2024 Champagne Stakes Preview

A major step toward both the Breeders’ Cup and the Triple Crown are on the line on Saturday, October 5, in the Champagne Stakes (G1), run at a mile on the main track at Aqueduct. The race, whose inaugural running happened in 1867, is the oldest major two-year-old race in the United States. It is typically an early-fall fixture at Belmont Park, but with the New York Racing Association in the midst of its reconstruction project, the race is being run in Ozone Park this year.

Ten up-and-coming two-year-olds are set to start in the 2024 edition of the Champagne, trying to earn that Breeders’ Cup bid, 10-5-3-2-1 Road to the Kentucky Derby points, and a share of $500,000 in prize money. Leaders include Hopeful Stakes (G1) winner Chancer McPatrick, Sanford (G3) winner Mo Plex, and Smoke Glacken winner J J Zo Zo.

Though no horse has swept the Champagne and the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile since Shanghai Bobby in 2012, some excellent horses have won it in the last ten years. They include prominent sire Practical Joke (2016), durable sprinter Firenze Fire (2017), Belmont and Travers winner Tiz the Law (2019), and the brilliant Jackie’s Warrior (2020). Going earlier in its history, two Triple Crown winners have also won the Champagne: Seattle Slew and Count Fleet. (Secretariat crossed the wire first, but was disqualified for interference.)

Champagne Stakes Information

• Race Date: Saturday, October 5
• Track: Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York
• Post Time: 3:49 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time
• Distance: 1 mile on the dirt
• Age/Sex: two-year-olds
• Where to Watch: FanDuel TV, Fox Sports 2
• Where to Bet: FanDuel Racing

2024 Champagne Stakes Draw and Odds

These ten horses were entered in the Champagne Stakes. The chart includes post positions, trainers, jockeys, and morning-line odds.

Champagne Prep Race Results

The ten entrants in the Champagne come out of nine different races. The only one with more than one last-out runner is the seven-furlong Hopeful (G1) at the end of the Saratoga meet, after which this slightly longer New York race is a natural progression. Winner Chancer McPatrick will try to make it two top-level victories in a row, while that race’s pacesetter Smoken Wicked will try to improve from a fourth-place run.

Two others come out of stakes company. Mo Plex most recently won by a nose in the Funny Cide on August 25 at Saratoga, a race restricted to New York-breds, though he has previously won a graded stakes as well. Inside-drawn J J Zo Zo, who started his career in maiden races against New Jersey-breds, thrashed open company in the Smoke Glacken on September 7 at Monmouth.

Every entrant in the Champagne has won at least once; in fact, the other six runners all come out of maiden special weight victories. Colonel Bob graduated going seven furlongs at Parx on August 20, the joint longest distance at which any of these horses has run. Lethal Speed broke his maiden at 6 ½ furlongs at Gulfstream on September 7, while Executive Order graduated at that distance at Saratoga on August 31. The other three runners come out of victories in six-furlong sprints: Uncaged at Saratoga on August 3, Tip Top Thomas at Saratoga on August 24, and Vekoma Rides at Aqueduct on September 14.

Champagne Stakes Contenders

These ten runners, in order of post position, are entered for the 2024 Champagne.

1. J J Zo Zo: It took him three times to graduate against New Jersey-breds, but he woke up nicely on August 25 with a long-battling head victory. He backed that up about two weeks later in the Smoke Glacken against open company, setting the pace and drawing off by 8 ½ lengths. This will be a tougher ask than that, however. Not only is this a deeper field, but he appears to need the lead and he is mired on the fence inside other horses with speed. The grit he showed when breaking his maiden two back is a positive, but he will have to keep that going longer against better foes.
2. Tip Top Thomas: He showed a lot of talent on debut, pressing the pace, battling on the lead, and staying on to win by a head. He is stuck in a near-inside post again, something he survived last out, though he has two more furlongs to go against a deeper field this time around. He is trained by top juvenile trainer Todd Pletcher, meaning he should be well prepared, though he will almost certainly be heavily bet as well because of his famous trainer, perhaps to the point of underlay.
3. Lethal Speed: He closed from well off the pace to win at Gulfstream in his debut, which is interesting since that track tends to favor speed. He’ll have to overcome a pretty speed-friendly track this time around as well, but he’ll also have to go significantly faster and overcome the fact that his barn tends to underperform with last-out maiden winners and stretch-out runners.
4. Mo Plex: Trainer Jeremiah Englehart made the uncommon move of following up a graded-stakes win with a drop back into state-bred company; he won that state-bred start by only a nose, though after a poor start, there was still reason to be optimistic about that race. He needs to step up from a speed perspective, but he won his debut impressively over this course and has the tactical speed that plays well over this course.
5. Uncaged: Another Todd Pletcher trainee, he is the “B” stringer since jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. opts for Tip Top Thomas instead. He graduated on debut at Saratoga in the mud, so still has to prove himself over a dry course. But, his pedigree is excellent for the step up in trip, and he has proved he can track the pace, make a rally, and do so in fast enough fashion to think he can be up to standard against these.
6. Vekoma Rides: He returns off a shorter turnaround than anyone else in the field, as he debuted September 14. However, that debut was very smart: he tracked the early pace and took over in the lane, winning by five lengths. He did it fast enough to suggest he can be a factor against this group, and he won it over fast Aqueduct dirt, which he’ll face once again. With high-percentage connections and a likelihood of getting a mile, he has some price potential.
7. Smoken Wicked: He thrashed Louisiana-breds on debut, and then has run in the superfecta in open stakes company in each of his next three starts without winning again. He does his best work on or near the pace, though he can run on and get a piece if he’s not right up there, and that may be his most likely best result.
8. Colonel Bob: He won on debut in stalk-and-pounce fashion at Parx, going seven furlongs. A win at that distance is a positive sign for his ability to handle the one-turn mile, though Grade 1 company in New York is going to be a tougher ask and his debut maiden win did not come back particularly fast.
9. Executive Order: One of the more exciting two-year-old maiden winners of the Saratoga meet, Executive Order graduated in stalk-and-pounce fashion by 7 ¾ resounding lengths. Trainer Philip Serpe can win at a price both in graded stakes and with last-out maiden winners, and he should be able to work out a nice, clean outside stalking trip from this gate. His pedigree appeals for the try at a mile, and he has a good chance of going off at a price.
10. Chancer McPatrick: The likely favorite for trainer Chad Brown, he is undefeated in two starts. He has rallied from last or near-last in both of his starts, suggesting there may be a pace element to contend with, but the pace in the Hopeful Stakes wasn’t particularly fast and he was able to muster a blazing late pace and reel all his foes in—despite hitting the gate and losing an iron early. He may need to show more maturity as time goes on, but he is a fast and talented horse with every right to find another good effort.

Champagne Stakes FAQ

Q: When and where is the Champagne Stakes?

A: The Champagne Stakes happens on Saturday, October 5 at Aqueduct. Post time is scheduled for 3:49 p.m. EDT, and the race is the eighth of 12 on the Saturday card.

Q: Which trainer has the most wins in the Champagne Stakes?

A: Todd Pletcher leads all trainers with six victories in the Champagne between 2004 and 2014 with Proud Accolade, Scat Daddy, Uncle Mo, Shanghai Bobby, Havana, and Daredevil. He can extend his record with either Tip Top Thomas or Uncaged.

Q: Who is the favorite for the Champagne Stakes?

A: Off of his impressive victory in the Hopeful at Saratoga, Chancer McPatrick has been named the 6-5 morning-line favorite in the Champagne, and is likely to hold favorite status come post time.

Q: Who is the best Champagne Stakes jockey?

A: Braulio Baeza leads all jockeys with five wins between 1964 and 1975. Among riders entered in the 2024 edition of the Champagne, Irad Ortiz, Jr. and Joel Rosario lead with two wins each. Ortiz takes the call on Tip Top Thomas, while Rosario rides Uncaged.

Q: Who won the Champagne Stakes in 2023?

A: Timberlake won the 2023 Champagne Stakes for trainer Brad Cox and jockey Florent Geroux. Neither returns to the Champagne this year.

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