Chancer McPatrick pops open in stretch, wins Champagne

Photo:

Jason Moran / Eclipse Sportswire

New York

Chancer McPatrick stayed undefeated in three starts when he rallied from last in a field of nine to win the Grade 1, $500,000 Champagne Stakes at Aqueduct by 2 3/4 lengths.

With his victory in the one-turn mile, which is part of the Belmont at the Big A meeting, he earned an automatic spot into the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and 10 qualifying points for the 2025 Kentucky Derby.

Trainer Chad Brown won the Champagne for the fifth time since 2016 after previous wins with Practical Joke, Complexity, Jack Christopher and Blazing Sevens. He won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile in 2017 with Good Magic, who had finished second in the Champagne.

Chancer McPatrick, who was the odds-on favorite at .55-1, came out of the gate alertly but ended up at the back of the field as he had at Saratoga in his maiden victory in July and the Hopeful (G1) in September.

“I was a little surprised they ran away from him on the stretch out,” Brown said. “They were going pretty fast, but still I thought on the stretch out he would put himself a little closer. He jumped good out of the gate, he might have veered out just a touch, but he jumped forward good and then they just ran away from him again.”

J J Zo Zo (54-1) went to the lead with Tip Top Thomas (3-1) chasing in second and Executive Order (17-1) in third. The top three stayed in those spots with fractions of 22.47, 45.59 and 1:11.28. At the same time, Flavien Prat kept Chancer McPatrick away from the rail as they began to improve their position. The $725,000 April 2-year-old purchase moved quickly from last to third going around the turn.

“I was outside, and it was nice so I could take my time,” Prat explained. “Then I was trying to save a bit of ground, but it felt like nothing was developing inside and I felt like I was traveling well, so I made a move on the outside. He was traveling well without doing too much, and when I called on him turning for home, he responded positively.”

At the stretch call only Tip Top Thomas remained from the early leaders and Chancer McPatrick had only a half-length left to overcome. He continued his closing move and finished the race in 1:36.51. The top two ended up almost five lengths clear of the third-place finisher Mo Plex (13-1).

Chancer McPatrick paid $3.10, $2.10 and $2.10. Tip Top Thomas earned 5 Derby qualifying points and completed the $2 exacta, which paid $9. Mo Plex got 3 points and was third in the $2 trifecta, which returned $52. Smoken Wicked (17-1) got 2 points for fourth and Vekoma Rides (10-1) finished fifth and picked up 1 Derby point.

Chancer McPatrick’s Champagne win was the biggest margin of his career after he won his six-furlong debut and the seven-furlong Hopeful by a length. He will have to stretch out farther to two turns in the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar.

“He runs his races like he’s a year older than he is,” Brown added. “He runs like an experienced, fit 3-year-old. He’s got a long, strong run. He showed it in all three of his starts. The way he finished up and the way he relaxes, I don’t see going two turns as a problem.”

Chancer McPatrick will be Brown’s eighth starter in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile if he runs in that race on Nov. 1.

“The horse I won with was pretty good,” Brown said. “Ironically, the only time I won the Juvenile was when I got beat in the Champagne. Hopefully, this is the first year I can win with a Champagne winner.”