze, Sterling Silver, and Bernietakescharge, as well as three-time New York-bred stakes winner Landed.
My Mane Squeeze drops back into New York-bred company after competing in 10 consecutive graded stakes dating back to March 2024. She won two of those events, the Grade 2 Eight Belles in May 2024 and the Grade 3 Dogwood in September. Both of those races were at seven furlongs. My Mane Squeeze began her career winning four of six starts against New York-breds, including three stakes.
This year, My Mane Squeeze was third in the Grade 1 Madison at Keeneland and third in the Grade 2 Ruffian at a mile. In the Ruffian, she stumbled soon after the start, perhaps clipping heels with a horse in front of her out of the chute. In the Grade 2 Chicago, at Churchill, My Mane Squeeze finished fifth behind Vahva in a race whose final time of 1:20.89 was just .45 seconds off a 13-year-old track record.
“Seven-eighths is perfect for her,” trainer Mike Maker said. “A little frustrating she hasn’t won yet this year, but the company she’s kept has been strong. Had a rough go at Aqueduct. The last time, the heat got to her at Churchill. You’d think this would be a class drop for her with New York-breds, but it’s a deep, competitive field.”
Sterling Silver, a 6-year-old daughter of Cupid, is a five-time stakes winner – including a 9 3/4-length victory in this race last year when it was a mile – and a millionaire. She finished second in the Ruffian, 2 1/2 lengths clear of My Mane Squeeze before getting beaten a neck as the 1-5 favorite by Bernietakescharge in the Critical Eye Stakes for New York-breds at 1 1/8 miles.
“She’s back with statebreds and at a distance that’s good for her,” trainer Bill Mott, who was to turn 72 years old on Tuesday, said. “Seven [furlongs] to a mile is more her than a mile and an eighth.”
Bernietakescharge has won three of her last four starts, all at a mile or farther. Landed is a three-time stakes winner, including a front-running score in the Broadway for statebreds at Aqueduct in February. Trainer Wesley Ward said he was not 100 percent sure to run Landed.
Dolomite, trained by Chad Brown, seeks her fourth straight win, with her two most recent victories coming in open-company allowance races. The Johnstone goes as the eighth race and is the penultimate leg of the pick six sequence that begins in race 4.
Race 4: Corruption could be a single in this 1 3/8-mile turf race for males. He has won his last four non-stakes tries, has run quite well at 1 1/2 miles, and could dictate terms under Jose Ortiz. Hush of a Storm just got beaten by a nose in the Kingston Stakes for New York-breds.
Race 5: In this $100,000 maiden-claiming race on dirt at six furlongs, trainer Chad Brown sends out the uncoupled entry of Noguchi and Career Risk. Noguchi, a half-brother to dirt graded stakes winner Following Sea, ran fourth on turf on debut. Career Risk is a firster by Into Mischief and the first foal out of a dam who was a second-out winner. White Whale goes from turf to dirt, a surface on which he’s shown a preference for Rusty Arnold, and picks up Luis Saez.
Race 6: In a tricky maiden turf sprint for 2-year-olds, Wesley Ward sends out Santina, a daughter of Maclean’s Music out of the dam Santa Guapa, who won her first and only start on turf. Blanchett, by Oscar Performance and trained by Graham Motion, is out of a dam who has produced two first-out winners, though both on dirt. Snow Face Princess, trained by Todd Pletcher, is a half-sister to Strutherstuff, a two-time winner on turf, including her debut last August at Colonial Downs.
Race 7: All 13 entrants are unproven at this 1 3/8-mile distance. Cognoscenti was fourth in her one try at the distance when trained by Lisa Lewis. She goes out for the second time for Miguel Clement, who is enjoying a terrific meet with seven wins from 27 starters. Brigade Commander beat Cognoscenti going 1 1/16 miles here on July 6.
Race 9: Kayla’s Kause will be on most people’s tickets coming off a neck defeat in October, her most recent start. She is first-time tag, first-time Lasix, and first-time John Velazquez. Good Mission comes out of a third-place finish in this condition, a race where the runner-up came back to win by 4 1/2 lengths next out.
– additional reporting by Mike Welsch
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