Champagne Room to begin 3-year-old campaign in Las Virgenes
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ARCADIA, Calif. – Champagne Room, the 2016 champion 2-year-old filly, is set to have her 3-year-old debut in the $200,000 Las Virgenes Stakes at Santa Anita on Feb. 5.
Champagne Room has not raced since her upset win in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies here Nov. 5. She was named champion in a ceremony at Gulfstream Park in Florida on Jan. 21.
The Grade 2 Las Virgenes is run at a mile and will be a test for Champagne Room. The field is expected to include Unique Bella, the easy winner of the Grade 2 Santa Ynez Stakes at seven furlongs Jan. 8.
The Las Virgenes is one of five graded stakes at Santa Anita on Feb. 4-5.
The $300,000 San Antonio Stakes at 1 1/8 miles is the richest race of the weekend and one of four graded stakes Feb. 4. Hoppertunity, who won the 2016 San Antonio and was later third to California Chrome in the $10 million Dubai World Cup last March, is part of the projected field, along with Accelerate, Bronze Star, Dalmore, Mor Spirit, and possibly Prospect Park.
The $200,000 San Marcos Stakes at 1 1/4 miles on turf will be the first graded stakes on grass for older horses this year at Santa Anita. The San Gabriel Stakes on Jan. 7 was moved to the main track because of wet weather.
Flamboyant, the winner of the 2016 San Marcos, is a likely starter. Other candidates are A Red Tie Day, Conquest Daddyo, Frank Conversation, and Twentytwentyvision.
The $150,000 Robert B. Lewis Stakes for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles is not expected to have a large field. Candidates includes Dangerfield and Term of Art, who are trained by Doug O’Neill, and Sheer Flattery, trained by Jerry Hollendorfer. Trainer Bob Baffert said Friday that he will finalize his runners in the coming days.
The leading sprint Feb. 4 is the $200,000 Palos Verdes Stakes at six furlongs. The field will not include Masochistic, who was disqualified from a second-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint in November for a steroid positive. Trainer Ron Ellis said Friday that Masochistic will be pointed for the Grade 1 Triple Bend Stakes at seven furlongs March 11.
The Grade 2 Palos Verdes candidates include Stallwalkin’ Dude, Moe Candy, Kentuckian, and Ike Walker.