The Champagne (Grade 1) (BC)- $500.000 Purse
AQU- For Two Year Olds
One Mile on the Dirt
October 1, 2022

With the BC now just a month away, the chances to earn valuable points are running out. This weekend, the schedule is loaded with opportunities to get some of those points and earn a nice chunk of the purse in the process. On the east coast, all eyes will be on the Big A, as AQU hosts the races that are traditionally held at BEL. That includes the Champagne, a Grade 1 race with major implications for the BC Juvenile. It was won last year by North Island, a horse that ended up becoming a disappointment as he was only eighth in the BC, and has only been in a stake once since then. Last year’s race produced several that ended up running in at least one of the TC races, but none that won one of them. Other past winners include Five Fives, Ginger Haggis, and Centerpiece. Our field will have eleven going to post, since we had an early scratch. Let’s take a look at those taking part!

#1- Peace Pipe (Arindel, ridden by D Moran)- Winner of the Grade 3 Sanford at SAR, coming two months after breaking his maiden in a $123.200 race at WO. Safe to say then, that this $250.000 private sales purchase from Iolaus Racing at the beginning of May is working out well for Arindel. The last time we saw him on the track, he finished fourth in what is, in my opinion, the most difficult two year old race before the BC: the Grade 1 Hopeful at SAR. Unfortunately, that race was soaked by rain, and we’ll need to be watching the skies for this race as well.

#2- Mamba (Mb Stables, ridden by A Cedillo)- You can always count on at least one maiden in a race like this, but for Mamba, it has not been for a lack of trying. In fact, there is not anyone in this field who has made more starts than the six that Mamba has. In them, he’s been second twice and third twice and all but one was for a triple digit purse. Certainly, it’s a promising horse, but this field features many who have been productive in graded stakes already, so this is a tough spot. Perhaps, he can get a piece of the purse, though.

#3- Twin Rackets (Alydar Stables, ridden by S Elliott)- This one ran last month in the slop at SAR in the Grade 1 Hopeful, and ended up finishing second. It was his third career start, and right before it, he won a $103.000 allowance at the Spa. All is looking good with this one right now, and the trainer has plenty of reason to be excited about him. The one knock on him may be his running style, as he has been coming from well off the pace. It works for him, so I wouldn’t look to change anything about that, but it is tough to consistently win in our virtual world with that running style.

#4- Delightful Rubicon (TwinTowersRacing, ridden by M Franco)- By Sinissippi Rubicon, who is the leading freshman sire at this current time. This will be the stake debut for this one, and it comes after winning his last two races. One was his maiden, and he followed that up well by winning an allowance at PRX. Up to this point, he has not seen the caliber of the field that he will be running against in the Champagne but he is working just as well as all of them, and is capable of being the next great foal by this sire.

#5- Spoiled (Mb Stables, ridden by L Saez)- So far, this Apples to Oranges gelding has been doing everything right. After finishing second in his debut race, he has rolled off four consecutive wins, and they were against top company. It started with breaking his maiden for a triple digit purse, then it was onto winning the Bashford Manor and then the Grade 2 SAR Special. He continued running well at the Spa, by taking the very difficult Grade 1 Hopeful, and off of that, he is looking to duplicate the feat against many that he saw in that race. Consider him the next in line top BC Juvenile contender that Mb always will have.

#6- Domiano (Night Mare Racing, ridden by Jam Rodriguez)- This one is more lightly raced then his competitors and heads to the starting gate for just the third time. His first race came at SAR in the middle of the August against NY-breds, where he was the runner up. Two weeks later, he was back on the same track and broke his maiden on the same day that the Hopeful was run. Now, it is his stake debut, and it’s a tough assignment against more accomplished company.

#7- Union Avenue (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by Ru Fuentes)- After finishing third in the $200.000 Saplin at MTH, the horse would learn that the result was not good enough, and he would be gelded. That may not have been the race that had the trainer thinking about the snip, though, as prior to that, Union Avenue was quite disappointing in the Grade 3 Sanford. This will be his first race since the geld, and if it works to get him to last longer than he did in the Saplin, it will prove to be the right call.

#8- Hurricane Fly (Fractious, ridden by E Jaramillo)- Here is another horse making their stake debut. For Hurricane Fly, it is his fifth career start, and it comes after breaking his maiden at MTH at the beginning of August. He’s put together some good looking six furlong works, and his conformation suggest that he should be able to stretch out to this distance without a problem. Two months of rest may prove to be beneficial, too.

#9- Twirling Candy (Fractious, ridden by R M Hernandez)- This one is much like his stablemate in that he is making his stake debut here in the Champagne. He has not made as many starts, though, as this is just the third for him. A month ago, he broke his maiden at SAR, for a $105.000 purse, and will look to show what he has at this level. He doesn’t quite have the same conformation as Hurricane Fly, so I can’t have quite as much confidence about him getting the distance, but there’s nothing that suggests he can’t thrive at a mile, either.

#10- Royal Valor (Nakamura Stables, ridden by L J Luzzi)- So far, Royal Valor has struggled to step up against better competition. He has made four career starts, breaking his maiden at LS in June. Prior to that, he failed to earn part of the purse in a $123.200 maiden at WO, and in his last start, he was no where near the front in the Grade 2 SAR Special. He’s still young, and certainly there is plenty of time for him to improve and he may be doing so. Plus, we have never seen him at this distance, and he’s working just as good as anyone else. Having said that, he’s tough to pick over the others here.

#11- Range Rover- Scratched

#12- Red Wine (Hippyheart, ridden by J R Velazquez)- Red Wine is a perfect two for two in his career, but to make it three in a row, he will need to overcome this post. That’s a tough ask for a horse making their stake debut, but his win at DMR in late August was at a mile, making him the only horse to win at this distance, and he earned an 88 SRF in the process. He’s working well, and has been doing nothing but mile works as of late. I expect him to run well here, but the start will be key.

Prediction: 5-3-12-1

— NS

Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES