The lure of another Group One prize on local turf has tempted connections of Campione D’italia to press on to the final leg of the juvenile triple crown and chase a second major in the Champagne Stakes at Randwick.
The colt will be striving to follow the path blazed by stablemate Militarize three years ago and complete the Sires’ Produce Stakes-Champagne Stakes double, trainer Chris Waller reasoning it makes sense to give him another shot at a home city major while he’s racing in peak form and able to meet his rivals at set weights.
“Group Ones are so hard to win, and when you’re in good form and there’s a Group One race just for two-year-olds in your backyard, (it’s hard to ignore),” Waller said.
“When he returns, he will have a Group One penalty in The Run To The Rose. We’ve got a few up-and-comers coming through, and you don’t know where you draw.
“Then you’ve got to go to the Caulfield Guineas and travel first time around Caulfield.
“There are a lot of unknowns, whereas he’s here.”
Campione D’italia has had a wonderful two-year-old season, claiming the Skyline Stakes (1200m) at his second start and flashing to the line for an eye-catching fourth in the Golden Slipper (1200m), ahead of his Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) triumph.
By champion stallion Snitzel, he headlines a field of 13 for the Champagne Stakes (1600m) and has drawn well in barrier four with champion hoop James McDonald to ride.
The colt will be joined by stablemates Fireball (barrier two) and Saturday’s Fernhill Mile winner Diameter (eight), while Sires’ Produce Stakes runner-up Miss Chanel will be among four fillies contesting the race, along with the Ben Brisbourne-trained pair of Grinzinger Heart and Salann.
Six fillies have won the Champagne in the past 20 years, the most recent being She’s Extreme in 2022.
