Channel Maker, Sadler’s Joy Attempt To Turn Around Losing Streaks In Bowling Green Stakes

Grade 1-winning veterans Channel Maker and Sadler's Joy, who together have combined to earn more than $4.7 million in purses during their lengthy careers, will attempt to put the brakes on frustrating losing streaks Saturday in the Grade 2, $250,000 Bowling Green on the inner turf at Saratoga Race Course.

The 1 3/8-mile Bowling Green is part of a Whitney Day program featuring three Grade 1 events led by the historic Whitney at 1 1/8 miles with an automatic berth to the Breeders' Cup Classic on November 7 at Keeneland on the line. The card is bolstered by the Grade 1, $500,000 Personal Ensign presented by NYRA Bets, a “Win and You're In” qualifier for the Breeders' Cup Distaff in November; and the Grade 1, $300,000 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial presented by Runhappy for 3-year-olds sprinting seven furlongs.

Also on the stakes-laden card is the $200,000 Caress, a 5 ½-furlong turf sprint for older fillies and mares. The entire program will be broadcast on Saratoga Live beginning at 1 p.m. Eastern on FOX Sports and MSG Networks.

Gary Barber, Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, Wachtel Stable and R.A. Hill Stable's Channel Maker has gone winless in nine starts since his neck victory in the Grade 1 Man o' War in May 2019 at Belmont Park, also contested at the Bowling Green distance.

Channel Maker, a gelded 6-year-old son of turf champion English Channel, has been beaten less a length or less three times during his current drought including last year's Bowling Green, where he came up three-quarters of a length shy of defending his 2018 dead-heat victory. Most recently, the Bill Mott trainee finished fourth by a length after pressing the pace into the stretch of the 1 ¼-mile Manhattan on July 4 at Belmont.

“He's an interesting horse. He's been working out well. He ran a really tough race last time. I thought he put in a tremendous effort and was right there at the end,” co-owner Dean Reeves said. “He's just the kind of horse that we'll get a lot of racing out of. He's been fairly consistent, if he gets the right trip. He's kind of a difficult horse to handle. He gets a little bit rank and a little bit wanting to go, but he's been consistent, he's a dual Grade 1 winner and we've got a lot to look forward to.”

Overall, Channel Maker sports a record of 5-5-3 with nearly $2.2 million in purse earnings from 33 starts. Reeves bought into the chestnut following his triumph in the Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic in 2018.

“He just keeps kind of rocking along and then every now and then he gets a big race. We hope maybe it'll be Saturday in the Bowling Green,” Reeves said. “I don't think there's a lot of speed in it. I suspect we'll be close to the front, and he likes Saratoga. He likes this track and Belmont quite a bit, so I think we've got a good shot.”

Manny Franco, up in the Manhattan, returns to ride from post 5.

Woodslane Farm homebred Sadler's Joy earned his lone career Grade 1 victory in the 2018 Sword Dancer at Saratoga and was second by a neck in last year's edition. The 7-year-old gelding capped his 2019 campaign by winning the Grade 3 Red Smith last November at Aqueduct, but has gone winless in four tries this year.

Trained by Tom Albertrani, Sadler's Joy has run third in his last three races, each by diminishing margins. He was beaten 4 ¾ lengths in the Grade 2 Mac Diarmida at Gulfstream Park in February, two lengths in the June 4 Tiller at Belmont – both at 1 3/8 miles – and three-quarters in the Manhattan.

“He came out of the Manhattan doing really well. He's been training very well and hopefully we just get a good trip,” Albertrani said. “The horse always seems to run his race. He's been narrowly beaten in several races, but he shows up. Just hopefully we get him back into the winner's circle one of these times.”

Albertrani is hoping his regular rider, Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano, will be able to carve out a good trip from post 6 for the late-running Sadler's Joy, who has finished in the top three in 21 of 30 lifetime starts, seven of them wins, with more than $2.5 million in purses earned.

“He's just such a tricky horse to ride, with his style. He always loses a lot of ground on the turns and I think that's the reason he's lost some of these turf races. He just seems to go to the wire after losing a lot of ground and he's always right there. That's just the way it is,” Albertrani said.

“Nobody knows him better than Javier. He's ridden him enough times where he's gotten to really know him,” he added. “You have to time everything just right with him. He ran huge the last race he won back at Aqueduct. It was a little bit of a class break for him but he was able to make that big, wide move and draw away. He always has to get a good trip.”

Todd Pletcher, who trained Channel Cat to victory in last year's Bowling Green, will make his title defense with Team Valor International's Pillar Mountain. Bred in Ireland, the 5-year-old son of Kodiac has raced once in 2020, closing to be sixth by 3 ¼ lengths in a 1 1/8-mile optional claiming allowance on June 20 at Belmont.

Pillar Mountain won a similar spot going 1 3/8 miles last summer at Saratoga, earning him a shot in the Sword Dancer, where he finished sixth. In his only other stakes attempts, both last fall, he was seventh behind Grade 1 winner Zulu Alpha in the Grade 3 Kentucky Turf Cup at Keeneland and third in the 1 ½-mile Point Of Entry at Belmont.

“The last race was a little short of his best so I thought it was an acceptable comeback race and he should appreciate the added distance,” Pletcher said. “He's a stayer, so we look forward to getting back to a distance that suits him. He seems to be in good form and he likes the track, so we'll see if he can step it up.”

Hall of Famer John Velazquez rides Pillar Mountain from post 7.

Trainer Mike Maker entered the Three Diamonds Farm-owned pair of Cross Border and Marzo.

Cross Border, who won the Lubash against fellow New York-breds on July 22 at the Spa, is a perfect 4-0 at Saratoga, turning the triple last summer. He won a conditioned starter by three lengths last July, then took a pair of New York-bred allowance events 18 days apart in August.

Cross Border set the pace in the Manhattan two starts back before being passed late and wound up fifth, beaten a length, and was nailed at the wire in similar fashion in the Grade 3 W.L. McKnight in January at Gulfstream.

The 4-year-old Marzo won the Grade 3 Sycamore in October 2019 at Keeneland in his second start since being claimed by Maker for $62,500, and has not raced since his seventh-place finish in the Grade 2 Mervin Muniz Memorial in March at Fair Grounds.

Jose Ortiz retains the mount on Cross Border from post 2, while older brother Irad Ortiz Jr. rides Marzo from post 1.

Completing the field are Ten Strike Racing's Dot Matrix [post 4, Joel Rosario], winner of the Grade 3 John B. Connally in January at Sam Houston, and Joyce B. Young's Highland Sky [post 3, Junior Alvarado], who captured an off-the-turf edition of the John's Call last summer at Saratoga.

The Bowling Green is slated as Race 11 on Saturday's 12-race card, which offers a first post of 1:10 p.m. Eastern. Saratoga Live will present daily television coverage of the 40-day summer meet on FOX Sports and MSG Networks. For the complete Saratoga Live broadcast schedule, and additional programming information, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule.

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Cross Border Much The Best In Wedensday’s Lubash At Saratoga

Three Diamonds Farm's Cross Border supported his heavy favoritism and kept a perfect record at Saratoga intact with a 6 ¼-length triumph in the inaugural running of the $85,000 Lubash on Wednesday over the Mellon turf at Saratoga Race Course.

The Mike Maker-trained dark bay son of English Channel arrived at the 1 1/16-mile event for New York-breds off a fifth-place finish in the Grade 1 Manhattan on July 4 at Belmont Park, where he finished a length behind Instilled Regard. Wednesday's race was his first start against his Empire State-bred counterpart since winning an allowance optional claiming event over Saratoga's inner turf in August 2019.

Breaking from the inside post under jockey Jose Ortiz, Cross Border took back and tipped off the inside moving into the three-path in third position as Blewitt led the field into the first turn. With The J Y tracking right to his outside in second, Blewitt controlled the pace through easy opening fractions of 25.48 seconds for the quarter-mile and 48.95 for the half over the firm turf course.

Around the far turn, Cross Border began inching his way into contention as Blewitt maintained his advantage under Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez. Past the three-sixteenths pole, Cross Border had it all wrapped up, hitting the wire in 1:41.75. Rapt was second, a nose ahead of Blewitt. The J Y completed the order of finish. Dante's Fire and main track only entrant Yankee Division were scratched.

Returning $2.60 for a $2 win bet, Cross Border made his eighth trip to the winner's circle in 25 starts. Additionally, the Lubash was a first stakes triumph for Cross Border, who previously earned graded stakes black type when second in the Grade 3 W.L. McKnight at Gulfstream Park on January 25. Banking $46,750 in victory, Cross Border has now accumulated lifetime earnings of $396,971. A three-time winner over the turf at Saratoga last year, Cross Border is now unbeaten in four starts at the Spa.

“It looked like Todd's horse [Blewitt, No. 6] and Cross Border were the speed of the race. He's done well in the past stalking but on paper he looked like the class,” Maker said. “I think his tactical speed helps him, but also being a New York-bred and the conditions he had really helped him last year. Plus, it was a four-horse field here and a drop in class can't hurt.”

Maker did not rule out a start in the Grade 1, $500,000 Sword Dancer on August 29 at Saratoga, which offers an automatic berth into the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf on November 7 at Keeneland.

“It could be against New York-breds or it could be the Sword Dancer, but it will be something up here,” Maker said. “He's run very well up here last year and started off well here this year.”

Ortiz said that the trip went according to plan.

“He can go for bigger things in the future. He did it pretty easy,” Ortiz said. “I knew I had the 1-hole so I decided to take him back from the get-go and put him in that winning position. I knew Blewitt had some speed and the other horse outside me [The J Y, No. 2] had some speed, too. I didn't want get into a bad position with him, I just wanted to ride him like he was much the best.”

Bred in New York by Berkshire Stud and B.D. Gibbs, Cross Border is out of the Empire Maker broodmare Empress Josephine and comes from the same family as leading New York sire Central Banker.

Live racing returns on Thursday with a 10-race card which features the $100,000 New York Stallion Stakes Series (Statue of Liberty) for 3-year-old fillies over the Mellon turf course and the Grade 1, $100,000 A.P. Smithwick Memorial Steeplechase going 2 1/16 miles. First post is 12:50 p.m. Eastern.

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Mitchell Road Fends Off Challengers To Win Ellis Park Turf

The $50,000 Ellis Park Turf proved Mitchell Road's path back into the winner's circle as she held off upset-minded Strike My Fancy to triumph by a neck.

The class of the field, Mitchell Road was a Grade 3 winner last year but came into the Ellis Park Turf 0 for 3 in 2020, finishing seventh in Churchill Downs' Grade 3 Mint Julep following a pair of seconds.

“I think we were just looking around for a good spot for her,” said Kenny McCarthy, who oversees the Churchill Downs operation for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott. “I mean, she tries hard every time we run her. I think sometimes mentally it's nice for them to win one, when they put forth so much effort. She's been pretty consistent, so it was good to get the win today.”

Mitchell Road was unprepared at the start and broke last but was content to briefly settle behind Harmless, who at 33-1 was the longest shot in the field of six older fillies and mares, before lapping on alongside her rival. Harmless actually stuck her head back in front in midstretch, but Mitchell Road shook her off and then held Strike My Fancy at bay.

“It worked out pretty well,” said Joe Talamo, winning his first stakes at Ellis Park in his first year making Kentucky his base. “The pace was really slow. I just let her gather up her stride and slowly get up there. She got into a really good rhythm down the backside, the whole way around there. Then turning for home, I had a lot of horse. When that other filly came to me, she fought her off pretty nicely. When she got to the lead, I felt like she might have been waiting a little bit, so I was actually happy to see that other filly come to her. I think it made her pay attention a little bit more. Because even galloping out, she was still full of run. I was just thankful for the opportunity. She's a very nice filly.”

Mitchell Road toured 1 1/16 miles over firm turf in 1:43.12, quickening to cover the final sixteenth-mile in 6.10 seconds. The daughter of turf champion English Channel paid $3.60 to win as the 4-5 favorite.

“She's a filly, if you watch her races, she loves a dogfight,” McCarthy said. “It's like she kind of gets there and then is waiting there for that next one to come. I saw the 6 (Strike My Fancy) coming, but I felt she was still going to hold. That's the kind of filly she is.”

The Matt Shirer-trained Strike My Fancy closed with a rush under Colby Hernandez to make a close race out of it.

“My horse ran a big race. She tries every time,” said Hernandez, the younger brother of Kentucky mainstay Brian Hernandez Jr. “She's a very easy horse to ride. She puts you where you need to be in a race. At the sixteenth pole I thought I had a chance at the winner.”

Harmless — claimed for $62,500 in her prior start, and finishing eighth that day — came in another 1 1/4 lengths back in third under Alex Achard, thrilling new trainer Michelle Lovell.

“That was good,” she said. “I thought she may hang in for second. She hung in there for a long time.”

Mintd, who hit the gate at the start, came in fourth. Timeless Curls, who pushed the early pace in her first start in 13 1/2 months, and Our Bay B Ruth founded out the field. Sister Hanan, Makealitlemischief, Mighty Scarlett and Complicit were scratched.

Mitchell Road now has won races at ages 3, 4 and 5, with three stakes victories last year — including Pimlico's Grade 3 Gallorette two weeks after her younger half-brother Country House gave Mott his first victory in the Kentucky Derby. Both horses are out of the War Chant mare Quake Lake. Mitchell Road now is 7-5-0 in 15 starts, earning $501,060 for Mrs. J.V. Shields Jr. and E.J.M. McFadden Jr.

“Any year you can win a stakes is a great year for it,” McCarthy said. “Obviously this is probably her last year of running, so let's look around for her and try to find her some good spots and let her pad her resume.”

A good spot easily could be Ellis Park's $100,000 Kentucky Downs Preview Ladies Turf on Aug. 2. The winner of that race gets a fees-paid spot in the $500,000, Grade 3 Three Chimneys Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf on Sept. 12, a race Mitchell Road ran second in last year.

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