Champagne Room, Unique Bella Square Off in Las Virgenes

Champagne Room will be in a unique position Feb. 5 at Santa Anita Park, where she'll make her 3-year-old debut in the $200,000 Las Virgenes Stakes (G2).

The champion 2-year-old filly of 2016 and the 14 Hands Winery Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) winner likely won't be favored. The horse of the moment, Unique Bella, off back-to-back freakish performances, should assume that mantle.

"We'll probably be (the underdog) and we embrace that challenge," said Champagne Room's trainer, Peter Eurton. "I think we're up to the task. She's been training as good as she ever has and it's going to be a great day for racing."

The Broken Vow   filly's Breeders' Cup victory, although it was at 33-1, wasn't a flash in the pan. Champagne Room touted herself to her connections early in the summer at Del Mar and she won the Sorrento Stakes (G2) at the seaside racetrack in August.

SHULMAN: Champagne Room Takes Juvenile Fillies

As far as her development from 2 to 3 is concerned, Eurton says the filly has largely remained the same. The most successful strategy, Eurton says, has been to stay out of her way.

"She's always been big in stature, but her mind is also in a good place," the trainer said. "But it was in a good place for the Breeders' Cup, too. When the gates open, she's comfortable with going fast, but if someone wants to go in front of her, that's fine. But we're not going to fight her."

Champagne Room may have a fuller résumé, but Unique Bella, a Tapit   filly trained by Jerry Hollendorfer and owned by Don Alberto Stable, boasts one of the flashiest performances of the young year.

Following a 10 1/4-length, maiden-breaking win in November, Unique Bella romped again in her first stakes start, the Jan. 8 Santa Ynez Stakes (G2).

BALAN: Unique Bella Romps in Santa Ynez

What Unique Bella hasn't done, however, is try a two-turn race, and that will change Sunday in the mile Las Virgenes.

Two turns were no problem for fellow Las Virgenes runners Miss Southern Miss and Mopotism, who both won at the distance in their last starts.

Miss Southern Miss' two-turn score came back in October and on a different surface, but was impressive in stakes competition. The More Than Ready   filly trained by Keith Desormeaux went last to first to win the Surfer Girl Stakes on the Del Mar grass Oct. 10 and has put in a pair of bullet six-furlong works leading into the Las Virgenes, including a 1:12 4/5 drill from the gate Jan. 25. She is not inexperienced on dirt, however, and ran second to Champagne Room in the Sorrento.

Reddam Racing's Mopotism, who earned a grade 1 placing with a third in the Starlet (G1) as a maiden Dec. 10, came back 20 days later to win a mile maiden special weight race by a half-length over next-out winner Spooky Woods.

The final entrant in the five-filly field is Mistressofthenight, a daughter of Midnight Lute   who closed from seventh to win a 6 1/2 furlong maiden special weight race last time out Jan. 14 but has finished off the board in three two-turn tries.