The Phipps Stable and the Champagne Stakes

The Phipps Stable and the Champagne Stakes
Joseph Di Rienzi

At the recent Keeneland September Yearling Sale, the Phipps Stable offered their entire male crop for auction. While family member Daisy Phipps Pulito declared that this unprecedented action by no means signals an end to the stable’s involvement in racing, one must consider that the sight of seeing the familiar purple and yellow or cherry and black silks in the winner’s circle of major races may be ending. With this in mind, I present here a compilation of the Phipps stable success over the years in the Champagne Stakes, a traditionally definitive race for two-year-olds run in the fall in New York. In the span of 26 years, 7 horses affiliated with a member of the Phipps clan were able to win this pivotal race.

The Phipps family had their first Champagne Stakes victor in 1964. Bold Lad was a flashy looking chestnut son of Bold Ruler with four white stocking feet. He was owned and bred by Gladys Carnegie Phipps who raced in the purple and yellow jockey silks of Wheatley Stable. Bold Lad was trained by William Winfrey, conditioner of the fabled Native Dancer. His dam, Misty Morn, a daughter of Princequillo was a top class racehorse and an even better broodmare. At this time the progeny of Bold Ruler were starting to excel, and the Phipps family stable was in the best position to reap the benefits of the success of their stallion. Bold Lad was bred to be a champion, and the Nasrulllah (through Bold Ruler) and Princequillo cross would have even greater success in the future in the immortal Secretariat. Bold Lad roared into the Champagne Stakes after winning the National Stallion, Tremont, Sapling, Hopeful, and Futurity Stakes.

In the 1 mile Champagne (run from 1962-1967 at Aqueduct Racetrack) which so often in this era crowned the year’s juvenile champion, 1964 was no exception as the race was a 7 length romp for Bold Lad in his final outing of the year. With 8 wins in 10 starts and undefeated in stakes contests, Bold Lad was easily voted Two-Year-Old Male Champion. After overcoming an early season injury in 1965, he started as the favorite for the Kentucky Derby, but ran poorly (finishing tenth) ending his sophomore season. Bold Lad returned briefly as a four year-old in 1965 reaffirming his brilliance and class.    
       

Bold Lad winning the 1964 Champagne Stakes
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In 1965, the Phipps stable won the Champagne again with an even better racehorse in Buckpasser, whose rider wore the cherry and black colors of Mrs. Phipps’ son Ogden. A magnificent physical representation of the thoroughbred horse, Buckpasser was a son of the great Tom Fool out of the mare Busanda, she by Triple Crown winner War Admiral. The bay colt followed roughly the same path to the Champagne as Bold Lad forged the previous year winning, after breaking his maiden, the National Stallion, Tremont, Sapling, and Hopeful Stakes. However, Buckpasser’s connections sent him to Illinois after the Hopeful to capture the lucrative Arlington-Washington Futurity. Returned to home base in New York for the 6½ furlong Futurity, he failed by a neck to catch the filly Priceless Gem. Facing the same rival in the Champagne Stakes, Buckpasser would have two things in his favor: longer distance and a pacemaker in stable mate Impressive. In the early going, Impressive dueled with Priceless Gem for the lead. When Buckpasser made his move at the top of the stretch, he drew out to win by 4 lengths. Priceless Gem was a tiring sixth and Impressive, having accomplished his mission, finished seventh. With the two-year-old championship assured, Buckpasser was retired for the year.

Ogden Phipps and Buckpasser after the 1965 Champagne Stakes
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After winning the Flamingo Stakes early in his sophomore season, Buckpasser developed cracks in a hoof, a condition that would plague him the rest of his racing career. This injury forced him to miss the Triple Crown series. When Buckpasser returned to racing in June 1966, he continued a winning streak that would last 15 starts until the following June. Entering stud in 1968, Buckpasser brought a legacy that saw him voted champion at ages two, three, and four. Even today he is widely regarded as one of the best horses to race in the 20^th century.

In 1966, it was another horse, another Champagne victory with the year’s presumptive two-year-old champion in Successor, aptly named in that he was a full brother to Bold Lad. (Other than bloodlines and success there was little resemblance. Bold Lad was a sparkling chestnut full of energy and elan, while Successor was an undistinguished looking bay who was more relentless than brilliant.) Another difference was that the Phipps’ trainer was now Eddie Neloy. Successor did follow in his older brother’s footsteps winning the Tremont Stakes. However, coming into the Champagne Stakes, he was defeated in the Futurity Stakes (finishing second) and the Cowdin Stakes (third). The Cowdin victor, Dr. Fager, a superstar in the making, was favored in the Champagne. However, he was hard to restrain off the rapid pace partially set by Successor’s stablemate, Great White Way. Dr. Fager surged to the lead with a ¼ mile to go but was unable to hold off Successor’s challenge losing at the finish by a length. Successor would go on to secure the two-year-old championship with a close second to In Reality in the Pimlico Futurity and a climatic victory in the Garden State Stakes. His three year-old season was not as successful, and he could do no better than sixth in the Kentucky Derby.

The following year saw a hulking Bold Ruler colt, Vitriolic, owned by Ogden Phipps carry on the tradition. Much less precocious than the previously mentioned Phipps color bearers, Vitriolic took 4 starts to break his maiden and did not garner his first stakes victory until the Saratoga Special in August. Shipped to Illinois, he won a prep for the Arlington-Washington Futurity and then a division of the race itself. Returned to New York, the bay son of Bold Ruler’s closing rally failed by 3 lengths in finishing second in both the Futurity and Cowdin Stakes to Captain’s Gig and Iron Ruler, respectively. In the Champagne Stakes, Vitriolic faced both conquerors again. This time their mutual propensity for speed worked to Vitriolic’s advantage, as the two rivals set a fast pace that made Vitriolic’s rally more effective. He swept by Iron Ruler in the stretch to record a 2 length victory with Captain’s Gig 4½ lengths further back in third in the fastest mile run at the time in Champagne history. 

To capture the two-year-old championship, Vitriolic raced once more in 1967. He traveled to Laurel Racecourse in Maryland to run in the Pimlico-Laurel Futurity at 8½ furlongs. In the race, Vitriolic was held in reserve early by jockey Braulio Baeza then circled the field around the far turn and won with complete authority by 3 lengths. Vitriolic, who had raced 13 times, was put away for next year’s classics. Comparisons for this enormous son of Bold Ruler with the stable’s newly retired champion Buckpasser were inevitable. However, Baeza, after the victory at Laurel, made a sobering assessment stating, “Buckpasser was the only Buckpasser.” True enough, in that Vitriolic, although campaigned two more years, never won another stakes race.

The Phipps stable’s domination of the Champagne Stakes was stopped in 1968 (now run at Belmont Park) when the year’s Two-Year-Old Male Champion Top Knight defeated the Phipps entry of Beau Brummel and King Emperor.

It was not until 18 years later that the Phipps family was able “to pop the bubbly” (a magnum bottle of champagne is traditionally presented to the winning owner of this eponymous stakes race). In 1986 with the stable now trained by Shug McGaughey, Polish Navy, a lightly raced son of Danzig from the female family of Buckpasser, came into the Champagne off 3 victories in as many starts including a win in the Cowdin Stakes. In a virtual match race, Polish Navy scored a nose victory over Demons Begone. Finishing third and fourth, respectively, were future sophomore stars Bet Twice and Java Gold. Although not at the top of his sophomore class, Polish Navy had a productive year in 1987 winning the Jim Dandy and Woodward Stakes. 

In 1988, Ogden Phipps would own a two-year-old that would provide him and his family with dreams only a few horse owners can realistically hope to achieve. Easy Goer was a muscular dark chestnut son of Alydar from the champion mare Relaxing by Buckpasser, a pedigree that bespoke stamina and the highest class. That he was precocious as a juvenile was a pleasant surprise to trainer Shug McGaughey. Easy Goer began his career on August 1 at Belmont Park, finishing second beaten a nose in a 6 furlong maiden race. He ran back 18 days later to break his maiden at Saratoga Racetrack coming from just off the pace to win by 2½ lengths in fast time defeating Is It True who would be a rival throughout the year. Returning to Belmont, Easy Goer won an allowance by 5½ lengths in an excellent final time. By now considered the best two-year-old in New York, Easy Goer was favored at odds-on in his first stakes race, the Cowdin Stakes. Closing confidently, Easy Goer won by 3 lengths. (Is It True finished third, but was disqualified and placed fourth for interference.)

Both Easy Goer’s sire (Alydar) and dam sire (Buckpasser) had won the Champagne Stakes. In the 1988 edition of this 1 mile test, Easy Goer faced three foes one of which was the persistent Is It True. Easy Goer, showing more early speed than in his prior starts, sat ominously off Is It True’s early pace until jockey Pat Day deemed him ready and then imperiously coasted to the lead to win by 4 lengths in a sparkling final time. Is It True was easily second, 15½ lengths in front of third finishing Irish Actor.  Despite being upset by Is It True in the season ending Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (over a muddy Churchill Downs surface which would he would face again in next year’s Kentucky Derby), Easy Goer was voted the year’s Two-Year-old Male Champion.

Easy Goer winning the 1988 Champagne Stakes
Bob Coglianese

Easy Goer’s three-year-old year would see him wage epic duels with his West Coast rival Sunday Silence. The Phipps color bearer finished second to the latter in the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Breeders’ Cup Classic, but triumphed over his adversary in the Belmont Stakes. Easy Goer also was victorious in the Gotham, Wood Memorial, Whitney, Travers, Woodward and Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes in 1989. Retired to stud after a season ending injury in 1990, he had a curtailed stud career, dying unexpectedly in 1994.   

In the 1989 Champagne Stakes there were two entries owned by Ogden Mills Phipps, son of Ogden and grandson of Gladys. Adjudicating, a son of Danzig out of Resolver by Reviewer, had run second in the Belmont Futurity to Michael Rutherford’s Senor Pete. He followed that with a narrow win in the Cowdin Stakes. In the Champagne Stakes, Adjudicating was part of an entry with Rhythm, a son of Mr. Prospector out of Dance Number, herself by Northern Dancer out of the champion Numbered Account. Rhythm had finished third in his initial start, then won his next 2 races. Despite the pedigree and performance power of the Phipps entry, Senor Pete was the favorite in the Champagne. However, the race came down between the two black and cherry red color bearers. At the finish, Adjudicating had a neck advantage over Rhythm with Senor Pete, 3 lengths back in third. The final time was slow, and no one was comparing Adjudicating to other Phipps owned Champagne victors such as Bold Lad, Buckpasser, and Easy Goer. Both Adjudicating and Rhythm went on to contest the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, and in that champion deciding race it was Rhythm’s turn to shine as Adjudicating, after a rough beginning, retreated back to eleventh place. As three year-olds, both Adjudicating and Rhythm won stakes races, with the latter having the most success in taking the Travers Stakes at Saratoga.

For some 30 years now, no horse owned by a Phipps family member has won the Champagne Stakes and, it is now problematical, given the stock reduction indicated at the beginning of this piece, whether there will be a prominent colt capable of competing in this race ever again. If so, we can still look back at this stable’s achievements in the Champagne of 7 victors of which 5 were voted champion two-year-olds (in addition to second finishing Rhythm) and marvel at the longevity and consistency of its success in breeding and racing quality thoroughbreds.