OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Chancer McPatrick delivered an eye-catching last-to-first victory in Saturday’s Grade 1, $500,000 Champagne Stakes at Aqueduct that could very well send him to Del Mar as the favorite for next month’s $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. Despite breaking better than he had in his previous two starts, Chancer McPatrick, under Flavien Prat, was last for the opening half-mile of the one-mile Champagne. But making a long, sustained, and wide rally, he collared Tip Top Thomas inside the eighth pole and edged clear for a 2 3/4-length victory. Tip Top Thomas, who attended the early pace established by J J Zo Zo, finished second, 4 3/4 lengths in front of Mo Plex. Smoken Wicked was fourth, followed by Vekoma Rides, J J Zo Zo, Executive Order, Colonel Bob, and Lethal Speed. Uncaged was scratched. The victory was the third in as many starts for Chancer McPatrick, a son of McKinzie who won a maiden and the Grade 1 Hopeful at Saratoga during the summer. Chancer McPatrick is owned by Sean Flanagan and trained by Chad Brown, who won his fifth career Champagne, all since 2016. :: BREEDERS’ CUP JUVENILE: See DRF’s special section with top contenders, odds, comments, news, and more Ironically, Brown’s only BC Juvenile win came in 2017 with Good Magic, a maiden who finished second in the Champagne. “The first four winners didn’t win the Juvenile,” Brown said. “Hopefully, this is the first year I can actually win with a Champagne winner.” Chancer McPatrick appears to have all the tools to do just that. His mental capability and his physical talent seem to be at a higher level for a 2-year-old. “He runs his races like he’s a year older than he is. He runs like an experienced, fit 3-year-old,” Brown said. “He’s got a long, strong run. He showed it all three of his starts. The way he finished up and the way he relaxed, I don’t see going two turns as problem.” :: Bet the races with a $200 First Deposit Match + FREE All Access PPs! Join DRF Bets. Chancer McPatrick figures to be able to lay closer in a two-turn, 1 1/16-mile race such as the Juvenile. Stretching out to a mile in the Champagne, Brown and Prat felt Chancer McPatrick would lay closer to the pace on Saturday. Though he broke well, Chancer McPatrick found himself 7 1/4 lengths behind early on. “He broke running, I felt like he was in a good rhythm, they just ran away from him,” Prat said. “I felt the pace was pretty strong and at some point they would come back to me.” Midway down the backstretch, Chancer McPatrick started coming to the field. He gradually passed horses, made a four-wide move leaving the three-eighths pole, and by the quarter pole he was in position to attack the leaders. At that point, it was Tip Top Thomas who was in front, having wrested the lead from J J Zo Zo. While Tip Top Thomas was still moving well under Irad Ortiz Jr., Chancer McPatrick went by him and left him. Chancer McPatrick covered the mile in 1:36.51 and returned $3.10 as the favorite, while continuing to boost his Beyer Speed Figures, this time to a career-high 92. “He kind of made a move then he switched off again and then he regrouped and made another run,” Prat said. “It’s nice to see he has a few runs into him. That’s a good sign.” Tip Top Thomas, coming off just a maiden win going six furlongs, gave a solid effort pressing a half-mile in 45.59 seconds and remaining prominent at the finish, according to trainer Todd Pletcher. “I thought our horse ran super, second time, pretty solid fractions early on, kept trying to the wire,” said Pletcher, who was non-committal about the Juvenile. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.