Champagne Anyone targets Gulfstream Park Oaks

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Ian Wilkes had two options for Champagne Anyone’s next start: To stay local for Saturday’s Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Oaks, or to wait a week and head to Keeneland for the Ashland.

That decision was made for Wilkes on Saturday morning at Palm Meadows when Champagne Anyone worked five furlongs in 1:01.20, the second-best of 30 works at the distance on the tab.

“The work was terrific,” Wilkes said. “She showed me she was doing so good right now that at that point it just made sense to keep her right here and run this weekend rather than putting her on a van and worrying about what might go wrong during the extra week.”

Champagne Anyone is a daughter of Street Sense, who won the 2007 Kentucky Derby with Wilkes playing a key role as the main assistant to trainer Carl Nafzger. She’ll enter the 1 1/16-mile Oaks off two third-place finishes here from earlier in the meet – in the Grade 3 Forward Gal and the Grade 2 Davona Dale, going seven furlongs and one mile, respectively.

“Those two races should set her up perfectly for this one,” Wilkes said. “I thought she ran great in the Forward Gal. I was a little disappointed in her next start, but I think she just may have bounced a little bit second time off the layoff. The extra distance on Saturday should also be to her advantage.”

A short field is expected when the Oaks is drawn Wednesday, with Davona Dale runner-up Cookie Dough, the undefeated stakes winner Point of Honor, and Bella Ciao also expected to start. Queen of Beas will bypass the race after missing training due to a temperature, according to trainer Jorge Abreu. She’ll be pointed instead to the Grade 3 Beaumont at Keeneland on April 7.

Wilkes was also beaming in the winner’s circle after his promising 3-year-old Bohemian Bourbon overcame an eventful trip to win her maiden in Sunday’s eighth race under jockey Julien Leparoux. Wilkes turned Bohemian Bourbon back to five furlongs following a disappointing effort in her turf bow going a mile six weeks earlier.

“It was probably my fault the previous race, trying her at a mile,” Wilkes said. “I think she’s really cut out to be a one-run sprinter on the turf. She was very game today to make the run she did once getting clear, and I think she’ll only get better, especially if we can stretch her out a bit farther and find races for her at five and one-half or even six furlongs somewhere down the road.”