Adam Coglianese / NYRA Photo

Channel Maker rallies late to capture G1 Man o’ War

by Brian Bohl

Channel Maker made a triumphant return to Belmont Park, overtaking pacesetter Hunting Horn in the final furlong and holding off Arklow in the final strides for a victory by a neck in the 61st edition of the Grade 1, $700,000 Man o’ War on Saturday.

Making his first Belmont start since winning the Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic in September, Channel Maker settled off Irish import Hunting Horn’s early pace, with the Aidan O’Brien trainee leading the nine-horse field through a crisp opening quarter-mile in 22.98 seconds, the half in 47.47, three-quarters in 1:12.48 and a mile in 1:36.27 on the firm inner turf.

Staying in third position under jockey Joel Rosario, Channel Maker covered up along the backstretch behind Epical as Hunting Horn maintained his advantage entering the final turn. In the stretch, Rosario asked for more, and the Ontario-bred Channel Maker responded with a strong surge from the outside. 

Arklow, under Florent Geroux, made his bid from the outside with Magic Wand in close pursuit, but Channel Maker hit the wire in 2:12.43 to complete the 1 3/8-mile test that served as the finale of five stakes on a packed Man o’ War Racing Festival card.

“He’s a good horse and runs hard all the time. I’m glad we got the money today,” Rosario said. “I thought the horse [Hunting Horn] around the last turn might keep going, but I thought he was going too fast for the distance and the last half-furlong would be tough to get. I felt confident, and he’s [Channel Maker] the kind of horse that has a good, strong stride. The more you ride him, the more he gives to you.”

Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, Channel Maker won his third career graded stakes. Owned by Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, Gary Barber, R.A. Hill Stable and Wachtel Stable, the gelded son of English Channel registered his first on-the-board finish in his 5-year-old campaign after running fifth in the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational and fourth in the Grade 2 Mac Diarmida at Gulfstream Park.

“I always thought the horse could go to the front or lay off it. He has tactical speed and there was speed in the race today,” said co-owner Randy Hill. “Joel rode a perfect race and was right where he needed to be. The horse bounced back off of two subpar performances.”

Hill said the Grade 1, $1 million Woodford Reserve Manhattan on Belmont Stakes Day, June 8, remains a possible next step.

“I’ll leave that to Billy Mott, but I’m sure after the way he ran today that he’s got the Manhattan right on his radar,” he said.

Off at 6-1, Channel Maker returned $15.60 on a $2 win bet. He improved to 5-4-3 in 24 career starts, improving his career earnings to $1,927,108 while giving Mott his second career Man o’ War victory and first since Theatrical in 1987.

Arklow, the fourth-place finisher in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf in November at Churchill Downs for trainer Brad Cox, defeated Magic Wand by a half-length for second.

“I’m heartbroken. He ran too good to lose,” Geroux said. “He closed strong and galloped out amazingly. We were worried about his fitness level since he hadn’t raced this year, but he was ready. An amazing race it was just too bad. The good thing is we have a fresh horse for this year and hopefully we can win a big one with him.”

O’Brien’s two entrants who shipped from Ireland, Magic Wand and Hunting Horn, finished third and fourth, respectively.

“I traveled well. I was down on the inside and we had a real good gallop,” said Wayne Lordan, Magic Wand’s jockey. “I picked up off of the last turn. I kept going and I didn’t feel that I had any excuse. I think she ran a very solid race.”

Epical, the favorite Focus Group, Zulu Alpha, Village King and Kulin Rock completed the order of finish.

Live racing resumes at Belmont on Sunday with a nine-race card highlighted by the $100,000 Gold Fever for 3-year-olds going six furlongs. First post time is 1:30 p.m. Eastern.