Canadian and American champion CHANNEL MAKER (English Channel – In Return by Horse Chestnut (SAf) has been retired from racing at the age of nine. The Daily Racing Form‘s David Grening reported on October 14 that the earner of $3.9 million, the third-richest Canadian-bred racehorse of all time, is scheduled to live out his years at the Kentucky Horse Park Hall of Champions division in Lexington.
Bred by Ivan Dalos, the tall liver chestnut gelding with his distinct high-head carriage was bought as a yearling privately from Dalos by Joe Guerrieri’s Joey Gee Thoroughbreds. Trained by Dan Vella, Channel Maker won the Vandal Stakes as a two-year-old. Adam Wachtel and Gary Barber bought into the youngster that year, 2016. As a three-year-old, Channel Maker was transferred to trainer Bill Mott, who sent the gelding to Woodbine to win the Breeders’ Stakes, third jewel of Canada’s Triple Crown. Channel Maker was also second in the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby at Del Mar that year and was named Canada’s Champion Three-Year-Old Male.
In 2018, the gelding won his first Grade 1, the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic. Channel Maker lured a couple of other owners, Reeves Thoroughbreds and R. A. Stable in 2019 and as a six-year-old in 2020, his two Grade 1 wins and third-place finish in the Breeders Cup Turf at Keeneland earned him the Eclipse Award for Champion Turf Male.
After a brief seven-year-old campaign, Channel Maker came back in 2022 with a win in the Elkhorn Stakes (G2) and this year, at the age of nine, won the Bowling Green Stakes (G2) at Saratoga.
He retired with a record of 10-6-5 from 56 starts and career earnings of $3,915,983. That places him just behind Awesome Again and Shaman Ghost on the list of richest Canadian-breds.
Summary of stakes placings for Channel Maker:
At 2: Won Vandal S. (R,Wo,6½fT); 3rd Summer S. (G2,Wo,8f)
At 3: Won Breeders’ S. (R,Wo,12fT); 2nd Hollywood Derby (G1,Dmr,9fT), Marine S. (G3,Wo,8½f)
At 4: Won Joe Hirsch Turf Classic (G1,Bel,12fT), Bowling Green S. (G2,Sar,11fT); 2nd Sword Dancer S. (G1,Sar,12fT); 3rd Frank E. Kilroe Mile (G1,SA,8fT)
At 5: Won Man o’ War S. (G1,Bel,11fT); 2nd Joe Hirsch Turf Classic (G1)
At 6: Won Sword Dancer S. (G1,Sar,12fT), Joe Hirsch Turf Classic (G1); 3rd Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1,Kee,12fT), Bowling Green S. (G2,Sar,11fT)
At 7: 2nd Neom Turf Cup (KSA,Rdh,10½fT)
At 8: Won Elkhorn S. (G2,Kee,12fT)[NSR], Grand Couturier S. (Bel,12fT)
At 9: Won Bowling Green S. (G2)
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