The Champagne, Purse $500.000, Grade 1, One Mile, Dirt for 2 Year Old Fillies

Here is an elite race today for 2 year olds that are making a push to start in the Breeders Cup Juvenile and a win or on the board finish might be just what it takes to secure a spot in the starting gate. This win and your in Breeders Cup race has drawn some of the top 2 year old males in the game including multiple graded stakes winner Black Mach One and Grade 1 winners Grandeur and Water Mummy. Let’s take a look at the field and see if we can separate some of these runners :

1-Water Mummy (Downwind Stables)- He comes into the race winning 3 out of 5 lifetime starts including his last race in a Grade 1 at Del Mar. He is a multiple stakes winner in his 5 starts but in his non wins he has yet to hit the board. This will be the first time he has gone longer than 7 furlongs in a race but distance doesn’t appear that it will be a problem with that very nice one mile dirt work on September 22^nd. That work off the last win makes this horse a serious contender in this race.

2-End Of Clay (Sanny Village)- He comes into the race running 3 times with 1 victory coming from those starts. That win came in his maiden voyage and he was stepped up into graded stakes company in both starts after that win. The step up the class ladder appears to have been warranted and he responded by finishing 4^th and 3^rd respectively. He has only 1 public work since his recent 3^rd and it doesn’t show to much about whether the horse will enjoy the extra furlong or not. I don’t think that the distance will be an issue with this one either.

3-Black Mach One (GDP Inc)- He has started 4 times and has won 3 of those starts, which include a nice 3 race win streak.   The win streak includes back to back graded stakes win which were a Grade 3 and a Grade 2 respectively. This will also be his first time going a mile but much like the other horses who I mentioned I don’t think the distance will be an issue. He has shown in the morning that he is ready to run a mile posting back to back dirt mile work times in the 1:36’s. This horse is one of the class horses in the field and has to be looked at as a serious contender.

4-Dream It Again (D J C Racing Stable)- He has started 3 times with 2 of those starts resulting in wins. His wins came in a MSW race and an allowance race, which was his most recent race. The allowance win came at today’s distance and was a nice closing victory in a solid time for a 2 year old. He has tried graded stakes company one time before and he didn’t respond well however that was in his second lifetime start and he appears to have grown since then. He has not posted a public work since the allowance win so we are left guessing if he has made an increase in work times, but his win going a mile gives this one credibility.

5-Fee Fi Fo Fum (Joshua Stables)-  He has started 1 time and managed a 3^rd in that race in a MSW race. He came out of the race and posted 2 public works, the mile work looks a few step slower than most in the race but the 6 furlong work appeared to be a step up for him. There is not much for me to go on here but this horse looks like he may be in a bit over his head with some of these proven horses in the race, but maybe the stretch out to a mile will help him.

6-Pentago (Serenity Stables)-He has started 5 times with 3 of those starts resulting in a victory. One of those victories came 2 races back in a Grade 2 race at Del Mar. He came out of that race and stepped up to the Grade 1 level where he showed early speed and was passed late and finished 5^th. He appears to have come out of that race well and posted solid work times in the mornings at 3 different distances. That makes me think that his last race may have been a fluke and he could be sitting on a better race here.

7-Plucky Springer (Stald Gulllis)- He has started 6 times with 2 of those starts resulting in a win. The wins came in a MSW race and an O/C race. The O/C race was at a mile and it was his most impressive race to date winning the race in a nice time. Off that win he was stepped up to a Grade 1 going 7 furlongs where he was closing hard at the end but came up short finishing 4^th by a length. This one looks like the added furlong will really help him out and may be enough to get him back to his winning ways.

8-Ned Isakoff (Jerry Garcia Racing)-He has started 3 times with one of those starts being a win. That win came last out in a MSW race going a mile and 1/16^th, where he lead wire to wire. He has posted solid mile work times leading into that maiden win. He also appears to have come out of the race well as he posted back to back solid track breezes going 6 furlongs. The question I have about this one is the quick return to the races after going a mile and 1/16^th last out.

9-Dj Fireraj (Night Rider Stables)-He has started 5 times in his career with one of those resulting in a win. That race came 3 back in a MSW race and he was stepped up to stakes company in the 2 races after that. He did not embarrass himself in those stakes races finishing 2^nd and 3^rd respectively. He has yet to go a further than 6.5 furlongs so he is going into uncharted territory. He did post a nice mile dirt work time prior to his last race so I don’t think the stretch out will hurt him that much and may actually help him get his first stakes victory.

10- Xmas Grey (Blushing Meadows)-He has started 3 times with one of those starts being a win. That win came 2 races back in a MCL race where he was claimed for $20. He was then stepped up to stakes company where he finished off the board and was sold to current owner Blushing Meadows. Since the purchase he has tried stretching this horse out in the morning and he responded with a 136 an 2 dirt mile work. This is why I think the horse is placed her, and why not that is a very nice work and may be an indication of a huge race.

11- Grandeur (MB Stables)- He comes into the race starting 4 times with 3 wins and his lone none victory being a 2^nd place finish. That 2^nd place came 2 races back and he bounced back with a victory in a Grade 1 where he was pulling away at the end. This will be his first chance going a mile and based upon the works in the morning and his race last time out I don’t see the added distance being an issue, and to me it appears it will actually help him. I feel that this one will be there at the end and its hard to argue due to his race record.

12- Babolat (Chili King Stables)- He has started 5 times with 2 of those starts resulting in a victory. The wins came at the MSW and Alw level but he has stepped up and tried stakes company. He tried graded stakes company last time out and was a fast closing 2^nd going 7 furlongs. He appears o have come out that race well and his work times are getting progressively better. This will be his first time going a mile and based upon the race he ran last out the mile may help him out.

When it comes to 2 year old racing, and actually racing in general you will be hard pressed to find a better batch of horses then assempled here today. There are winners that can come from many different spots here so trying to determine a running order is a difficult task. With that said here is my prediction: 11-1-3-7

Warbucks

Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES