Adam Wachtel, part-owner of the Bill Mott-trained 2020 Champion Turf Male Channel Maker, said the 8-year-old English Channel gelding will remain in training in 2023.
The Ontario-bred, who is third on the all-time leading Canadian-bred earners list with over $3.7 million to his name, was seventh in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf on November 5 at Keeneland last out to cap off a season that included victories in the Elkhorn (G2) in April at Keeneland and the Grand Couturier in July at Belmont Park.
“Physically, the horse looks unbelievable. He’s eight years old and Bill and his staff said this summer that he looks better now than he did two years ago,” Wachtel said. “He’s all dappled out and he looks phenomenal, and he hasn’t lost anything. As long as he is physically well enough, we see no reason why we shouldn’t go on with him. He’s getting a little break, but he’s not leaving the track. We probably won’t run him until late February at the earliest.”