Wide open Champagne Lane Stakes headlines closing day program
ALBUQUERQUE – A full field of 12 New Mexico-bred fillies and mares have been entered for the $50,000 Champagne Lane Stakes, the featured race on the Sunday’s closing day program at Albuquerque Downs.
Contested at a distance of 350 yards, the Champagne Lane Stakes will go as the fifth race on the 9-race card and has a scheduled post time of 3:10 p.m.
Wes Giles, who has a slim hold on second place in the quarter horse trainer standings, is scheduled to have a pair of starters in the Champagne Lane Stakes.
Chicka Boom Babe, unraced since a 10th place finish in a stakes race at Los Alamitos Race Course last June, is one of two starters in the race trained by Giles.
Owned by Robert Driggers and Ben Lee Ivey and bred in New Mexico by the Ivey Cattle Co., the 4-year-old filly by Chicks Regard has earned more than $273,000 while winning five of her 20 career starts.
Before the last place finish at Los Alamitos, Chicka Boom Babe back-to-back third place finishes last winter in the Lou Wooten & Sydney Valentini Stakes at Sunland Park and the New Mexico Classic Filly & Mare Championship Stakes at Zia Park.
The biggest score of Chicka Boom Babe’s career came via disqualification in the 2023 New Mexico Classic Futurity at Zia Park. She will be looking to snap a 7-race losing streak on Sunday when she breaks from the inside post in the Champagne Lane Stakes under rider Noe Garcia, Jr.
Giles will also saddle Queenofthanile in the Champagne Lane Stakes with jockey Emilio Tapia in the irons. Owned by Ezra Elton Lee and bred in New Mexico by Kay Bird & Sandra Irwin, the 4-year-old daughter of Big Daddy Cartel was fourth in her most recent start over this course. She owns three wins from 14 career starts with earnings of more than $90,000.
Queenofthanile will break from post 8 in the 10-horse field.
Trainer David Gomez-Barraza is scheduled to have as many as three starters in the Champagne Lane Stakes, including EBW Dancnthemoonlite for owners Scott Branson and Jimmy Vasquez.
Bred in New Mexico by Ernie or Brenda Wood, EBW Dancnthemoonlite (pictured above) enters the race as the second-highest money earner on the track, having won more than $238,000 with five trips to the winners circle from 25 starts. The daughter of First Moonflash will be looking to end a seven-race losing streak dating back to her win in the 2023 New Mexico Classic Distaff Stakes at Zia Park.
EBW Dancnthemoonlite will break from post 4 in the race under Oscar Andrade, Jr.
First Flashin, owned by Victor Marroquin and trained by Carlos Acosta, Jr., has finished second in each of the last two runnings of the Champagne Lane Stakes. The 8-year-old daughter of First Moonflash has five wins from 39 starts and earnings topping $209,000.
Bred in New Mexico by Mike Abraham, First Flashin is also looking to end a seven-race losing streak and will break from post 9 under Daniel Torres.
The field for the $50,000 Champagne Lane Stakes with jockeys:
1- CHICKA BOOM BABE (Noe Garcia, Jr.)
2- COPY OF JESS (Christian Cardenas)
3- TINA KATARINA (Jorge Nieto-Saenz)
4- EBW DANCNTHEMOONLITE (Oscar Andrade, Jr)
5- JESS PAID (Alfredo Sigala)
6- JESS DADDYS GIRLS (Raul Ortega)
7- JESS EMOTIONS (Omar Iturralde)
8- QUEENOFTHANILE (Emilio Tapia)
9- FIRST FLASHIN (Daniel Torres)
10- MAKA ROON (Jacob Enriquez)
** Also Eligibles **
11- SOFI (Federico Martinez)
12- HEART BREAKN BLONDIE (Jacob Enriquez)
Photo of EBW Dancnthemoonlite winning the 2023 New Mexico Classic Distaff at Zia Park courtesy Coady Media.