Be Your Best Steps Up in P. G. Johnson Stakes

Mike Ryan's Irish homebred Be Your Best  will make her stakes debut in the $150,000 P.G. Johnson Stakes, a 1 1/16-mile inner turf test for juvenile fillies, Sept. 1 at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by Horacio De Paz, Be Your Best registered a field-best 79 Equibase Speed Figure in her 3 1/4-length debut maiden special weight score traveling 1 1/16 miles over firm Spa turf July 31.

Patiently handled by returning rider Jose Ortiz, the Muhaarar  bay settled in seventh through the opening quarter-mile before advancing outside rivals through the final turn. Be Your Best rallied five-wide down the lane, taking command in the final eighth of a mile to win in a final time of 1:43.97.

"She broke a step slow. She's usually a better gate horse than that, but I think it was just one of those things that happen with first-time starters," De Paz said. "He tried to navigate a trip and stay out of her way and give her the best experience. Obviously, he had horse underneath him and let her run on, and she definitely did."

Be Your Best was sent to post at odds of 8-1, fifth choice in the field of 10, in which the Chad Brown-trained debutante Free Look , a $300,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase, went to post as the 5-2 favorite.

"I was backing her to run well," De Paz said. "She had been training well but obviously, with turf racing here, and having Chad Brown horses in there and other connections, it can be a little tough. She was overlooked in her first race, for sure."

Be Your Best has breezed back twice out of her maiden score, including a half-mile breeze Thursday in :49.09 over the Spa main track.

"She's doing good. She's been very consistent since her race," De Paz said. "She's a pretty filly. She's average-sized, but she's very efficient as far as the way that she moves. I have a few horses with Mike Ryan. He bred her, and I just got lucky he decided to send her to me. She's definitely a talented filly."

De Paz said he is looking forward to seeing how the filly progresses in the afternoon.

"She's a kind filly and gets over the ground really nice," De Paz said. "If she were to be able to run where she can tuck in, get off the bit and relax, she has a quick turn of foot. As we run her more, we'll get to know more about what her style will be like."

Be Your Best will exit post 6 under Ortiz.

Also entered is Klaravich Stables' Idea Generation , who will make her official career debut for trainer Chad Brown. The Chad Brown-trained daughter of Dubawi  was part of a race declared a "no-contest" July 24 at the Spa, second under the wire, a nose behind.

The no contest was declared when a mechanical issue with the starting gate tractor created a delay in removing the gate after the field broke. Some of the jockeys in the race pulled up their mounts after a signal from the outrider.

Completing the field is Lady Jasmine , a New York-bred daughter of Cairo Prince, St. George Stable's Kentucky homebred Pachuca , Perrine Time Thoroughbreds' Damaso , Sequel Racing and Cypress Creek Equine's New York-bred Recognize , Mark Casse trainee Whichwaze , and Indian Spideroo  who will make her turf debut. Leave No Trace  is entered for the main-track only.

Entries: P. G. Johnson S.

Saratoga Race Course, Thursday, September 01, 2022, Race 10

• STK
• 1 1/16m
• Inner turf
• $150,000
• 2 yo Fillies
• 6:13 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	Lady Jasmine (NY)	John R. Velazquez	122	David G. Donk	-
2	Whichwaze (VA)	Dylan Davis	120	Mark E. Casse	-
3	Pachuca (KY)	Luis Saez	120	Fausto Gutierrez	-
4	Indian Spideroo (KY)	Kendrick Carmouche	120	S. Matthew Kintz	-
5	Idea Generation (IRE)	Flavien Prat	118	Chad C. Brown	-
6	Be Your Best (IRE)	Jose L. Ortiz	122	Horacio De Paz	-
7	Damaso (KY)	Jose Lezcano	120	Timothy E. Hamm	-
8	Recognize (NY)	Junior Alvarado	122	William I. Mott	-
9	Leave No Trace (KY)	Rider TBA	120	Philip M. Serpe	-