It is with sadness that Cressfield announces the passing of the well- remembered 1998 Melbourne Cup runner- up Champagne (Zabeel x L’quiz) at 27years of age.
“Champagne (NZ) was arguably the most remembered Melbourne Cup second place getter in its history, as she looked the certain winner before another kiwi mare Jezabeel fought back to snatch it from her at the post,” said Liesl Baumann of Cressfield.
A dual Group I winner, dual Group I placed, with multiple Group III wins and placings, Champagne amassed nearly $2m in prizemoney in the late 90’s.
After retirement from racing as a 5yr old, Champagne proved as tough and as sound a broodmare as she was a racehorse, foaling 16 live foals throughout her career, missing only once in 2011 and producing two stakes-winners in Nadedge and Martique, the dam of Group I winner Charmont.
“Champagne arrived at Cressfield like a freight train in February of 2007. She was quite a big mare, powerful and had very little respect for the direction given to her by her leader, she was explosively dependant on having a mate nearby and at times could prove to be quite the handful," Baumann recalled.
"Over the years we grew to love her quirks and while you would never put her in a crush on her own, you could easy give her an IV in the paddock without a headcollar. She was a bit of a marvel, I don’t think she had a lame day in her 27 years and was just a phenomenally fertile broodmare. There would be very few mares in the studbook with a record like hers.“
She is buried at Cressfield alongside two other wonderful matriarchs, Snowdrift and Palia.
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