Price hopes Champagne is Poppin’ at Randwick races

A stunning last-start win has altered the plans for Poppin’ Champagne, with the mare now set to continue racing rather than being offered at the Chairman’s Sale, co-trainer Mick Price confirmed.

The four-year-old, a daughter of Written Tycoon, had shown enough at Warwick Farm to convince connections she deserved more time to develop her race record and potential broodmare value.

“It’s coming good slowly but surely,” Price said of Poppin’ Champagne.

“It’s temperament has been extremely difficult. It’s stakes placed and it ran fourth in a stakes race up in Sydney, so we’re going to commit to another year for it.

“It’s a big, strong, beautiful mare and its temperament is starting to improve a fair bit.”

The mare has previously placed in the Morphettville Guineas (1600m) and delivered a solid effort in the Angst Stakes (1600m) last spring at Randwick.

She will now line up in the TAB Handicap (1600m) at Randwick on Saturday, where Price expects her upward trend to continue.

“I’m going to back it up. It’s thriving,” Price said.

“Every time I’m in Sydney, it looks the best.”

Poppin’ Champagne will jump from gate nine with jockey Chad Schofield aboard once more.

Her journey has required patience, but Price believes perseverance is finally being rewarded.

“The horses you buy yourself as yearlings and then syndicate to your ownership group, a lot of times you’ve got your heart and soul into them, so I didn’t want to give up on her,” he said.

“I think, just with maturity physically and mentally, she is starting to put it all together.

“It was a strong win the other day and she should cope with the back-up.

“She’s a metropolitan winner, she is stakes placed and eventually, if we could get a black-type win, that would be fantastic.”