Australia: Fireburn goes for 2-year-old Triple Crown in Champagne Stakes at Randwick

Fireburn has scorched her way through the Australian 2-year-old division in recent months with stretch runs that have led to wins in three consecutive group races.

Saturday at Royal Randwick Racecourse, Fireburn can become the first horse to win the 2-year-old Triple Crown in a decade when she starts as an odds-on favorite in the Group 1 Champagne Stakes at a mile.

Fireburn won the Group 1 Golden Slipper at six furlongs at Rosehill Gardens on March 19 and the Group 1 Inglis’ Sires Stakes at seven furlongs on April 2 with late rallies that carried her to the front for easy victories in the first two races of the series.

A win in the $370,650 Champagne Stakes against five rivals would make Fireburn the first filly to sweep the 2-year-old Triple Crown since Burst in 1992 and first horse since Pierro in 2012. Trained by Gary Portelli, Fireburn has won 5 of 6 starts, with her only loss a fourth in her debut in a maiden race at Warwick Farm Racecourse in December.

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By Rebel Dane, Fireburn has won at distances ranging from 5 3/4 furlongs to seven furlongs. The Champagne Stakes will be her debut at a mile.

Fireburn is one of two fillies in the Champagne along with the well-regarded She’s Extreme, who was seventh in the $3.69 million Golden Slippper and second in the $749,000 Sires Produce Stakes.

The Champagne Stakes is the first of two Group 1 races on a 10-race program at Randwick that begins at 9:30 p.m. Eastern or 6:30 p.m. Pacific on Friday. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.

The $444,780 All Aged Stakes at seven furlongs drew a strong field of 14 without a heavy favorite.

Forbidden Love, fourth by a little more than 1 1/2 lengths in the Group 1 Doncaster Mile at Randwick on April 2, was the 4-1 joint favorite as of Thursday with Mo’unga, who has not raced since a second in the Group 1 Futurity Stakes at seven furlongs at Caulfield on Feb. 22. Mo’unga runs from off the pace, while Forbidden Love has won from the front and as a stalker.

In the $2.2 million Doncaster Mile, Forbidden Love was second early, but could not sustain that position. She is the best-placed runner from the Doncaster Mile in the All Aged Stakes, which drew the last two winners in Tofane and Kolding.

Tofane, a 6-year-old New Zealand-bred mare, will have her final start on Saturday before she is retired to be bred. Tofane won the Group 1 C.F. Orr Stakes at seven furlongs at Caulfield in February and was eighth in the $3.69 million All-Star Mile at Moonee Valley on March 19.

Kolding, a 6-year-old gelding, will be an outsider in the All Aged Stakes in an attempt to end a six-race losing streak.