SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – It’s Our Time, the impressive 2-year-old son of Not This Time who won his career debut by 17 3/4 lengths on Aug. 16, will make his next start in the Grade 1, $400,000 Champagne Stakes at Aqueduct on Oct. 4, trainer Tom Amoss said Sunday.
The Champagne is run as a one-turn mile and Amoss said he likes that as a gradual stretch-out to ultimately trying two turns, perhaps in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Del Mar on Oct. 31.
“I like the idea of staying one turn,” Amoss said. “He’s obviously very fast and I think the more gradual stretch-out is a much better transition than going two turns.”
Amoss added that Big Dom, a 2-year-old son of McKinzie who won his debut by a neck going six furlongs here on Aug. 23, would make his next start in the Grade 1, $650,000 Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland on Oct. 4.
“The first thing Jose Ortiz said to me when he got off the horse was, ‘I can’t wait for this horse to go two turns,’ ” Amoss said.
Amoss capped his best Saratoga meet ever when Oscar’s Hope won Monday’s first race by 5 3/4 lengths. That was Amoss’s ninth win from 31 starts at the meet and fifth with a 2-year-old.
Amoss said the majority of his horses would be shipping back to Churchill Downs on Tuesday.
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