Magic Millions 2yo Classic winner Le Chef and Summer two year old star Wicked Intent headline the nominations for the Group 2 $175,000 Bollinger Champagne Classic (1200m) at Doomben on Saturday.
Magic Millions 2yo Classic winner Le Chef heads the nominations for the Champagne Classic at Doomben. Photo by Daniel Costello.
Those youngsters are two of the eighteen nominations the Brisbane Racing Club received for the Group 2 sprint for the two year olds on Doomben Cup Day.
The Darryl Hansen trained Le Chef collected a hat trick of wins when he surged clear over the concluding stages to win the $2m Jeep Magic Millions 2yo Classic (1200m) at the Gold Coast on January 10.
Hansen said that Le Chef had spelled well and has returned to the stable in outstanding order and is primed to for good first up performance.
“I think if he comes back to the races as good as he went out, he will give a couple of very good Winter Carnival races a real shake,” Hansen said.
“He gives me the impression he will be a terrific 1400m-1600m horse.”
Wicked Intent was a winner at his first three starts before suffering his first defeat when second to Mishani Honcho in the Group 3 $150,000 B.J. McLachlan Stakes (1200m) at the Gold Coast on December 27.
The Wicked Style colt was then sent out the favourite for the $2m Jeep Magic Millions 2yo Classic but couldn’t make up enough ground in the straight to finish sixth to Le Chef.
Wicked Intent was due to kick off his Brisbane Winter Carnival in the Group 3 $125,000 Moreton Hire Ken Russell Memorial Classic (1200m) at the Gold Coast on April 25 but had to be scratched on race morning after he twisted a shoe.
Trainer Chris Munce has reported that Wicked Intent has recovered from his minor setback and the Wicked Style colt is ready to return to the race track.
The Peter Balzen trained Big Tree was a surprise winner of the Ken Russell Memorial Classic at the long odds of $61 and is also included in the nominations for the Champagne Classic.
That was only the Snitzel colts second race start and he is certain to take plenty of improvement out of the race.
Godolphin trainer John O’Shea’s only entry for the Champagne Classic is Sampeah who has had a freshen up since running third to Jameka in the Group 2 $200,000 VRC Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) at Flemington on March 14.
The one entry from the Gai Waterhouse stable in the Medaglia D’Oro filly Sempre Libera who was a winner two starts back in a mid-week 1200m two year old Handicap at Rosehill before running fourth to Ottoman in the Group 3 $500,000 Girvan Waugh Percy Sykes Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on the second day of ‘The Championships.’
Eagle Farm trainer Liam Birchley is strongly represented with his two fillies Blueberry Hill and Pepperano.
Blueberry Hill is coming off a second to Big Tree in the Ken Russell Memorial Classic while Magic Millions 2yo Classic runner up Pepperano resumed from a spell for a soft win in a 1000m two year old handicap at the Sunshine Coast on April 26.
Brisbane’s premiership winning trainer Tony Gollan has nominated Real Saga filly Secret Saga who has won two of her three race starts including a last start win in a Saturday class two year old Handicap at Doomben on April 11.
