The Champagne Stakes is here, and this year it has everything you want in a Grade 1 two-year-old race. A rematch with real teeth. A Chad Brown second-starter angling for revenge. A celebrity-owned horse drawing casual money. And a longshot with a blowout maiden win that nobody can quite dismiss. If you are building a trifecta ticket for this race, you have some real decisions to make, starting with whether you put the chalk on top or let him sit underneath.
| # | Horse | Jockey | Trainer | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Johnny Hockey (KY) | Katie Davis | Antonio Arriaga | 30-1 |
| 2 | Raku (KY) | Paco Lopez | Kelly J. Breen | 12-1 |
| 3 | Gaudreau (LA) | Flavien Prat | Chad C. Brown | 8-5 |
| 4 | Club Reign (KY) | Edgard J. Zayas | D. Whitworth Beckman | 8-1 |
| 5 | U. S. S. Valor (KY) | Manuel Franco | Claude R. McGaughey III | 3-5 |
| 6 | Earth Song (KY) | Ricardo Santana, Jr. | Jorge Delgado | 15-1 |
Last Updated on 10/01/2026
Full entries, scratches, and live odds are available at BUSR. Check there before you finalize any ticket.
Start here. Chad Brown pointed Gaudreau specifically for this race after bypassing the Hopeful. That is not a small detail. Brown does not fire second-starters into Grade 1 spots just to fill a field. He goes when the horse is ready, and five works, including a sharp four-furlong move in roughly 47.8 seconds, tells you this horse is fit, focused, and primed for a big effort.
Gaudreau has already beaten U.S.S. Valor once. That matters. The 3-5 price on Valor suggests the market has partially forgotten that result or is banking heavily on the 105 Beyer maiden win being a better line on ability. Maybe it is. But at 8-1 versus 3-5, you are getting paid more than four times as much to side with the horse that already won the head-to-head. That is where trifecta value gets built, with the right horse on top at a real price.
If you are a strictly across the board bettor, Gaudreau at 8-5 to win is your play. But for trifecta construction, he goes on top of your primary tickets.
Let's be fair to the favorite. A 105 Beyer in a maiden win by more than thirteen lengths at Saratoga is genuinely elite two-year-old production. That kind of figure does not show up every summer. The closing form, the margin, the figure itself, all of it points to a horse with real talent. As Blood Horse Racing noted on X, that Saratoga effort was arguably the most impressive two-year-old performance of the summer.
The problem is not the horse. The problem is the price. At 3-5, you are laying $1.50 to win a dollar. Put him on top of your trifecta, and you are compressing the return at every level. The smarter play is to use Valor confidently in the second slot, letting Gaudreau generate the top-line value while Valor fills the crucial runner-up position.
This race has Win, and You're In implications for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, which means both connections are coming to run. Expect a genuine effort from Valor. Just do not pay 3-5 for him on top of a trifecta.
At one mile on dirt at Belmont, two-year-old races tend to set up for closers, especially when you have horses with Valor's profile. The pace scenario here likely sets up as a moderate early pace, with Gaudreau as a stalker-type and Valor coming from further back. Club Reign and the others will need to either establish position early or get the right trip in a compact field.
Here is how to build your tickets:
Core Trifecta (Main Ticket): Gaudreau on top, USS Valor second, Club Reign and Earth Song filling the third. This is a part-wheel: 5 over 3 over 4, 6. At $1 base, that is a $2 ticket. Straightforward, solid, covers the two most likely finishes in the third slot.
Alternate Ticket (Reversal): USS Valor on top, Gaudreau second, Club Reign and Earth Song third. Same structure in reverse. Cover yourself if Valor's superior figure prevails. Again, $2 at $1 base.
Box Play (Safe Money): A $1 trifecta box of Gaudreau, USS Valor, and Club Reign covers all six combinations. Cost is $6. This is the play the Reddit threads are rallying around, and it is not a bad ticket. You give up some potential upside, but you cover every finishing order among the three most likely horses.
Longshot Part-Wheel (Big Ticket Upside): Gaudreau and USS Valor on top in a wheel, Earth Song in third. If Earth Song fires and hits the board at 15-1, the trifecta return could be substantial. Add this ticket in smaller units as your lottery play.
For bettors who also like to play multi-race exotics on days like this, watch the Race of the Week promotions at BUSR and see whether the Champagne anchors a Pick 4 sequence worth building around.
An eleven-and-a-quarter-length debut romp at Monmouth gets your attention even if the speed figure was not eye-popping. Debut winners who win by that kind of margin often improve significantly second out, and if Earth Song takes a step forward here, he could easily hit the board at 15-1 and blow open a trifecta payoff. You do not need to make him a primary selection to include him. That is what part-wheels are for.
Sharp bettors in the handicapping forums aren't going heavy on Earth Song, but they are throwing him into their third-slot wheels for coverage. That is exactly the right approach. Small unit, real upside, no regret if he runs sixth.
Keep an eye on how this two-year-old class develops through fall. The Kentucky Derby winners list has been shaped more than once by a horse who announced himself in a race exactly like this one. And if you want to track the full progression of the two-year-old division leading into the classics, the Withers Stakes, Fair Grounds Stakes, and Spiral Stakes will all be appointment television next year.
"USS Valor earned a 105 Beyer off that 13.25-length Saratoga maiden score — arguably the most impressive 2YO of the summer. But Gaudreau beat him once already. Today's Champagne Stakes rematch is must-watch. #BelmentPark #BreedersCup"
"2026 Champagne Stakes (G1) Post Time: 3:53 PM ET | Belmont Park | 1 Mile Dirt | Purse $500,000 | Win & You're In – Breeders' Cup Juvenile. Full entries and live odds now available. #ChampagneStakes2026"
2026 Champagne Stakes — Trifecta picks? USS Valor at 3/5 too short to key?
Most comments favor using Gaudreau on top at 8-5 to generate value and boxing Gaudreau/USS Valor/Club Reign. A few bettors are spicing trifectas with Earth Song at 15-1 in the third slot.
Best exotic bets for today's Belmont card — Champagne Stakes thread
Top thread consensus is a $2 trifecta box of Gaudreau, USS Valor, and Club Reign as the safe play, with Earth Song thrown in for a part-wheel for upside. Russell Wilson's Club Reign getting heavy casual play.
Follow the live conversation on X and Reddit as post time approaches.
The core play is Gaudreau on top, USS Valor second, with Club Reign and Earth Song filling the third slot. A part-wheel structured as Gaudreau over USS Valor over Club Reign and Earth Song gives you the best balance of coverage and value. If you want the safe box play, a $1 trifecta box of Gaudreau, USS Valor, and Club Reign covers all six combinations for $6 and is the consensus ticket among sharp bettors in the forums today.
At 3-5 morning line, the math does not work in your favor when you put Valor on top of a trifecta. You are compressing the payout at every level. The better structure is to use him confidently in the second position underneath Gaudreau. If Valor does win, he will still appear on your reversal ticket. Cover both outcomes without overpaying for the chalk on top.
Earth Song at 15-1 is the price play for the third slot. His eleven-and-a-quarter-length debut romp at Monmouth did not produce a huge speed figure, but horses who win by that margin on debut often take a meaningful step forward second out. Include him in a small part-wheel rather than a primary ticket. The Best Pal Stakes and similar juvenile preps have historically produced overlooked horses who showed up big in their graded stakes debut, and Earth Song fits that profile loosely enough to warrant a small investment.
However you structure your tickets today, this race is worth your full attention. Two horses with genuine Kentucky Derby futures potential, a well-trained second-starter from the best barn in the country, a longshot with a monster debut, and a celebrity-owned horse drawing casual money into the pool. Everything you need for a trifecta worth betting is right here in this field.
Check the Race of the Week page at US Racing before post time, and if you have been following the two-year-old trail this year, bookmark the Triple Crown bonus page now. The horses running today at Belmont are the ones you will be watching next May and June.
Good luck at the windows. Play smart, size your tickets right, and let the value do the work.
The writing team at US Racing is comprised of both full-time and part-time contributors with expertise in various aspects of the Sport of Kings.
