NBS Stable's Spooky Channel eased past longtime leader Two Emmys just before the finish line after a protracted stretch duel to prevail by a neck and win the 27th running of the $150,000 Sycamore (G3) for 3-year-olds and up Friday afternoon at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky.
Trained by Jason Barkley and ridden by Julien Leparoux, Spooky Channel covered the 1½ miles over a turf course labeled as good in 2:29.71.
The victory is the first graded stakes win for Barkley and his first Keeneland stakes win. It is the second Sycamore victory for Leparoux, who won in 2012 on Kindergarden Kid.
Two Emmys was first out of the gate under James Graham and led the field of 11 uncontested through fractions of :24.87, :49.51, 1:14.52 and 1:39.81 with Ry's the Guy and Spooky Channel tracking in the second and third spots.
The running order remained unchanged until the top of the stretch when Ry's the Guy dropped out of the pursuit and Spooky Channel took up the chase. Two Emmys maintained a narrow edge until deep stretch when Spooky Channel pushed by.
This is the third Grade 3 victory for Spooky Channel, whose previous scores came when trained by Brian Lynch for different ownership. Barkley claimed Spooky Channel for $80,000 at Churchill Downs in April.
Spooky Channel is a 6-year-old gelded Kentucky-bred son of English Channel out of the Kitten's Joy mare Spooky Kitten. With Friday's $90,000 check, he increased his earnings to $601,722 with a record of 25-11-4-0.
Spooky Channel returned $16.40, $6.80 and $5. Two Emmys returned $4.80 and $4.40 and finished 4¼ lengths in front of Ry's the Guy, who paid $5.20 to show under Chris Landeros.
It was another 1¾ lengths back to Bama Breeze, who was followed in order by Another Mystery, Sole Volante, Kentucky Ghost, Ajourneytofreedom, Glynn County, Yamato and Breakpoint (CHI).
Spooky Channel (left) races past front-running Two Emmys in deep stretch to win the Sycamore
Racing continues Saturday with a 10-race program beginning at 1 p.m. ET and featuring two stakes for 3-year-olds: the $250,000 Lexus Raven Run (G2) for fillies going 7 furlongs on the main track and the $150,000 Perryville going 7 furlongs on the main track. The Perryville is scheduled as the seventh race (4:12 p.m.), and the Lexus Raven Run is the ninth (5:16 p.m.).
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