AC Photo

Hill confident in another successful season with Champion Turf Male Channel Maker

by NYRA Press Office

• Hill confident in another successful season with Champion Turf Male Channel Maker
• Rookie Report: Pletcher to debut well-bred juveniles in Saturday maiden events
• G1-winner Happy Saver remains under consideration for G1 Whitney

Owner Randy Hill of R.A. Hill Stable said he is hopeful that reigning Champion Turf Male Channel Maker can flaunt his excellence once more in Saturday’s 11-furlong Grade 2, $250,000 Bowling Green over the inner turf at Saratoga Race Course. 

Channel Maker, owned by Hill in partnership with Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, Gary Barber and Wachtel Stable, captured the 2018 Bowling Green when dead-heating with Glorious Empire before finishing a respective fourth and third in the previous two runnings. 

Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, the Ontario-bred son of 2007 Champion Turf Male English Channel captured last year’s Grade 1 Sword Dancer Invitational at the Spa ahead of a Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic score at Belmont Park. 

Channel Maker capped off his Eclipse Award-winning season with a third-place finish in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf at Keeneland, where he replicated his career-best 108 Beyer Speed Figure earned in his previous two races.

The 7-year-old chestnut arrives at the Bowling Green off a pair of international endeavors when a close second in the Group 1 Neom Turf Cup on February 20 at King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Saudi Arabia and a distant eighth in the Group 1 Dubai Sheema Classic on March 27 at Meydan Racecourse. 

In this year’s Bowling Green, Channel Maker will square off against two previous winners of the 1 3/8-mile turf test in Channel Cat [2019] and Cross Border [2020]. Like Channel Maker, both horses also are by 2007 Turf Champion English Channel. 

“He’s the high weight at 124 and he’s coming in off the layoff, so those are two things you don’t know about,” Hill said. “People talk about Cross Border being horse for course and he likes this course, but so does Channel Maker. If he runs his race, he should win. Obviously, Channel Cat could show some speed, and he won the Bowling Green two years ago from the front end.”

Channel Maker, who has earned over $3.2 million through an impressive 39-7-6-5 record, has won at least one Grade 1 turf event on the NYRA circuit since 2018, when he captured his first score in the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic at Belmont Park under Jose Ortiz. 

In April of the following year, he defeated a talented field in the Man o’ War which included Group 1-winner Magic Wand as well as Grade 1-winners Arklow and Zulu Alpha. 

“I like our chances. I think we’re the class of the race,” Hill said. “He’s ran three 108 Beyers in a row and couple of low numbers on the Ragozin sheets. He ran great in Saudi Arabia. We were almost second in the Breeders’ Cup losing to two of the best horses in the world. We have trust in Billy, he’s a Hall of Fame trainer.”

Inclement weather stormed through the Saratoga Springs area on Thursday, resulting in some likely give in the ground for Saturday’s Bowling Green, which Hill said could benefit Channel Maker who captured last year’s Sword Dancer at Saratoga over an inner turf rated soft. 

“He loves soft going, it moves him up. To me, the soft going compensates for the weight and the layoff,” Hill said. “I think we caught a break with the rain. He likes some cut in the ground.”

A thoroughbred owner for two decades, Hill said he was delighted to be able to say he owns a champion. 

“It’s a dream come true. It’s what you get into this game for,” Hill said. “I’ve been in the game for a long time and this is what it’s all about.”

Jockey Manny Franco piloted Channel Maker in his two Grade 1 scores last year and will return to the irons for the first time since the Breeders’ Cup from post 5. 

“Manny has been successful with this horse,” Hill noted. “His career changed when we got him on the front end. It’s a steppingstone for the [Grade 1, $1.25 million Resorts World Casino] Sword Dancer [on August 28] and the Joe Hirsch, I like the spot we’re in.”

***

Rookie Report: Pletcher to debut well-bred juveniles in Saturday maiden events

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher will saddle a trio of 2-year-olds Saturday at the Spa as he looks to add to an impressive ledger that has already seen two juveniles post maiden scores this summer.

Last Saturday, Repole Stable’s Midnight Worker, an Outwork colt, prevailed by a head at first asking, and a day later Starlight Ladies’ Miss Interpret, by Street Sense, arrived in the final stride for a head score. Both wins came in six-furlong maiden special weight events.  

Breeze Easy’s Master Game, a $300,000 purchase from the Denali Stud consignment at the 2020 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Sale, will make his career debut in the Saturday opener – a 5 ½-furlong maiden special weight on the main track. 

Master Game is a son of freshman stallion Mastery, who was unbeaten in four starts and stands at Claiborne Farm in Paris, Kentucky for a $25,000 stud fee. 

Bred in Kentucky by Elm Tree Farm and Brookfield Stud, Master Game is out of the Exchange Rate mare Exchange Cat, who was dual stakes placed on the turf at Belmont Park and produced turf sprint graded stakes placed Grit and Curiosity. 

Master Game worked from the gate in his last two recorded moves, logging a sharp half-mile move in 48.61 on July 17 ahead of a five-eighths breeze in 1:00.65 on July 26. 

“We have a couple of Mastery babies and they appear to be forward training horses,” Pletcher said. “This horse has been training well. If he breaks alertly, he seems like the type that could be successful first time out.”

Jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. will ride from post 2. 

Five races later, Pletcher sends out Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable’s Royal Spirit [post 4, Irad Ortiz, Jr., 5-2] and Donegal Racing’s Sweeping Giant [post 1, Joel Rosario, 6-1] in a 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight over the Mellon turf course. 

Royal Spirit, a son of leading sire Into Mischief, was bought for $450,000 from the Claiborne Farm consignment at the 2020 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Sale and is out of the Malibu Moon mare Don’tforgetaboutme, who is a half-sister to graded stakes winners Mo Tom and Red Ruby, as well as Grade 1-placed Beautician. 

Since arriving from Stonestreet Training Center, Royal Spirit has settled into a consistent work pattern for Pletcher, including two works over the Oklahoma training turf. 

Sweeping Giant, a chestnut son of Curlin out of multiple graded stakes winning Eskendereya mare Isabella Sings, was consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency at the 2020 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, where he was hammered down to $350,000. 

After arriving from Elloree Training Center in South Carolina, Sweeping Giant also has worked consistently for Pletcher with his last two moves over the Oklahoma training turf. 

“They seemed to work well on the grass,” Pletcher said. “These type of races are hard to win on debut. Not sure if they’ll be on or off the turf, but they’ve been training well.”

Pletcher conditioned Isabella Sings, who captured all four of her graded stakes triumphs when commanding through every point of call. 

“He’s not as headstrong as her, she was kind of a free-running filly,” Pletcher said. “Often times she would open up many lengths on the field and just try to keep going. He’s a little more relaxed than her. I wouldn’t think he would be aggressive as her.”

Breaking from the rail, Sweeping Giant will be ridden by jockey Joel Rosario.

*** 

G1-winner Happy Saver remains under consideration for G1 Whitney

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher said a possible Saturday morning work will determine if Grade 1-winner Happy Saver will race in the Grade 1, $1 million Whitney at Saratoga Race Course on August 7. 

A Wertheimer and Frere homebred, the son of Super Saver conquered his lone Grade 1 test when outdueling subsequent Dubai World Cup champion Mystic Guide in the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup in October at Belmont Park. 

Happy Saver fired off a seven-month layoff with vigor when defeating allowance optional claiming company on May 28 going a one-turn mile over Big Sandy in his seasonal debut before tasting defeat for the first time last out in the Grade 2 Suburban on July 3 over a sloppy and sealed Belmont main track. 

“We were hoping to get a work in today, but that didn’t happen, so we’ll see what goes on tomorrow,” Pletcher said. “We’ll breeze on the main track tomorrow morning if we're happy with the surface.”

Pletcher has previously won the Whitney with Left Bank [2002], Lawyer Ron [2007] and Cross Traffic [2013]. 

Happy Saver drew the outside post in the six-horse Suburban field, appearing to flatten out in the stretch, but ultimately was game enough to round out the trifecta, finishing 2 ¾ lengths behind winner Max Player. 

“He ran well in only his second start of the year. He had a wide trip, but it was a solid effort. We’ll see how he goes tomorrow and make a decision,” Pletcher said.