By Alan Carasso
Into Champagne (f, 2, Into Mischief–Bedford Land, by Speightstown) sat a trip handy to the pace, pounced when produced and galloped away from her rivals in the late stages to complete a sweep of the afternoon's 2-year-old filly maidens for her unstoppable sire at Ellis Park and earn the 'TDN Rising Star' distinction in the process.
Drawn wide for the debut, the $300,000 Keeneland September yearling showed enough speed to sit close to a good early pace and traveled strongly while traveling comfortably for Julien Leparoux. Going ominously well behind the leaders on the turn while still on hold, the bay filly pushed away from the inside part of the track, raced up three wide while under her own courage and turned it on through the final eighth of a mile to graduate by 6 3/4 convincing lengths.
The late Eugene Melnyk acquired the winner's second dam for $475,000 at the 2003 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale and raced her to seven wins from 11 starts for Todd Pletcher, including the 2006 GI Ruffian H. Melnyk sold Pool Land, then 11 years of age, to Live Oak for $900,000 in foal to Smart Strike as part of the owner's dispersal of racing stock at Fasig-Tipton February in 2013. For Charlotte Weber, Pool Land bred 2-year-old stakes winner Old Chestnut (Speightstown) before she sold to SF Bloodstock in foal to Munnings for $57,000 at Keeneland January in 2019. The winner's dam is also responsible for a yearling Not This Time filly, but unfortunately delivered a dead foal by Practical Joke this season.
A 38th 'Rising Star' for Into Mischief, Into Champagne is bred on the exact same cross responsible for the stallion's Grade I winners Mia Mischief and Mischievous Alex and on the cross over Gone West that yielded champion and Horse of the Year Authentic. Others of Into Mischief's graded winners from Speightstown dams include GII Phoenix S. and GIII Futurity S. hero Engage and G3 Nad Al Sheba Turf Sprint victor Man of Promise.
8th-Ellis, $120,000, Msw, 6-16, 2yo, f, 5 1/2f, 1:04.18, ft, 6 3/4 lengths.
INTO CHAMPAGNE, f, 2, by Into Mischief
1st Dam: Bedford Land, by Speightstown
2nd Dam: Pool Land, by Silver Deputy
3rd Dam: Slew City Slicker, by Slew City Slew
Sales history: $300,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $69,600. Click for the Equibase.com chart or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
O-Six Column Stables, LLC, Randall L Bloch, Jim Gladden, Mike Davis & Michael Steele; B-Robert & Lawana Low (KY); T-Ian R Wilkes.
#10 Into Champagne wins on debut for fun in R8 at Ellis Park under @JulienLeparoux for trainer @IanWilkesRacing! 🥂
🎥 #TwinSpiresReplay pic.twitter.com/6mx351wngf
— TwinSpires Racing 🏇 (@TwinSpires) June 16, 2023
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