Belmont Park’s Fall Championship Meet continued on Saturday with its most important races for 2-year-olds. Only 6,222 fans braved the chilly temperatures in the mid-50’s for these major preps for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and Juvenile Fillies.
The $400,000 Champagne (G1) featured the males going 1 mile, a 1/16 shorter than the BC Juvenile to be run at Churchill Downs in 3 weeks’ time. 7-5 favorite Nobiz Like Shobiz was making his first stakes start after a maiden win, while Sanford winner and Hopeful runner-up Scat Daddy was sent off as the 5-2 second choice. Nobiz Like Shobiz stalked the slow pace of 22-1 Pegasus Wind through fractions of 24.00, 47.78, and 1:12.22, then came out wide on the turn and collared the pacesetter with a furlong to go. However, Scat Daddy closed well from seventh to pass the favorite with a sixteenth to go to win by 3/4 length in 1:36.97 over a fast main track. Pegasus Wind finished 1/2 a length back in third.
