Breeders' Cup: Ontario-bred Channel Maker Can Hold His Head High

He’s come a long way since he was bought back by Toronto owner and breeder Ivan Dalos from a sale in 2015 and on Nov. 6 CHANNEL MAKER could become the richest Canadian-bred racehorse of all time with a win in the $4 million Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1).

A victory in the Turf would push Channel Maker’s earnings to over $4.6 million, past leading Canadian-bred, N.A. based, earner Awesome Again ($3.374 million).

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Canadians, in particular Woodbine racing fans and horsepeople, have not seen the leggy chestnut gelding since August 2017 when he won the $400,000 Breeders’ Stakes by a nose for Joey Gee Thoroughbreds, Gary Barber and Wachtel Stable. That win helped Channel Maker win the Sovereign Award for Champion Three-Year-Old Male who later went on to be second in the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby that year.

Channel Maker was purchased privately by Joe Guerrieri (Joey Gee) and began his career for him as a 2-year-old, trained by Dan Vella. He won his maiden in the Vandal Stakes and finished third in the Grade 1 Summer Stakes. He made his first trip to the Breeders’ Cup that year, finishing 7th to Oscar Performance in the Juvenile Turf.

Guerrieri sold shares in the gelding to Barber and Wachtel early in his sophomore season and the horse was moved to trainer Bill Mott who sent him out to the Breeders’ win.

It was a year before Channel Maker won again after the Breeders’ score, taking the Grade 2 Bowling Green at Saratoga in July 2018.

Since then, the son of English Channel – In Return by Horse Chestnut (SAf) has won four Grade 1 turf marathons and earned $2.6 million. He also lured more owners, Reeves Racing and R.A. Hill Stable, but Guerrieri is no longer listed as an owner. He has been 12th in the last two Breeders’ Cup Turf races but in 2020, the 6-year-old has taken two of those Grade 1s in succession and paired up career best Beyer Figures of 108.

“I love the horse. He’s run two huge, huge races,” said Mott. “We got him as a 3-year-old and it took us a little while to get through the ‘one-other-than’ condition,” said Mott. “It’s interesting how you go from that and he has now developed into winning four Grade 1s. He was a nice horse and we purchased him because he looked like he had potential, but he didn’t really get going until he won the Breeders’.”

Channel Maker is out of the late Horse Chestnut mare In Return, who also produced multiple Grade 1-winner Johnny Bear, also by English Channel, and a stakes-winning half-sister by Court Vision, the Ontario-bred Court Return, who ran third in the Grade 2 Canadian in September at Woodbine.

Mott said he is cautiously optimistic about Channel Maker’s chances as he makes a third attempt at the 12-furlong Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf.

“You don’t know what’s going to show up [in the Breeders’ Cup.], but it seems like he came back good,” said Mott. “He’s run two spectacular races, has he got three in a row in him – we don’t know. It’s not going to cost us anything to find out.

“I would think in the fall you could get soft ground there,” added Mott. “That would be in his favor.”