It was a new juvenile winner for SPUN TO RUN on Sunday when Champagne Candice won an Ellis Park Maiden Special Weight less than a month after a promising debut.
The Donnie Von Hemel trainee sprinted out of the gate to take the lead in the 5 ½ furlong dirt sprint and cruised in front from there. The filly had to withstand a challenge from another rival around the turn but easily handled that before pulling away. She crossed the line 2 ¾ lengths in front at the line with the third placed runner 7 ¼ lengths behind her.
CHAMPAGNE CANDICE ($9.02) was straight and strong the whole way to break her maiden under Joseph Rocco, Jr. in the 7th at @EllisParkRacing. Donnie Von Hemel trains the 2YO daughter of Spun To Run (@Gainesway). pic.twitter.com/x5rAdM1d7f
— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) August 17, 2025
Racing for Julia Robinson and Robert Zoellner, Champagne Candice was bred by Milton Lopez and Oscar Benavides in Kentucky.
She is a half-sister to multiple stakes winner and Grade 3-placed Catch a Bid as one of five winners from seven to race out of Elusive Champagne. That Elusive Quality mare is out of the Grade 3 winner Belong To Sea – one of three stakes winners out of stakes winner Windansea.
Belong to Sea’s sisters and their daughters have produced runners such as Grade 1 winner Nereid and stakes winners Figarella’s Queen, Sea Queen, Where’s Chris, Love Appeals, and Icicles.
SPUN TO RUN is the sire of 33 winners this year, putting him 10th among all freshmen with less runners than those ahead of him.