Champagne Classic

The Champagne Classic hosted by the Brisbane Racing Club is a Group 2 race run over a distance of 1200 meters at the Doomben race track in Brisbane, Queensland. Free $250 Bet

The first event for two year olds in the season is run under set weight conditions held in mid-May during the winter racing carnival.

$175,000 is up for grabs in the Champagne Classic on one of the biggest race days of the carnival.

The racing card for the day includes the Group 1 Doomben Cup, Doomben Roses, BRC Sprint, Lady Of The Turf Stakes, and Fred Best Classic.

Over the years many classy sprinters have won the trophy in the set weight race that favours the above average types.

Horses are likely to move on to the Group 2 Sires Produce Stakes to test their skills over 1400 meters at Eagle Farm Racecourse two weeks later. Among the most recent sprinters to score a Champagne Classic/Sires Produce Stakes double was Pressday in 2010. Pressday also won the 1600 meters TJ Smith, a Group 1 race that many top sprinters head for after the Sires Produce Stakes. Third in 2009, Impulsive Dream ran a close second in the Sires Produce Stakes.

Some of the strongest sprinters have blazed the Doomben track in the Champagne Classic over the years. These include Gin Rhythm in 1989, Surtee in 1993, Ginzano in 1995, Alpine Express in 1999, Shamekha in 2003, Funtantes in 2009, and most recently Free Wheeling in 2011. Virage De Fortune also won the Sires Produce after lifting the Champagne Classic in 2005.

Some of the successful two year old sprinters may tackle the Group 1 Golden Rose Stakes over 1400 meters at Rosehill Racecourse later in August.

The Champion Class was first held in 1982 as the Listed BATC Coca Cola Stakes. It became a Group 3 event in 1987 and was granted Group 2 status in 2007.

While local trainers seek to saddle their finer crop of sprinters, the race also attracts runners from Sydney and Melbourne. Late runners, Spot On Target and Linky Dink, unplaced in the 2009 Champagne Classic, came from nowhere to run the TJ Smith quinella.

Peter Snowden trained Free Wheeling ran second in the Bacardi Handicap at Canterbury in a small field of four horses before romping home first in the 2011 Champagne Classic.

Free Wheeling got a long way back during this sprint event but in the straight he was taken wide and showed great speed down the outside to reel in the field, even if he did run somewhat erratically in the process. The colt went to the line a neck ahead of Dr Ichi with the highly rated Hot Snitzel in third.

2011 Champagne Classic result

1. Free Wheeling
2. Dr Ichi
3. Hot Snitzel

Then came:

4. Double Impact
5. Merryanna
6. Belle D'Amour
7. Show A Prince
8. St Darci
9. Freerocker
10. Internal Revenue
11. Military Grace
12. Flying Jet
13. McNeice