Early second-elect to take out the Champagne Stakes 2017 at Royal Randwick this Saturday in Sydney, gun filly Frolic will miss the feature instead heading to the paddock for a well-earned rest.
Golden Slipper runner-up Frolic byes the 2017 Champagne Stakes this weekend instead heading straight to the paddock. Photo: Steve Hart.
The Michael Freedman-trained two-year-old daughter of Husson sat second only to ATC Sires’ Produce winner Invader in pre-field markets at Ladbrokes.com.au for the $500,000 Group 1 Champagne Stakes (1600m).
A winner of two of her starts this time in at Randwick including the Group 2 Reisling Stakes (1200m) where she beat home She Will Reign.
She Will Reign turned the tables at Rosehill on March 18 when the pair reversed placings to finish top two in the $3.5 million Group 1 Golden Slipper (1200m).
Frolic was last seen finishing a mid-field seventh beaten five lengths by the Peter & Paul Snowden-trained Invader on April 1 in the Group 1 ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m).
Original plans were to race her again this weekend in the Champagne Stakes, but her Hong Kong-bound trainer Freedman has opted to send her for a spell instead.
“With Frolic heading for a well-deserved spell I will now sign off from Oz racing this Thursday. Sad but excited for what the future holds!!” Freedman said on Twitter.
His final Sydney runner before starting a new phase of his career in Hong Kong will be Show ‘Em at Hawkesbury Racecourse in a Class One on Thursday.
Invader remains the clear favourite in Champagne Stakes betting to complete the Group 1 juvenile double last completed by Guleph (2013).
Guleph was also prepared by Invader’s co-trainer Peter Snowden who chases a fourth win in the mile feature of All Aged Stakes Day this weekend after also enjoying Champagne Stakes success with Skilled (2010) and Helmet (2011).
Until the James Cummings-trained Prized Icon (2016) last Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival, fillies won the three straight editions of the Champagne Stakes with the Guelph followed by Go Indy Go (2014) and Pasadena Girl (2015).
With Frolic out of the Champagne Stakes field 2017, the new top filly in betting to stop Invader is Whispered Secret prepared by last year’s winning trainer Cummings.
The High Chaparral filly has had just the four starts to date, handling her first black-type assignment last weekend taking out the Listed Fernhill Handicap (1600m) over the same track and distance on The Championships Day 2.
If successful scoring the upset with Whispered Secret, Cummings will be the first trainer of back-to-back Champagne Stakes winners since Snowden.
The filly will also be completing the same double her stablemate Prized Icon did as the $4 favourite in the second leg last autumn.
Stay tuned to view the full Champagne Stakes 2017 field and barriers, with updated markets to open shortly at Ladbrokes.com.au.
