Grade 1, $500,000 Champagne, one mile, Belmont Park, Oct. 2, 2021 (10 Derby qualifying points for first, 4 for second, 2 for third, 1 for fourth) Winner: Jack Christopher, by Munnings Trainer: Chad Brown Jockey: Jose Ortiz Owner: Jim Bakke, Gerald Isbister, Coolmore Stud, and Peter Brant Beyer Speed Figure: 102 JACK CHRISTOPHER followed up his runaway debut win at Saratoga with a sharp victory here. He pressed a strong pace, opened up a commanding lead in upper stretch, and held safe the only other horse within the area code in the final furlong. The Beyer figure was sensational for a second-out 2-year-old; it was upgraded nine points, from the original 93, after Craig Milkowski of TimeformUS and Randy Moss of Beyer Associates both determined the correct final time was more than .80 second faster than originally posted, a significant difference that impacted not only the winning figure but the figure of every horse in this race. The big question with this colt going forward will be whether he can do as well going two turns. The Champagne plays like an elongated sprint, and many a brilliant 2-year-old, like Complexity and Practical Joke – Brown’s previous winners of this race – were high-class horses who were much better around one turn than two. Jack Christopher’s bottom side is also cause for being circumspect. The dam, the Half Ours mare Rushin No Blushin, never won going two turns, and neither did either of her two prior foals who made it to the races. That doesn’t mean Jack Christopher isn’t a good horse, perhaps even a Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner. It does mean, though, that getting 1 1/4 miles next May could prove challenging. :: KENTUCKY DERBY 2022: Point standings, prep schedule, news, and more That can all wait for another day. In this race, Jack Christopher broke sharply, then a furlong into the race was eased back to get outside, into an ideal stalking position. He advanced to sit just behind and outside GUNITE, advanced on the far turn to take the lead prior to the quarter pole without being asked at all, had an insurmountable lead in upper stretch and was kept busy through the final furlong. He gets bonus points for pressing a sharp pace and still prevailing by daylight in a race where the second- and third-place finishers made one-run rallies from last and next-to-last. COMMANDPERFORMANCE, who finished second, was kept wide after starting from the outside post, was in front of only WIT heading into the far turn, took awhile to get rolling after being encouraged with a little less than a half-mile to go, raced three paths wide on the far turn, and closed steadily without threatening the winner whatsoever. He has the pedigree (by Union Rags out of a Tapit mare) of a horse who wants more distance. This was only his second start, and he earned a strong 97 Beyer -- good enough to win this race most any year -- after a 75 in his debut. Wit, who was third, lacked early speed and trailed early, saved ground on the far turn while rallying, had to wait briefly in some traffic about five-sixteenths out, got through inside, but flattened out badly in the final furlong; he was much closer to his stablemate, Commandperformance, at the furlong pole than at the finish. He seems like the prototypical late-running sprinter. MY PRANKSTER, who was fourth, raced midpack down the backstretch, had to be hustled along before reaching the midway point, had his very mild rally start to sputter before reaching the quarter pole, and merely got the best of two weary foes in the lane. Very dull try. Gunite, who was fifth, used his natural speed to emerge with the lead a furlong into the race, opened a daylight advantage heading down the backstretch, was easily overtaken by the winner before six furlongs had been run, looked exhausted while racing on his wrong lead in upper stretch, and retreated. In six starts, his career-best Beyer is 83. KAVOD, who was last of six, was put in an ambitious spot for the third straight time. He was hustled away from the gate, yielded the lead to Gunite a furlong into the race, raced behind Gunite and just behind and to the inside of Jack Christopher heading into the far turn, steadily weakened the rest of the way, and failed to change leads after turning into the stretch. He needs far softer.