By:  Blood Horse

Photo Credit: Anne M. Eberhardt

Channel Maker Makes Another Sword Dancer Appearance

The 8-year-old Channel Maker will run in Spa’s Sword Dancer (G1T) for fifth time.

The old man resides in the stall closest to the Oklahoma Training Track at Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott’s barn. He can stick his long chestnut neck out and turn to the right and he can watch horses come and go all morning long during the summer at Saratoga.

“He is almost akin to having an old stable pony in the barn that has been there a long time,” Mott said standing outside his office. “It’s like, ‘Come on, bring Red out.’ He is part of the scenery. He is part of the furniture.”

Of course, Channel Maker  is much more than the senior citizen in Mott’s Thoroughbred arsenal. The 8-year-old gelding is still in the barn because he carries his weight just as much as any other active runners on Mott’s roster. Maybe more.

He will come out to the races on Aug. 27 when he runs in the $750,000 Resorts World Casino Sword Dancer (G1T) at Saratoga Race Course. The Sword Dancer, which will be run at 1 1/2 miles, is a Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” event with the winner getting a berth in the Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1T) Nov. 5.

Channel Maker has been down the Sword Dancer road before. This will be his fifth start in the prestigious grass event. He won it in 2020, was second in 2018, fourth in 2019, and sixth last year.

“He has durability,” Mott said. “He is kind of like me. He keeps chugging along, you know what I mean? A little bit at a time.”

Channel Maker, owned by Wachtel Stable, Gary Barber. R. A. Hill Stable, and Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, is one of 10 4-year-olds and up that are contesting the Sword Dancer. He is one of two 8-year-olds entered; the Mike Maker-trained Cross Border , owned by Three Diamonds Farm, is the other. Channel Maker is one of five geldings in the race.

A son of English Channel , Channel Maker is 8-1 on the morning line, which was set by New York Racing Association oddsmaker David Aragona.

The 3-1 morning-line favorite is 6-year-old Broome , trained by Ireland’s Aidan O’Brien and winner of one of three starts this year, that being the Hardwicke Stakes (G2) at Royal Ascot. He will be ridden by Ryan Moore, the first choice rider for O’Brien’s Ballydoyle operation.

Channel Maker has won two of three starts this year. He started with a victory in the Elkhorn Stakes (G2T) at Keeneland in April and also won the Grand Couturier Stakes at Belmont Park July 8. Both those races were at the Sword Dancer distance.

In his career, Channel Maker has won six of 17 tries at a mile and a half. This will be his 45th career start on grass with nine wins, five seconds, and five thirds.

Mott doesn’t have any scientific explanation as to why his horse still wants to do what he does—and, oftentimes do it well—at his advanced age.

“It’s all the horse, all the time,” Mott said. “We just try to not make too many mistakes trying to get him there.”

Channel Maker will be ridden for the fifth straight race by jockey Luis Saez.

Channel Maker will be facing a deep field in the Sword Dancer. Six of the 10 entered have won a grade 1 (or, in Broome’s case, group 1) race. The Christophe Clement-trained Gufo  won this race a year ago and is 9-2 on the morning line.

And one can not discount anything trainer Chad Brown runs at Saratoga, especially on the grass. In the Sword Dancer, he will saddle Madaket Stables, Michael Dubb, Louis Lazzinnaro, and Michael J. Caruso’s Adhamo  (7-2), Rockemperor  (8-1), owned by Madaket Stables, Dubb, Wonder Stables, Michael E. Kisber, and Caruso, and Tribhuvan  (5-1), who is owned by Dubb, Madaket Stables, Wonder Stables, and Caruso.

“The competition will get deeper here, we realize that,” Mott said. “This is a grade I, so there will probably be someone in there that can run a bit. Look, he will get whatever he can get. He is one of those horses that will run his race.”

Gufo, a son of Declaration of War  and owned by Otter Bend Stables, has won eight of 18 starts on grass. He and jockey Joel Rosario won this race last year by a neck. Gufo will add blinkers for the Sword Dancer; he has run four races without the hood. Rosario will ride from post 6.

Also entered in the race are  Barry K. Schwartz’s Cold Hard Cash , trained by Linda Rice; Madaket Stables, Dubb, Morris Bailey, Wonder Stables, and Caruso’s Soldier Rising , trained by Clement; and Mira Mission , trained by Ian Wilkes and owned by the Mary Abeel Sullivan Revocable Trust.