A wide-open field of 12 promising 2-year-olds will line up for Saturday's one-turn mile GI Champagne S. at Belmont Park, a 'Win and You're In' contest for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile.
The unbeaten New York-bred Aveenu Malcainu (Into Mischief), an impressive last out winner of Saratoga's Funny Cide S. Aug. 25, was scratched out of last weekend's New York Breeders' Futurity S. at Finger Lakes in favor of this.
“We originally were looking at the Hopeful in Saratoga, but we felt the state-bred stakes would give us extra preparation time for the Champagne,” trainer Jeremiah Englehart said of the Gold Square colorbearer. “We felt all along he can [handle] open company.”
Hazit (War Front) and $1-million KEESEP graduate Good Magic (Curlin) re-engage after putting on a show in the curtain raiser on the loaded GI Travers S. card Aug. 26. The former earned 'TDN Rising Star' honors that day with a wire-to-wire performance going 6 1/2 furlongs.
Gary and Mary West homebred Full of Run (Power Broker) heads straight to the big leagues after posting a 'TDN Rising Star' performance at first asking going 5 1/2 furlongs at Monmouth Aug. 26.
The maiden of two starts Bahamian (Freedom Child) ships in from Southern California. He dueled and finished a good second behind subsequent GI FrontRunner S. runner-up Solomini (Curlin) at Del Mar last time Sept. 2.
The field's lone graded winner Firenze Fire (Poseidon's Warrior), upset winner of Saratoga's GIII Sanford S., looks to get back on track following a fourth-place finish in the GI Hopeful S. Sept. 4.
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