Champagne Stakes Racing Roundup

©2019 Calvin L. Carter. All rights reserved.

The Road to the Kentucky Derby presents two marquee races this Saturday beginning with the Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity Stakes (G1) at Keeneland Racecourse and wrapping up with the Champagne Stakes (G1) at Belmont Park.

Let’s look at the 147^th running of the $500,000 Champagne Stakes (G1) where GREEN LIGHT GO heads a herd of seven runners as the 8-5 morning line favorite. Post time is 5:39 p.m. ET.

Undefeated in two starts, Green Light Go comes into this race for trainer Jimmy Jerkens off a win in the Saratoga Special Stakes (G2). Here’s the video and chart call of that race:

GREEN LIGHT GO settled nicely off the pace, moved closer outside the half-mile, drafted in the two path while full of run early on the turn, was given his cue while shifting thee wide at the five sixteenths, rallied outside into upper stretch, drifted in then brushed with TUGGLE while taking the lead at the three-sixteenths, shook clear after being put to a left-handed whip outside the sixteenth pole then was given two strikes before being eased up while much the best.

Green Light Go tracked the leaders to the stretch then took command to easily win his graded stakes debut by 3¾ lengths.

Hard Spun, the sire of Green Light Go, was undefeated in three starts as a two-year-old, including wins in the Port Penn Stakes and Pennsylvania Nursery Stakes. As a three-year-old on the Derby trail, Hard spun was 2-0-0 in three starts including wins in the Le Comte Stakes (G3) and Lane’s End Stakes (G2).

Hard Spun went on to finish second in the Kentucky Derby (G1), third in the Preakness Stakes (G1) and rounded out his classic campaign with a fourth-place finish in the Belmont Stakes (G1).

As a stallion, Hard Spun’s best runner on the Kentucky Derby trail was Wicked Strong who finished fourth in the 2014 Derby. His other top runners include: Le Romain, Hard Aces, Hard Not to Like, Someries, Gatting, King’s Spun, Promising Run, Questing and Hardest Core.

Green Light Go has a C Classic Champion Thoroughbred Profile® and that makes him competitive in this race. He’s been training good and I look for him to continue to impress on Saturday.

TIZ THE LAW (5-2) is stepping up in class and comes into this race off a maiden win for trainer Barclay Tagg. Here’s the video and chart call of that race:

TIZ THE LAW stalked the front runners toward the two path, was put to snug hold after inching up to them during the final strides of the run around the bend, angled into the path four for clearance spinning into the lane, chopped away the deficit to assume control, got steadied lugging in while switching leads in the vicinity of the eighth pole, continued to edge away from the second place finisher, then completed the final sixteenth wrapped up.

Tiz the Law looked, a bit green, but still looked good winning his maiden debut, impressively, by 4¼ lengths.

Constitution, the sire of Tiz the Law, didn’t race until he was three years old but was a competitive runner that compiled a 4 -0-1 record in eight starts with $1,031,596 in career earnings.

Despite the late start, Constitution showed promise and was undefeated in three starts including a win the Florida Derby (G1). But a hairline fracture kept him out of the 2014 Kentucky Derby (G1). He came back eight months later to close the season with a third-place finish in the Clark Handicap (G1).

At the age of four, Constitution was 1-0-0 in three starts with a win in the Donn Handicap (G1).

As a stallion, Constitution’s first runners are two years old in 2019 and a couple of his best runners on the Derby trail are By Your Side who is also entered in this race and Gouverneur Morris who is the 5-2 morning line favorite in the Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity (G1) at Keeneland.

  Tiz the Law has a D Classic Champion Thoroughbred Profile® and that makes him competitive in this race.

GOZILLA (6-1) comes into this race for trainer Steve Asmussen with a 1-0-1 record in two starts including a third-place finish in the Hopeful Stakes (G1) at

Saratoga. Here’s the video and chart call:

GOZILLA got engaged with AMERICAN BUTTERLY shortly after the field had been sent on its way, participated in it from the two path, being the one of that twosome clinging to a slim advantage, was still holding it spinning into the lane in reserve, contrasting the drive the nemesis has just been put to, saw the rider go to work a sixteenth down the road, with BASIN having made its presence felt, proved no match, ventured onward losing ground to the aforementioned opponent, wound up getting necked for the place.

Gozilla ran a respectable race but faltered in the final yards to finish third 6¾ length off the victor, Basin.

Flatter, the sire of Gozilla, was a decent middle-distance horse who competed, mostly, in maiden and allowance races and in his only stakes start he finished third in the 8½-furlong Washington Park Handicap (G2). But in six starts, Flatter compiled a 4-0-1 record and was a winner from 7½-furlongs to 9-furlongs.

As a stallion, his leading runners include West Coast, Flat Out, Upstart, Kobe’s Back, Taris, Lucy’s Bob Boy, Tar Heel Mom and Apart to name a few.

Gozilla has a C Classic Champion Thoroughbred Profile® and I look for him to be competitive in this race.

Honorable mention goes to Alpha Sixty Six (5-1) and Three Technique (7-2).

*****

A total of 35 races comprise the Road to the Kentucky Derby. In addition, there are seven races on the European road to the Kentucky Derby and there three races on the Japan road to Derby glory.

2019/2020 KENTUCKY DERBY LEADERBOARD

Ranking, total points, Trainer, Non-Restricted Stakes Earnings

1. Eight Rings, 10, Bob Baffert

2. Dennis’ Moment, 10, Dale Romans,

3. +Scabbard, 4, Eddie Kenneally

4. American Theorem, 4, George Papaprodromou

5. Storm the Court, 2, Peter Eurton

6. Lebda, 2, Claudio Gonzalez

7. Letmeno, 1, Ian Wilkes

8. +Express Train, 1, John Shirreffs

          + = Express Train (Hip 1016) and Scabbard (Hip 802) were colts we profiled at the 2018 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.