Practical Joke and Favorable Outcome breeze for Champagne Stakes

Trainer Chad Brown continued his stable's preparations for next week's Super Saturday card at Belmont, breezing juvenile colts Practical Joke and Favorable Outcome together over the Belmont training track Sunday morning.

Both owned by Klaravich Stables, the pair worked five furlongs in 1:01.77 for Saturday's Grade 1, $500,000 Champagne. 

Unbeaten in two starts, Practical Joke, a son of Into Mischief, will enter the Champage off his Grade 1 Hopeful victory on September 5 at Saratoga Race Course. A progeny of Flatter, Favorable Outcome won his debut by six lengths on August 20 at Saratoga and will be making his second career start in the Champagne. 

"They each worked fine and are on target for the Champagne," said Brown. "We opted for the training track because I preferred it over the conditions of the main track this morning."

Exiting yesterday's card with second- and fourth-place finishes from favored Flintshire and Money Multiplier, respectively, in the Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic over a yielding turf course, along with a third-place effort from Wavell Avenue in the Grade 2 Gallant Bloom, Brown reported that all returned in good order.

"In the days to come we'll figure more out," said Brown. "All of them seem to have come out their races good so far."

Lady Eli, who finished second in the Grade 2 Ballston Spa at Saratoga in her first start in over a year after battling laminitis, remains on schedule for next Saturday's Grade 1, $500,000 Flower Bowl and will work over the Belmont turf course Monday morning along with stablemates Sea Calisi, Annals of Time, Beach Patrol, Camelot Kitten, and Takeover Target, each turning in their respective last works before next weekend's stakes assignments.