Champagne Room

Champagne Room established herself as the best in her division with a gritty score in the 14 Hands Winery Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies as a 33-to-1 longshot. The triumph was the first in the Breeders’ Cup for trainer Peter Eurton, who credited the victory to jockey Mario Gutierrez’s patient ride. “We didn't want to get in her way today,” Eurton said. “Just let her run her race and it turned out pretty good.” Champagne Room cruised just behind the frontrunner before gaining command in upper stretch and held off Valadorna’s late rally to win by three-quarters of a length. The Juvenile Fillies was her second career win. She was the runner-up in her career debut as the favorite in a Del Mar maiden special weight race on July 16. Three weeks later she collected her first victory in Del Mar’s Sorrento Stakes (G2). She then was third in the Del Mar Debutante Stakes (G1) before a troubled trip in Santa Anita’s Chandelier Stakes (G1) on Oct. 1 inspired a change in racing tactics that produced her Breeders’ Cup triumph. Champagne Room races for a large partnership headed by Joe Ciaglia Jr., who purchased her for $310,000 at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co.’s April two-year-olds in training sale. “It's great to have a group of people that can support us and buy in together,” Ciaglia said. “It's a lot of fun winning as a group.” Bred in Kentucky by Respite Farm, Champagne Room was sold for $70,000 as a weanling at Keeneland’s November breeding stock sale. She failed to reach her owner’s minimum price at the Keeneland September yearling sale on a final bid of $55,000.