BY BROCK SHERIDAN
D J Stable’s Pros and Cons has been installed as the 2-1 morning line favorite to win Friday’s $200,000 P. G. Johnson, a mile-and-a-sixteenth inner turf contest for seven 2-year-old fillies at Saratoga Race Course.
An out-of-state victory at this level by Pros and Cons would also earn a $4,000 Export Incentive for breeder Peter Vegso in the name of his Vegso Racing Stable based in Ocala, Florida. Capped at $1 million in 2026, the Export Incentive program is paid by the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association.
After finishing second at Gulfstream Park in her first start in the $122,000 Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies won by Florida-bred Liberty Rings, who is now a two-time stakes winner after later winning the Scandalous Act at Gulfstream, Pros and Cons was sent to Saratoga by trainer Mark Casse.
In her second start, the Florida-bred daughter of Justify was a handy three-length winner of a one-mile maiden special weight on the inner turf at the Spa on July 10, producing a 65 Beyer Speed Figure, which is tops among this field.
She has four solid works on grass since the maiden victory, among them a four-furlong breeze in :48.23 on the Saratoga turf training track which was the second fastest of 48 at the distance that morning. On August 28 in her last morning work on the Saratoga turf training track, she breezed a half mile in :49.25, the 25th fastest of 47.
Pros and Cons is out of Celestial, by Quality Road and has earned $92,750 in her two starts. She was a $375,000 selection by D. J. Stable at last year’s Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearlng Sales where she was consigned by Eaton Sales.
Chad Brown will saddle Baliage (Ire) for the P. G. Johnson, a winner of her only race in a mile-and-a-sixteenth maiden special weight on the inner turf at Saratoga on August 14.
Owned by Peter Brant, Baliage the bay daughter of Kingman earned $63,250 while winning by a nose ahead of Mel Went Home, a Robert Medina-trained daughter of Life Is Good also entered back in the P. G. Johnson.
Baliage is the second choice on the morning line at 5-2 and will break from post five with Manny Franco up. Mel Went Home is 6-1 in the program and will carry jockey Jose Lezcano from the outside post seven.
Other fillies set for the P. G. Johnson are Glycogen and jockey John Velazquez, Up Before the Dawn will have Flavien Prat aboard, Boomesherang teams with rider Edgard Zayas and Junior Alvarado will take the reins on Urgent Claire.
Return to the September 2 issue of Wire to Wire
