When trainer Chad Brown decided to run Rodeo Creek Racing Flaming sevens in the Oct. 1 Champagne Stakes (G1). Aqueduct race track instead of the longer Claiborne Breeders' Futurity (G1) on October 8th with two rounds Keenelandhe had not expected any interference from meteorologists.
“I was planning on going to the Breeders' Futurity, but then I called an Audible after his work last week,” Brown said. “I thought he was a real Breeders' Cup candidate and really wanted to do two rounds with him, but I'd rather have the five weeks of rest (before the Breeders' Cup). So I decided to send him here (for the champagne) And sure enough, the hurricane came north and I just felt diseased the last few days, since I had already committed to walking here.
Brown's concerns centered on Blazing Sevens' final race, when he ran on a sloppy track in the Hopeful Stakes (G1). Saratoga Racetrack and finished third but was twelve lengths behind the winner Strength .
As it turns out, Spa Slope and Huge-A Slope are clearly different surfaces, as Blazing Sevens enjoyed the humid terrain at Aqueduct and recovered from last place in the field of six while splashing to a 3 1/4 -Length victory over Verify in the $500,000 champagne. The win in the 2-year-old race secured him an at-large spot in the FanDuel Breeders' Cup Juvenile Presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (G1) on Nov. 4 as part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge Race Series.
“Maybe it was a Saratoga thing. On the last trip I'm not entirely sure why he didn't fire. He wasn’t doing badly, but he wasn’t himself,” Brown said. “Today he got through it perfectly”
The win gave Brown two consecutive champagne victories and four since 2016, but even in 2017 it was a second-place finish in the mile that added to the emotion of the moment for the four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer. Five years ago, Brown sent out Good magic Become second Fire in Florence in Champagne, only to have Good Magic win the Juvenile and be named champion 2-year-old males.
On Saturday, Brown relished his role in sending the colt to become the first Grade 1 winner for first-grader Good Magic, now a stallion at Hill 'n' Dale Farm.
“It's a large reward because Good Magic was very unlucky in Champagne when she lost to a horse trained by Jason Servis, which is a real upset,” Brown said. “It was good karma for us that his son was able to come out on top in Champagne and win like he did.”
Brown hopes Blazing Sevens can match his father at the World Championships, where Good Magic cruised to victory after around two rounds in his first attempt.
“He’s looking for two turns, this horse,” Brown said. “I can’t wait to take him to two rounds. Everything just has to work out. He has some time at five weeks. We have to overcome many hurdles. He has to deliver well, get a good post, and all those things. This isn’t our first rodeo, so hopefully he can emulate his father and cap off a championship year with a win in the Breeders’ Cup.”
Bred by Tracy Farmer from the Warrior's reward mare Trophy girl Purchased for $225,000 from Eaton Sales consignment at the Saratoga Sale, Fasig-Tipton's select yearling auction in Saratoga Springs, NY, Blazing Sevens was a 6 1/4-length debut winner on a rapid track at Spa on July 24 .
“I would like to thank Pete Bradley for choosing him, as well as John and Carla Capek. They are modern owners. This is only the second year they have owned horses. They are nice people and very deserving. I'm so cheerful for them and if he “If we get out of this fit, it's on to the Breeders' Cup,” Brown said.
Blazing Sevens connections enjoy the trophy presentation for the Champagne Stakes
A patient drive from Flavien Prat paid off in the one-turn mile as he kept the Blazing Sevens behind throughout Let's go to Florence – a brother of Firenze Fire – achieved the first fractions of :23.32 and :47.09 and was the favorite by a length of 3:2 Gulfport who was an even-money pick who was runner-up in the Hopeful.
Leaving the quarter pole, the field tightened as Gulfport defeated a tiring Andiamo against Firenze, only to have debut winner Verifying rise within them and the Blazing Sevens charge in from the outside.
Verifying, a son of the Triple Crown winner Justify fought for a half lead at the eighth pole but was unable to fend off a sturdy behind schedule attack from Blazing Sevens.
Sent off at odds of 8-1 in a field where none of the six had won a graded race heading into Champagne, Blazing Sevens ($19) reached for the mile over the sloppy, sealed course, the He managed a time of 1:37.07 this time with aplomb.
“I could tell he hated the track (at Saratoga),” Brown said. “The fact that he finished third and galloped out well was amazing because (jockey Manny Franco) told us that day that he hated the track and that he never felt good under him. You always learn something about these adolescent horses. They are inexperienced horses, and you will learn a lot about them over time, and sometimes you have to back away, and that horse has gone forward.”
Verifying, ridden by Joel Rosario, finished second by 1 1/2 lengths over Gulfport.
“He handled it well, but when I got into the turn I had to ride him a little bit to get him going,” said Rosario, who was on board for trainer Brad Cox. “It was the first time he went long, so I thought it was a good performance.”
Blazing Sevens is the second of Trophy Girl's four foals and her only frontrunner. She also has a yearling Constitution filly and dropped a Golden cents filly this year.
