Top 5 Champagne Stakes Winners

The Champagne Stakes (1600m) sees the two-year-olds stretch out over the mile at Group 1 level and has been won by some champion gallopers over the years. See who made our list of top 5 Champagne Stakes winners since 2000.

In modern times, the feature race has been taken out by some outstanding gallopers.

Top 5 Champagne Stakes winners.

1. PIERRO (2012)

It is hard to go past Pierro at the top of this list. While the Gai Waterhouse-trained colt only raced 14 times, he won 11 times with five victories coming at Group 1 level, including the Golden Slipper (1200m), Sires Produce Stakes (1400m) and Champagne Stakes. In the Champagne Stakes he was far too good for them, defeating the filly, Dear Demi, by three lengths as a $1.22 favourite. He returned in the spring and went down for the first time in the Caulfield Guineas (1600m) then placed in the Cox Plate (2040m), before a 2013 autumn campaign that saw him claim the Canterbury Stakes (1300m) and George Ryder Stakes (1500m).

2. DANCE HERO (2004)

Another Waterhouse galloper that took out the Triple Crown for the two-year-olds was Dance Hero. He left the likes of Savabeel in his wake that day to make it six wins on the trot. While he slowed down a bit as an older horse he was good enough to win the Group 1 Salinger Stakes (1200m) on Derby Day at Flemington as a four-year-old and retired with 10 wins from 33 starts with four of those coming at the highest level.

3. SAMANTHA MISS (2008)

We only saw Samantha Miss race on 12 occasions for seven wins and the Kris Lees-trained filly could have been anything were it not for injury. After finishing runner-up behind Sebring in the Sires Produce Stakes she had a sensational time of it, winning six of her next eight. The first of those came in the 2008 Champagne Stakes and at three she took out the Triple Crown for the fillies, culminating with a win in the Flight Stakes. Following that, she ran a game 3rd as a filly behind Maldivian and Zipping in the Cox Plate before easily winning the VRC Oaks (2500m) that year.

4. GUELPH (2013)

Guelph was the dominant youngster over the 1400m-1600m range in 2013 and ran home from the back of the field to take out the Champagne Stakes. She was doing her best work late when 4th in the Golden Slipper behind Overreach that year before turning the tables on that horse in the Sires Produce. In the spring, she defeated Sydney and Melbourne’s best in the Flight Stakes and the Thousand Guineas (1600m) and headed to the barn with seven wins from her 14 starts.

5. ASSERTIVE LAD (2000)

Another Waterhouse galloper, Assertive Lad won this race in the year 2000 ahead of Clonmel. Earlier that campaign he defeated Belle Du Jour in the Gold Coast Magic Millions before placing 3rd behind that horse in the Golden Slipper. He defeated Reenact in the Sires Produce Stakes and is also remembered for skipping to a three-length win in the 2001 edition of the Doncaster Handicap (1600m), defeating Shogun Lodge that day.

FREE RANDWICK BETTING TIPS

Follow the link to find our free Randwick racing tips and best bets for each and every meeting. Our Randwick tipster previews each meeting and highlights a Best Bet, Next Best & Best Value.