Champagne Problems finds daylight, rallies in Groupie Doll

HENDERSON, Ky. — Champagne Problems was facing problems early in Sunday’s Grade 3, $100,000 Groupie Doll at Ellis Park - though not at all related to Champagne. Mired on the inside down the backstretch, in the back of the pack and behind a modest pace, she seemed stuck in neutral.

Then daylight appeared, and her outlook changed. She picked up her pace on the second turn, and after jockey Calvin Borel was able to swing her outside heading into the lane, the race was hers. She rallied to catch frontrunning Sense of Bravery in midstretch and pulled away to win by 3 1/4 lengths.

She recorded her first stakes win in the Groupie Doll, and a graded one, to boot. She raced a mile on a fast main track in 1:36.74, returning $10.

“She wasn’t travelling good until about the quarter pole – I couldn’t get her back under me,” Borel said. “She’ll run on the inside, but she’s not really comfortable there. You know, I went on the inside, but as soon as I got me a little room and got out, she was coming home.”

Borel credited trainer Ian Wilkes, noting that he had her zeroed-in for this race for months, with each race leading into a means to prepare her for the Groupie Doll. That lead-up series was capped by an allowance victory at Churchill Downs on June 23 in which she defeated Pinch Hit, who again could not keep pace with Champagne Problems on Sunday.

Three wide and chasing the pace throughout, Pinch Hit settled for third in the Groupie Doll, a half-length behind stablemate and runner-up Sense of Bravery.

The latter, bet down from her 15-1 morning line to start favored at 9-5 odds, battled bravely for a 3-year-old filly matched against older mares, though she did enjoy a relatively easy lead. She raced a length ahead of her rivals for the first six furlongs of the race with fractions of 23.76 seconds, 46.96, and 1:11.37.

Wilkes – whose stable is split in divisions in the summer months - was not in attendance Sunday at Ellis, missing the jubilant celebration from the partners that own her. Six Column Stables, Randall Bloch, John Seller, Fred Merritt, and David Hall own the filly, a 4-year-old by Ghostzapper out of the A.P. Indy mare Coral Sea.

“It’s pretty special to win a graded stakes race,” Bloch said. “With these kinds of trainers in here, the competition, the quality of horses, it’s just pretty special.”

Ellis Park Derby

A race before the Groupie Doll, trainer Larry Jones ran one-two in the inaugural $75,000 Ellis Park Derby – with his pair of runners, Believe in Royalty and Kowboy Karma, rallying to catch longtime leader Travelling Midas.

In the end, it was Believe in Royalty in front by a half-length, with Kowboy Karma edging Travelling Midas by a head for the place. Hoonani Road ran fourth.

Believe in Royalty, who had been a frontrunner for much of his career before a closing fourth last month in the Iowa Derby, again utilized off-the-pace tactics, and it resulted in another top performance. He finished with authority, racing a mile in 1:37.96 under Gabe Saez. He paid $17.40 in a competitive race.

“They both came with a run,” Jones said. “Kowboy (Karma) got in a little trouble in there, had to steady for just a second. Believe in Royalty was able to save a little ground, split horses and come running. Both horses ran very well.”

A 3-year-old son of Tapit owned by Robert Baker, William L. Mack and former Kentucky Gov. Brereton Jones, Believe in Royalty notched his first stakes victory in the Ellis Park Derby. He is now 3 for 9 over his career.