Champagne Room tries to earn diploma in Sorrento

On paper, it looks like a quantum step up, sending a maiden race runner-up out for a second career start in a $200,000 Grade II Stakes.

 

But trainer Peter Eurton, who’ll be doing just that with Champagne Room in Saturday’s Sorrento Stakes, doesn’t look at it that way.

 

“With 2-year-olds at this time of year, it happens when you’ve got a horse that you feel has talent,” Eurton said Thursday morning. “It (Sorrento) wasn’t part of my initial plan. But the owners took a look at it, we talked it over and decided it’s a pretty logical step to take.”

 

Champagne Room, a Kentucky-bred daughter of Broken Vow, was a $310,000 purchase at the Ocala, Florida, sale in April for Eurton’s main clients, Sharon Alesia, Joe Ciaglia and other partners. Champagne Room trained at Santa Anita in the spring and early summer and made her racing debut here on July 16, finishing second in a five-furlong sprint, beaten 1 ½ lengths by Morganite.

 

Eurton’s thought after the race was to train Champagne Room up to the seven-furlong, Grade I $300,000 Del Mar Debutante on September 3 with the Chandelier Stakes and the $2 million 14 Hands Winery Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies on November 5 at Santa Anita as later targets.

 

But it was determined that given the 6 ½ furlong distance, the purse and the short field (six) for the Sorrento, the jump from maiden to graded stakes made good sense.

 

“You don’t get races at this distance very often,” said Larry Zap, bloodstock agent/advisor to Eurton and clients. “She’s a big, long-striding filly who didn’t hit her best (stride) until past the wire in her first race, so we think the added distance will be good for her. We were very happy getting the outside post (No. 6), and the Sorrento’s been a real popular race for horses going on to the Debutante.”

 

For the past four years a 1-2 finish in the Sorrento has been a harbinger of Debutante success. Executive Privilege (2012) and Sunset Glow (2014) completed the double. She’s a Tiger (2013) went from Sorrento runner-up to Debutante winner. And last year Pretty N Cool won the Sorrento then finished second in the Debutante to 2-year-old filly Eclipse Award winner Songbird.

 

In 2011, Eurton saddled Weemissfrankie to a Debutante victory, his only Grade I win at Del Mar.