By Mike Kane
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.–On the subject of the resilience of 9-year-old Channel Maker (English Channel) approaching his sixth-consecutive start in the GI Sword Dancer S. Saturday, Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott made his point in a few words.
“I can't say enough,” he said.
Mott was smiling, but he wasn't joking.
“What can you say?” Mott said. “He sort of seems like an oddity in this day and age that he's able to stay around and still be in somewhat close to top form.”
Channel Maker has stood the tests of quality and time. The $1 million GI Sword Dancer will be the 55th start for the Ontario-bred in a career that began on July 24, 2016 with a third-place finish in a turf sprint for maidens at Woodbine. He snagged that first win for trainer Danny Vella the following month in the Vandal S. From there, it was on to a third in the GII Summer Stakes, the first of 45 graded stakes–28 of them G1–in his career. He has a record of 10-6-5 and earnings of $3,890,358.
Equibase stats show that since 1976 Channel Maker is one of 12 horses that has run in the same stake a least five times in a row. The stake had to be a Grade I at some point in its history. Of that dozen, five of them–including Channel Maker–accomplished their five-peat in the Breeders' Cup: Better Talk Now (Talkin Man), Turf; California Flag (Avenue of Flags), Turf Sprint; Channel Maker, Turf; Kona Gold (Java Gold) Sprint; and Perfect Drift (Dynaformer), Classic. Before his run in the Turf, Channel Maker ran in the GI Juvenile Turf and is the Breeders' Cup record holder with six appearances.
Channel Maker, the 2020 Eclipse Award champion turf male, is the only one in that group who has also run at least five times in a stake outside of the Breeders' Cup. He has done it twice, both in GI races–the Sword Dancer and the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic. He has won the Hirsch twice and the Sword Dancer once.
When he leaves the gate for the 1 1/2 mile Sword Dancer, he will pull into a tie with Desert Waves, who ran six times, winning twice, in the Niagara Handicap in the 1990s at Woodbine. Even with six, Desert Times (Alysheba) and Channel Maker will be one behind the legendary iron horse Fourstardave (Compliance), who started in the Jaipur every year between 1989 and 1995. He had a record of 1-2-2 in the Jaipur. In his five appearances in the Daryl's Joy at Saratoga, Fourstardave had two wins and two seconds. The race is now the GI Fourstardave.
During Fourstardave's remarkable 100-race career with trainer Leo O'Brien, the New York-bred gelding won at least one race at Saratoga Race Course for eight consecutive seasons.
According to Equibase statistics, the five who did their five-peats outside the Breeders' Cup are: Cozzene's Prince (Cozzene), Rothman's International; Grand Couturier {GB} (Grand Lodge), Sword Dancer; Hero's Reward (Partners Hero), Highlander S.; Interpatation (Langfuhr), Joe Hirsch; Stutz Bearcat (First Landing), Nearctic.
Channel Maker was handled by Vella for his first six starts, but was moved to Mott's care prior to an April 8, 2017 start at Keeneland after Wachtel Stable and Gary Barber bought into the ownership of the gelding. He was the Canadian champion 3-year-old male that season. His ownership group is now Wachtel Stable, Barber, R.A. Hill Stable and Reeves Thoroughbred Racing.
First seen at Saratoga as a 4-year-old in 2018, Channel Maker has made 10 starts at Saratoga and compiled a record of 3-1-1. That first summer, he finished in a dead heat for first with Glorious Empire {IRE} (Holy Roman Emperor {IRE}) in the GII Bowling Green then ended up second by three-quarters of a length to Glorious Empire in the Sword Dancer. In his standard front-running style, he won the Bowling Green again this summer, at 15-1, ending a seven-race losing streak, and is back in the Sword Dancer, his 50th start for Mott.
Since New York does not allow horses 10 and older to compete, this is likely to be Channel Maker's final appearance in Saratoga. Mott said he did not know if Channel Maker might run in 2024. He said the Bowling Green performance, which carried him to the Sword Dancer, might have been his final start.
“There were plans that if he hadn't run well the last time that maybe he'd be retired,” Mott said. “I don't think any of us want to see his form go five races beaten double digits or something like that. That's not going to happen.”
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