Champagne Room Logs Final Work for BC Distaff

Trainer Peter Eurton is in a familiar spot ahead of the Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1), but he's fine with flying under the radar as the underdog yet again for the first weekend in November.

A year ago Champagne Room struck at 33-1 in the 14 Hands Winery Breeder's Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1), and although she hasn't had the ideal sophomore campaign, she's ready for another run in the World Championships. She'll also be an outsider again, as she tries older fillies and mares in the Distaff.

"I like all the interest being off her," Eurton said after he watched the Broken Vow  filly cut through the early morning darkness to run five furlongs in :59 4/5 at Santa Anita Park in her final timed work for the Distaff. "I don't mind it being on her, but I think she's going to love a mile and an eighth. The competition is going to be pretty tough, but it's a smaller field compared to some of the other races.

"And we all know you can't get into trouble in a small field," he added with a laugh.

Champagne Room, the champion 2-year-old filly of 2016, has always been a fast filly in the mornings—often too much so during her drills as a juvenile—but her work Friday was smooth. She was particularly impressive in the stretch under jockey Mario Gutierrez, as she cruised to the wire to run the fastest five furlongs of the morning. Thirty-four other horses worked five furlongs on the Santa Anita main track Friday and only Champagne Room ran faster than 1:00 3/5. The average time for the distance was 1:02.18.

"She's been training beautifully," Eurton said of the filly, who returned from a nearly eight-month layoff to win the Sept. 24 Remington Park Oaks last time out. "She was fitter than I gave her credit for in (the Remington Park Oaks). I didn't know how tight she was, so I was a little concerned if I had enough air in the big filly. She's doing well and I haven't overdone it with her."

BALAN: Champagne Room Cruises to Remington Park Oaks Victory

Surgery to repair a bone chip sent Champagne Room to the sideline in March, after a third-place run in the Las Virgenes Stakes (G2) to start her 3-year-old campaign. Eurton has seen enough to feel reasonably confident she's ready for a step back into grade 1 competition, even if it is against older fillies and mares for the first time.

"We knew we weren't going to get many chances against her own age this year," Eurton said. "We just hoped she would run the way she did in the (Remington Park) Oaks, and give us that desire and feel that we have a shot. And we feel that way."

Las Vegas Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) contender Giant Expectations also worked for Eurton Wednesday, when he ran five furlongs in 1:00 4/5 under jockey Gary Stevens. Rounding out the Breeders' Cup work tab at Santa Anita was Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) contender Princess Karen, who covered a half-mile in :48 4/5.