Glycogen dominates the PG Johnson, NYRA Photo
Keith McCalmont
Main Line Racing Stable and Avalon Racing Stables’ Glycogen saved all the ground and was full of run late to capture Friday’s Listed $200,000 P.G. Johnson, a 1 1/16-mile inner turf route for juvenile fillies, at Saratoga Race Course.
Trained by John Servis and piloted by Hall of Famer John Velazquez, Glycogen became the first stakes winner for her sire, Jack Christopher – a debut winner at the Spa in August 2021, who capped his career with a victory in the 2021 Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial here.
Servis credited Velazquez with engineering a perfect trip aboard Glycogen.
“Johnny is a seasoned veteran, he’s so cool and calm,” Servis said. “I could tell midway through the turn, the outside horse [Pros and Cons] was trying to keep him in there, and I said, ‘well, if he’s got enough horse, he’ll get out.’ When he got out, I knew she was going to come running. She’s a big, strong filly.”
Glycogen was the 4-1 fourth choice in a field of five following the scratch of Up Before the Dawn, who is cross-entered in Monday’s Juvenile Fillies at Kentucky Downs; and Boomesherang, who was scratched after loading into the gate where she suddenly rose up causing jockey Edgard Zayas to dismount.
The Manny Franco-piloted Baliage showed the way through an opening quarter-mile in 24.94 seconds and the half-mile in 50.01 over the firm turf with Mel Went Home stalking to her outside in second position and Glycogen along the rail in third to the inside of 3-2 mutuel favorite Pros and Cons.
Jose Ortiz made an early move with Pros and Cons heading into the far turn which prompted Jose Lezcano to urge Mel Went Home to pressure the pacesetting Baliage with three-quarters elapsing in 1:13.67. Mel Went Home took command from a retreating Baliage in upper stretch, but the patiently handled Glycogen would not be denied once tipped out by Velazquez and quickly overtook Mel Went Home to score by 1 1/4-lengths in a final time of 1:43.94.
“That was perfect,” Velazquez said. “Broke well. Obviously, there wasn’t that much pace. She was closer than I anticipated. With the pace how it was, she was much closer. She was very professional. I pushed out right at the three-sixteenths pole and got rolling. That was very nice. Well done.”
Mel Went Home completed the exacta by 3 1/2-lengths over Pros and Cons followed by Baliage and Urgent Claire, who trailed throughout.
Lezcano said the Robbie Medina-trained maiden Mel Went Home, a nose runner-up to Baliage last out on August 14 in her turf debut, was game in defeat.
“My filly broke good. I followed the pace. She is a very nice filly. She gave me a good race,” Lezcano said. “We went slow but I was right there. I don’t think I can take anything away from her.
“She ran her race,” he added. “The other horse came running and got her.”
Glycogen made her prior two outings at Ellis Park, closing to finish fourth on debut sprinting 5 1/2-furlongs on July 10 and following three weeks later with a 1 1/4-length score when stretched out to 1 1/16-miles.
Servis improved his record at the Spa this summer to 2-for-2, having captured a maiden turf sprint here with juvenile filly Early Autumn on August 14. The conditioner chose the P. G. Johnson for Glycogen, who had been breezing in Kentucky at Turfway Park, while Early Autumn, who had trained into her debut at Parx Racing, shipped to Kentucky Downs for the one-mile Juvenile Fillies.
Servis said Glycogen is likely to make her next start in one of two “Win and You’re In” events for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf in either the Grade 2 Miss Grillo on October 3 at Belmont Park or the Grade 2 Jessamine on October 2 at Keeneland, both at 1 1/16 miles.
“She’s going to go back there [to Kentucky], so probably a better chance of running at Keeneland,” Servis said.
Glycogen is out of the winning Giant’s Causeway mare My Sugar Bear, who also produced graded stakes-winner Friar’s Road and stakes-placed Vevina. She was a $180,000 purchase at the 2025 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Select Yearling Sale.
Bred in Kentucky by H. Allen Poindexter, Glycogen banked $110,000 in victory while improving her record to 3-2-0-0. She returned $10.32 for a $2 win bet.
The P.G. Johnson honors the late Hall of Famer, who was best known as the trainer of 2002 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Volponi. A native of Chicago, Illinois, Johnson was Saratoga’s leading trainer in 1983.
Live racing resumes Saturday at Saratoga with a 12-race card featuring the Grade 3, $225,000 With Anticipation [Race 2] and the Grade 1, $300,000 Spinaway [Race 11], which offers a “Win and You’re In” berth to the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. First post is 12:05 p.m. Eastern.
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