At Age 8, Ontario-Bred Channel Maker Sets Stakes Record in Elkhorn

A stakes winner as a juvenile at Woodbine six years ago, CHANNEL MAKER was fresh as a daisy winning the Grade 2 Elkhorn Stakes at 1 1/2 miles on turf at Keeneland on April 23.

The victory in the $350,000 race added $179,025 to the 8-year-old’s bankroll and his lifetime earnings of $3,595,576 moves him to third on the all-time leading Canadian-bred earners behind Awesome Again and Shaman Ghost.

Channel Maker was bred by Ivan Dalos’ Tall Oaks Farm in Ontario and he is now owned by Wachtel Stable, Gary Barber, R.A. Hill Stable and Reeves Thoroughbred Racing. A champion at age 3 for Joey Gee Thoroughbreds, Wachtel Stable and Barber, and Eclipse Award champion Male Turf Horse in 2020 for these interests, Channel Maker took command at the head of the stretch and pulled clear to win the 37th running of the Elkhorn (G2) for 4-year-olds and up by 1¼ lengths over Another Mystery.

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In the Elkhorn, Channel Maker completed the 1½ miles on a firm turf course in 2:27.10 to eclipse the stakes mark of 2:27 4/5 established by African Dancer in 1999. Bill Mott, who trained African Dancer to back-to-back wins in the Elkhorn in 1998 and 1999, picked up his third win in the race. Jockey Luis Saez notched his second consecutive victory after winning on Say the Word last year.

Favoured Two Emmys took the lead out of the gate with Channel Maker, making his first start since finishing fifth in last November’s Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1), sitting right off his flank through fractions of :25.13, :49.53 and 1:14.05.

Going into the far turn, Tiberius Mercurius moved through an opening to the inside of Two Emmys to quicken the pace to reach the mile in 1:37.91. Channel Maker joined the top two with a three-wide move, surged to the front turning for home and was not threatened in the run to the wire.

#ChannelMaker breaks a stakes record @keenelandracing in the Elkhorn under @luissaezpty!

🎥Watch the #TwinSpiresReplay pic.twitter.com/hlmoda9G3T
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— TwinSpires Racing 🏇 (@TwinSpires) April 23, 2022

“He’s pretty tricky, but I rode him a couple times before and learned a lot from him,” said Saez. “He used to run on the lead, but we decided last night to take him a little from behind, so the key today was to break and let the three horse (Two Emmys) go because we knew that was the speed in the race. So I sat right there at his shoulder, and when we came to the top of the stretch it was all about him.”

Channel Maker, a $57,000 buy-back from the 2015 Keeneland September sale, is a son of English Channel out of the Horse Chestnut (SAF) mare In Return, a Sovereign Award winner for Outstanding Broodmare.

Channel Maker returned $9, $4.60 and $3.40 for the Elkhorn win. Another Mystery, ridden by Flavien Prat, returned $6.20 and $3.60 and finished a half-length in front of Bemma’s Boy, who paid $3 to show under Umberto Rispoli.

It was another three-quarters of a length back to Bama Breeze, who was followed in order by Sole Volante, Cullum Road, Two Emmys and Tiberius Mercurius.

In the race prior to the Elkhorn, Grandview Equine, Cheyenne Stables and LNJ Foxwoods’ Scalding (Nyquist) won the 91st running of the $300,000 Ben Ali for 4-year-olds and up by 1¼ lengths over Dynamic One. Two-time Canadian Horse of the Year MIGHTY HEART broke sharply in his first race since December and battled on a strong pace but faded in the stretch, some 16 lengths behind the winner. Trained by Josie Carroll, Mighty Heart will be pointed to the May 29 Eclipse Stakes at 1 1/16 miles, a Grade 3 at Woodbine.

~ with files from Keeneland media