CHAMPAGNE STAKES

(Grade 1)

JOE Bravo steered Greenpointcrusader from a maiden winner to Grade 1 winner in the $500,000 Champagne Stakes for two-year-olds at Belmont Park last Saturday.

Trained by Dominick Schettino, Greenpointcrusader, a Bernardini colt, rallied from off the pace to take the mile Champagne in 1m 36.25sec over the sloppy surface. Sunny Ridge was second and Portfolio Manager finished third.

His connections indicated Greenpointcrusader is headed to Kentucky for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile next time.

“More than likely we’ll stay here and head to Keeneland a week before the Breeders’ Cup,” said Anthony Bonomo Jr., whose father owns Brooklyn Boyz Stables.

Maiden winner Tale of S’avall set the pace for the first quarter-mile, while being pressed by favourite Ralis and Sunny Ridge.

Greenpointcrusader, who stumbled at the start, bided his time in sixth before he ranged up outside of horses in the straight. He got the better of Sunny Ridge in the final half furlong and pulled away to win by four and a half lengths.

“This horse really didn’t have the clearest of races in his first two starts,” Bravo said. “He’s a big horse and he needs a clear shot. He recovered (from the break) so well and was so comfortable on the backside, he gave me confidence when we turned for home that he was going to kick.

“The last sixteenth of a mile, I kind of geared him down. I didn’t really want to get to the bottom of him.”

The Kentucky-bred colt is a half-brother to Grade 1 winner Justin Phillip.

Doug O’Neill, who trained sixth-place finishing favourite Ralis said: “He just didn’t seem to fire today and maybe because of the track but not sure though.”

FRIZETTE STAKES

Nickname, a daughter of hot sire Scat Daddy, took a commanding lead of the home bend and stayed on strongly to take the $400,000 Grade 1 Frizette Stakes over a mile.

Trained by Steve Asmussen, Nickname and Javier Castellano won easily by three lengths from the Jeremy Noseda-trained Nemoralia who stayed on to head the favourite She’s All Ready who had led early.

She finished off in a final time of 1m 37.76secs on a sloppy, sealed surface.

It was Nickname’s second win from two starts and she is a leading contender for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies.

Nickname as a $350,000 purchase at the Keeneland September yearling sale and is owned by LNJ Foxwoods comprising Larry, Nancy, and Jamie Roth.

Steve Asmussen said he was concerned about the sloppy track, considering her size. “That’s a lot of weight to get through the mud,” he said. “She looked so good coming into the stretch; very professional. I’m extremely proud of her.”

She will likely head for the Juvenile Fillies but Asmussen said he will make sure she is 100% coming out of the race.

He previously won the Frizette with My Miss Aurelia, who went on and won the Juvenile Fillies.