By Steve Sherack
'TDN Rising Star' Chancer McPatrick (McKinzie) ran by them all to remain unbeaten and provide his freshman sire with a rolling Grade I double in Saturday's 'Win and You're In' GI Champagne Stakes at the Belmont at the Big A meeting.
McKinzie's Scottish Lassie, a debut third as the favorite at Saratoga, broke her maiden in style with a runaway success in the GI Frizette Stakes one race earlier on the card.
Favored at 1-2, Chancer McPatrick broke like a shot from his outside draw–not the case in either of his first two career starts, including his dramatic win in the GI Hopeful Stakes at Saratoga last time Sept. 2–but was quickly outfooted to caboose the field in ninth through fractions of :22.47 and :45.59.
The Flanagan Racing colorbearer began to catch the eye with a sweeping move beneath Flavien Prat on the far turn and set his sights on fellow 'Rising Star' Tip Top Thomas (Volatile), who took over from the longshot pacesetter at the five-sixteenths. Tip Top Thomas turned them in with a clear advantage and dug down bravely in the stretch, but Chancer McPatrick was just getting warmed up. Chancer McPatrick kept on rolling down the lane, hit the front with a sixteenth of a mile to run and powered clear from there to win going away by 2 3/4 lengths.
Tip Top Thomas, a narrow debut winner in the always loaded maiden special weight on the GI Travers Stakes undercard, was second. Previously unbeaten New York-bred Mo Plex (Complexity), winner of the GIII Sanford Stakes and Funny Cide Stakes at the Spa this summer, was third.
Chancer McPatrick was a visually impressive last-to-first debut winner at Saratoga July 27, then repeated that performance with a half-length decision over fellow 'Rising Star' Ferocious (Flatter) in the seven-furlong Hopeful. Ferocious was a distant runner-up in Saturday's GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland.
Chancer McPatrick becomes the fifth Champagne winner for trainer Chad Brown. He also saddled subsequent GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Good Magic (Curlin) to a second-place finish in the 2017 renewal.
Chancer McPatrick will make his first start around two turns in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Del Mar Nov. 1.
“I was a little surprised they ran away from him on the stretch out,” Brown said. “They were going pretty fast, but still I thought on the stretch out he would put himself a little closer. He jumped good out of the gate–he might have veered out just a touch–but he jumped forward good and then they just ran away from him again. So, momentarily there I thought he was a little too far back but Flavien (Prat) rides him with so much confidence and he told me, 'Once I asked him to go, he made up a lot of ground really fast and in hand.' He felt he was always there for him whenever he wanted.”
Brown continued, “He runs his races like he's a year older than he is. He runs like an experienced, fit 3-year-old. He's got a long, strong run. He showed it in all three of his starts. The way he finished up and the way he relaxes, I don't see going two turns as a problem.
“It was a real strong run. The horse that finished second (Tip Top Thomas)–he was a smart winner at Saratoga and the figure came back really fast. I was in the race with a horse that ran third (Keewaydin) that I hold in high regard, so I knew he was real that horse. Super race to set those fractions and still be there late in the race with this horse.”
Pedigree Notes:
Freshman sire McKinzie is represented by two stakes winners, both winners at the Grade I level.
Chancer McPatrick, a $260,000 FTKJUL yearling purchase by GS Inversiones Hipicas, brought $725,000 from trainer John Kimmel and bloodstock agent Nick Sallusto on behalf of owner Sean Flanagan after breezing a quarter in :21 at OBS April.
Chancer McPatrick's winning dam Bernadreamy (Bernardini), a $40,000 Keeneland September yearling and daughter of 2008 GI Darley Alcibiades Stakes winner and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies runner-up Dream Empress (Bernstein), is also represented by a Liam's Map colt of 2023. She was bred to Elite Power for a 2025 foal.
Chancer McPatrick is bred on the same Street Sense (sire of McKinzie) x Bernardini cross as GISWs Maxfield and Speaker's Corner. McKinzie is also the sire of Friday's GI Darley Alcibiades Stakes runner-up Quickick and Saturday's GI American Pharoah S. third McKinzie Street.
Chancer McPatrick's breeder Rigney Racing campaigns unbeaten fellow Breeders' Cup Juvenile contender and GIII Iroquois Stakes winner 'TDN Rising Star' Jonathan's Way (Vekoma).
CHANCER MCPATRICK, the 2YO son of @Gainesway stallion McKinzie, wins the Grade 1 Champagne Stakes!
Flavien Prat and Chad Brown team up for the win, earning a @BreedersCup berth and 10 @KentuckyDerby qualifying points! pic.twitter.com/sD2L3MdeXs
— NYRA (🌳) (@TheNYRA) October 5, 2024
Saturday, Belmont The Big A
CHAMPAGNE S.-GI, $500,000, Belmont The Big A, 10-5, 2yo, 1m, 1:36.51, ft.
1–CHANCER MCPATRICK, 122, c, 2, by McKinzie
1st Dam: Bernadreamy, by Bernardini
2nd Dam: Dream Empress, by Bernstein
3rd Dam: Chinese Empress, by Nijinsky II
'TDN Rising Star'. ($260,000 Ylg '23 FTKJUL; $725,000 2yo '24
OBSAPR). O-Flanagan Racing; B-Rigney Racing, LLC (KY); T-Chad
Brown; J-Flavien Prat. $275,000. Lifetime Record: 3-3-0-0,
$495,000. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Tip Top Thomas, 122, c, 2, Volatile–Attempt to Name,
by Consolidator. 'TDN Rising Star'. 1ST BLACK TYPE,
1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE, 1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. ($160,000 Ylg
'23 FTKOCT). O-James J. Bakke and Gerald Isbister; B-Wynnstay
Inc., Donna Moore & Jim Richardson (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher.
$100,000.
3–Mo Plex, 122, c, 2, Complexity–Mo Joy, by Uncle Mo.
1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. ($27,000 RNA Ylg '23 SARAUG; $45,000
2yo '24 OBSAPR). O-R and H Stable; B-Everythings Cricket
Racing (NY); T-Jeremiah C. Englehart. $60,000.
Margins: 2 3/4, 4 3/4, 8. Odds: 0.55, 3.15, 13.70.
Also Ran: Smoken Wicked, Vekoma Rides, J J Zo Zo, Executive Order, Colonel Bob, Lethal Speed. Scratched: Uncaged.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
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