Bowling Green, Sword Dancer both on Channel Maker's agenda
ELMONT, N.Y. – Coming off his victory in Saturday’s Grade 1, $700,000 Man o’ War Stakes at Belmont Park, Channel Maker will likely follow a similar schedule to the one he had in 2018 with one possible exception. He is not certain to run in the Grade 1, $1 million Manhattan on Belmont Stakes Day.
Channel Maker seems to do better at distances from 1 3/8-miles to 1 1/2 miles, the distances of the Bowling Green on July 27 and the Sword Dancer on Aug. 24 at Saratoga. The Manhattan would mean turning back to 1 1/4 miles. Channel Maker finished eighth in last year’s Manhattan, but he was only beaten 1 1/2 lengths and he actually ran quite well.
“He can be effective at that trip,” trainer Bill Mott said Sunday by phone from Saratoga. “We’ll see how tough the race is, I suppose.”
Mott said he definitely wants to run Channel Maker in the Bowling Green and Sword Dancer and then come back to Belmont in the fall for the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic. Channel Maker dead-heated for win in the Bowling Green, finished second in the Sword Dancer, and won the 1 1/2-mile Joe Hirsch Turf Classic.
In Saturday’s Man o’ War, Channel Maker rallied from 8 1/2 lengths back to run down the pacesetting Hunting Horn and then held off Arklow to win by a neck.
“He’s closed before,” Mott said. “It was a good scenario because the field was spread out. He didn’t have to overcome any traffic to speak of.”
Channel Maker, a 5-year-old gelding by English Channel owned by Gary Barber, Dean Reeves, Randy Hill and Adam Wachtel, earned a 106 Beyer Speed Figure for his performance. He earned a 108 in last year’s Joe Hirsch.
Arklow, who rallied from last to just miss in the Man o’ War, will be considered for one of three races: the Belmont Gold Cup on June 7, the Manhattan on June 8, or the United Nations at Monmouth on June 22, according to trainer Brad Cox.
Magic Wand and Hunting Horn, the two Aidan O’Brien-trained runners who finished third and fourth, respectively, shipped back to Ireland on Sunday.
