Champagne Stakes (United States)

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Grade I race
Champagne Stakes
Location	Belmont Park Elmont, New York
Inaugurated	1981
Race type	Thoroughbred - Flat racing
Website	Belmont Park
Race information
Distance	1 mile (8 furlongs)
Track	Dirt, left-handed
Qualification	Two-year-olds
Weight	Assigned
Purse	$400,000

The Champagne Stakes is an American Grade I Thoroughbred horse race for two-year-old horses. The race is run at a distance of one mile on the dirt at Belmont Park in October each year. Now contested almost exclusively by colts, it is one of the final prep races for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile along with the Lane's End Breeders' Futurity from Keeneland.

The race was first run in 1867, and it is the oldest race of its kind in the United States. It was given the same name as the British Champagne Stakes which has been run annually since 1823 at the Doncaster Racecourse in South Yorkshire, England.

There was no Champagne Stakes run from 1910 through 1913, due to a legislated ban by the State of New York on parimutuel wagering, and no race was held in 1956.

Notable past winners who have gone on to success as three-year-olds or older include U.S. Triple Crown champions Seattle Slew, and Count Fleet and others such as Ben Brush, Colin, Sarazen, Alsab, Grey Lag, Buckpasser Riva Ridge, Foolish Pleasure, Alydar, Spectacular Bid, and Easy Goer, all of whom are now in the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.

The 1880 winner was Lady Rosebery, a horse owned by August Belmont, Sr. and named to honor England's Hannah Primrose, Countess of Rosebery whose family was prominent in British racing. Similarly, the 1950 winner was Uncle Miltie, a horse given the nickname of the famous comedian and New York City native, Milton Berle.

The inaugural running of the Champagne Stakes took place in 1867 at Jerome Park Racetrack prior where it remained through 1889. Shifted to the Morris Park Racetrack facility, it was held there through 1904. Moved to its present home at Belmont Park for the 1905 racing seson, it was run at the Aqueduct Racetrack in 1959, from 1963 to 1967, and again in 1984.

Over the years, the Champagne Stakes has been raced over a variety of distances:

• Six furlongs : 1871-1889
• Seven furlongs : 1891-1904
• 165 feet short of seven furlongs (Widener Course) : 1905-1932
• Six and one half furlongs (Widener Course) : 1933-1939
• One mile : 1940-1983, 1985-1993; 2005 to present
• One and one eighth miles : 1984
• One mile onesixteenth miles : 1994-2004

[edit] Records

Most wins by an owner:

• 5 - Calumet Farm (1933, 1936, 1944, 1949, 1977)

Most wins by a jockey:

• 5 - Braulio Baeza (1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1975)

[edit] Winners of the Champagne Stakes since 1946

Year	Winner	Jockey	Trainer	Owner	Time
2007	War Pass	Cornelio Velasquez	Nicholas P. Zito	Robert V. LaPenta	1:36.12
2006	Scat Daddy	John R. Velazquez	Todd A. Pletcher	J. T. Scaturochio / M. Tabor	1:36.97
2005	First Samurai	Jerry D. Bailey	Frank L. Brothers	B. Lunsford / L. B. Robbins	1:36.29
2004	Proud Accolade	John R. Velazquez	Todd A. Pletcher	Padua Stables	1:42.30
2003	Birdstone	Jerry D. Bailey	Nicholas P. Zito	Marylou Whitney	1:44.05
2002	Toccet	Jorge Chavez	John F. Scanlan	Dan Borislow	1:44.45
2001	Officer	Victor Espinoza	Bob Baffert	The Thoroughbred Corp.	1:43.39
2000	A P Valentine	Jorge Chavez	Nicholas P. Zito	Celtic Pride Stable	1:41.45
1999	Greenwood Lake	Jean-Luc Samyn	Nicholas P. Zito	D. Conway/F.Dematteis	1:43.70
1998	The Groom Is Red	Corey Nakatani	Nicholas P. Zito	Celtic Pride Stable	1:42.91
1997	Grand Slam	Gary L. Stevens	D. Wayne Lukas	Baker, et al.	1:40.59
1996	Ordway	John R. Velazquez	David Donk	P. Dileo & W. Punk	1:42.09
1995	Maria's Mon	Robbie Davis	Richard Schosberg	Mrs. Morton Rosenthal	1:42.39
1994	Timber Country	Pat Day	D. Wayne Lukas	Gainesway Farm et al	1:44.01
1993	Dehere	Chris McCarron	Reynaldo H. Nobles	Due Process Stable	1:35.91
1992	Sea Hero	Jerry D. Bailey	MacKenzie Miller	Rokeby Stables	1:34.80
1991	Tri To Watch	Angel Cordero, Jr.	Carl Domino	Fred W. Hooper	1:36.60
1990	Fly So Free	Jose Santos	Flint S. Schulhofer	Thomas Valando	1:35.60
1989	Adjudicating	Jacinto Vasquez	C.R. McGaughey III	Ogden Mills Phipps	1:37.60
1988	Easy Goer	Pat Day	C.R. McGaughey III	Ogden Phipps	1:34.80
1987	Forty Niner	Eddie Maple	Woody Stephens	Claiborne Farm	1:36.80
1986	Polish Navy	Randy Romero	C.R. McGaughey III	Ogden Phipps	1:35.20
1985	Mogambo	Angel Cordero, Jr.	Leroy Jolley	Peter M. Brant	1:37.20
1984	For Certain Doc	Marcel Zuniga	Thomas DeBonis	Philip C. Chuck	1:49.20
1983	Devil's Bag	Eddie Maple	Woody Stephens	Hickory Tree Stable	1:34.20
1982	Copelan	Jerry D. Bailey	Mitchell Griffin	Fred W. Hooper	1:37.80
1981	Timely Writer	Jeffrey Fell	Dominic Imprescia	Peter Martin	1:36.40
1980	Lord Avie	Jorge Velasquez	Daniel Perlsweig	David Simon	1:37.20
1979	Joanie's Chief	Ruben Hernandez	Eugene Jacobs	Peter Barberino	1:38.20
1978	Spectacular Bid	Jorge Velasquez	Grover G. Delp	Hawksworth Farm	1:34.80
1977	Alydar	Jorge Velasquez	John M. Veitch	Calumet Farm	1:36.80
1976	Seattle Slew	Jean Cruguet	William H. Turner, Jr.	Karen L. Taylor	1:34.40
1975	Honest Pleasure	Braulio Baeza	Leroy Jolley	Bertram R. Firestone	1:36.40
1974	Foolish Pleasure	Jacinto Vasquez	Leroy Jolley	John L. Greer	1:36.00
1973	Protagonist	Angel Santiago	John P. Campo	Elmendorf Farm	1:36.00
1973	Holding Pattern	Michael Miceli	James J. Sarner	John Gerbas, Jr.	1:36.00
1972	Stop The Music *	John L. Rotz	John M. Gaver, Sr.	Greentree Stable	1:35.00
1971	Riva Ridge	Ron Turcotte	Lucien Laurin	Meadow Stable	1:36.40
1970	Limit To Reason *	Jorge Velasquez	Thomas J. Kelly	Brookmeade Stable	1:35.40
1969	Silent Screen	John L. Rotz	J. Bowes Bond	Elberon Farm	1:37.20
1968	Top Knight	Manuel Ycaza	Raymond Metcalf	Steven B. Wilson	1:35.20
1967	Vitriolic	Braulio Baeza	Edward A. Neloy	Ogden Phipps	1:34.60
1966	Successor	Braulio Baeza	Edward A. Neloy	Wheatley Stable	1:35.00
1965	Buckpasser	Braulio Baeza	William C. Winfrey	Ogden Phipps	1:36.40
1964	Bold Lad	Braulio Baeza	William C. Winfrey	Wheatley Stable	1:36.40
1963	Roman Brother	John L. Rotz	Burley Parke	Harbor View Farm	1:38.00
1962	Never Bend	Manuel Ycaza	Woody Stephens	Cain Hoy Stable	1:35.80
1961	Donut King	Manuel Ycaza	Ron McAnally	V. H. Winchell, Jr.	1:36.00
1960	Roving Minstrel	Henry Moreno	Burley Parke	Harbor View Farm	1:35.60
1959	Warfare	Ismael Valenzuela	Not found	Bellehurst Stable	1:35.20
1958	First Landing	Eddie Arcaro	Casey Hayes	Christopher Chenery	1:39.40
1957	Jewel's Reward	Bill Shoemaker	Ivan H. Parke	Maine Chance Farm	1:37.40
1955	Beau Fond	Eddie Arcaro	Daverne Emery	Mrs. Henry H. Hecht	1:36.40
1954	Flying Fury	Henry Moreno	Loyd Gentry, Jr.	Cain Hoy Stable	1:37.80
1953	Fisherman	Hedley Woodhouse	Sylveter Veitch	C. V. Whitney	1:38.60
1952	Laffango	Nick Shuk	Merritt Buxton	Trio Stable	1:38.00
1951	Armageddon	Bill Shoemaker	Moody Jolley	Cain Hoy Stable	1:38.20
1950	Uncle Miltie	Hedley Woodhouse	A. Colando	J. J. Colando	1:36.60
1949	Theory	Steve Brooks	Horace A. Jones	Calumet Farm	1:37.00
1948	Capot	Ted Atkinson	John M. Gaver, Sr.	Greentree Stable	1:37.20
1947	Vulcan's Forge	Arnold Kirkland	Sylvester Veitch	C. V. Whitney	1:36.60
1946	Donor	Job Dean Jessop	Preston M. Burch	Deering Howe	1:37.40

• In 1970, Hoist The Flag won the race but was disqualified and set back to last.
• In 1972, Secretariat won the race but was disqualified and set back to second.
• Due to a large field, in 1973 the race was run in two divisions.

[edit] Earlier winners