Crystalle makes delayed return to the races

ELMONT, N.Y. – Crystalle was a stakes-winning 2-yearold filly, and despite a disappointing finish to her season, trainer John Kimmel was looking forward to her 3-year-old campaign.

He just didn’t expect it to get started this late in the year.

Thursday, Crystalle returns from a 328-day layoff in a firstlevel allowance for 3-year-old fillies scheduled for 1 1/16 miles on turf that serves as the feature on Belmont Park’s 10-race card.

Crystalle, a daughter of Palace Malice, crossed the finish line first in her debut at Saratoga on Aug. 4, 2019, though she was disqualified for interference. She came back to win the P.G. Johnson Stakes as a maiden and would go on to finish second in the Grade 2 Miss Grillo at Belmont last Sept. 29. She ended her season with an 11th-place finish to Sharing in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Santa Anita.

After a well-deserved freshening, Crystalle shipped into Kimmel’s Palm Meadows barn in South Florida in March but soon after was diagnosed with bruising of a cannon bone, which necessitated another 60 days off. Kimmel said that in addition to bone bruising, the filly had lost muscle tone in her hind end.

Since returning to Kimmel in early summer, Crystalle has put together a string of works on turf in Saratoga and dirt back at Belmont.

“I think she’s doing real well, soundness is 100 percent,” Kimmel said. “She’s grown a lot physically, gotten bigger and stronger. She has to overcome a 328-day layoff, which is tough to do. She did run well in her debut against maidens, but this is older horses that have been running. She’s got a little bit to accomplish coming off that kind of layoff, but she’s ready to go and we’re ready to start.”

John Velazquez rides Crystalle from post 3 in a six-horse field.

Among those Crystalle has to beat is Queens Embrace, a fivetime winner trained by Kathleen O’Connell who is being offered for the optional-claiming price of $80,000. Two starts back, Queens Embrace finished third in the Grade 2 Lake Placid at Saratoga. She is coming off a last-place finish in the Saratoga Oaks at 1 3/16 miles.

Queens Embrace began the year winning a maiden $16,000 claiming race at Tampa Bay Downs and won three more races at Tampa before that streak came to end to Sugar Fix, who most recently won at Kentucky Downs.

Logic N Reason is a bit onepaced, but improved in her most recent start when jockey Tyler Gaffalione attempted to put her in the race early. That plan went awry when she was forced to steady entering the first turn.

Joel Rosario, aboard for this filly’s maiden win here last October, is reunited with Logic N Reason.

The field is completed by Lady Fatima, a sprinter stretching out and dropping in class; Capital Structure, a debut winner for Chad Brown at Monmouth in July; and Gogo Shoes, a Derek Ryan-trained Monmouth Park-based shipper.