The $500,000 Champagne Stakes is one of New York’s most prestigious races for 2-year-olds and has been for over a century. The one-turn mile race will be held again this year at Aqueduct, substituting for under-construction Belmont Park, as part of the Belmont at the Big A meet. It usually draws a group of juveniles that debuted back in mid-to-late summer at Saratoga, and that’s the case this year as eight of the nine starters last appeared at the Spa. The Champagne winner receives an automatic berth in the FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Presented by TAA Oct. 31 at Del Mar and also 10 qualifying points to the 2026 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve. Limited to a $30 budget, here’s how I’ll bet the race:

#6 It's Our Time turned in one of the “wow!” performances at the Saratoga meet back in mid-August, when he drew off to win a 6 ½-furlong maiden race by 17 ¾ lengths and earned sizzling speed figures. He carried 5-1 post-time odds in that race so there wasn’t exactly a lot of chatter surrounding the colt, despite being trained by one of the best in the business in Tom Amoss. It’s safe to say that the buzz has percolated since then, however, and if this son of red-hot young sire Not This Time takes another step in development stretching out to one mile Saturday in the Champagne he’ll be very tough to beat.

Just Asap (Coady Media)

There’s another contender I think has a good chance at winning, however, and his odds should be higher — Mark Casse-trained #5 Just Asap. This colt from the first crop of classy Grade 1 winner Maxfield blew away the field in an Ellis Park maiden race back in early August and then shipped to Monmouth Park and nearly won the one-mile Sapling Stakes, held around two turns. Just Asap showed speed in both races and battled gamely in the Sapling before yielding by a neck. His speed figures are a notch below those of It’s Our Time, but they increased from his first start to his second and with another jump I think Just Asap will be right there in the stretch.

Based on these opinions, I’m going to play a $3 trifecta with It’s Our Time and Just Asap in the first and second positions, and then use four other contenders for third. Those are #1 Curtain Call, who finished third behind dominant Ted Noffey in the Spendthrift Hopeful Stakes at Saratoga; longshot #3 Universe, who kicked clear to win his Spa debut by 4 ½ lengths; #8 Napoleon Solo, who romped by 5 ¼ lengths in his Saratoga unveiling and has the best Equibase Speed Figure in the field aside from It’s Our Time; and #9 Talkin, who rallied to score at first asking in a Saratoga maiden race and is bred to handle more distance (he’s a half-brother to recent Cotillion Stakes-winning filly Clicquot).

Using ABR’s handy Gambling Calculator, that trifecta wager totals $24. I’ll put the remaining $6 to win on Just Asap hoping for odds in the 4-1 to 5-1 range.

$3 trifecta, #5 Just Asap and #6 It’s Our Time with #5 Just Asap and #6 It’s Our Time with #1 Curtain Call, #3 Universe, #8 Napoleon Solo, and #9 Talkin ($24)

What to say at the betting window:

Belmont at the Big A, Race 7, $3 trifecta, 5,6 with 5,6 with 1,3,8,9

$6 to win on #5 Just Asap

What to say at the betting window:

Belmont at the Big A, Race 7, $6 win on 5