Keeneland Barn Notes: Channel Maker Returns in Saturday's G2 Elkhorn

(Channel Maker / Photos by Holly M. Smith)

From the Keeneland Media Team:

DEFENDING CHAMPION CHANNEL MAKER HEADLINES FIELD OF 10
FOR SATURDAY’S ELKHORN

Wachtel Stable, Gary Barber, R. A. Hill Stable and Reeves Thoroughbred Racing’s defending champion Channel Maker, who won the 2020 Eclipse Award as North America’s champion turf male, headlines a field of 10 4-year-olds and up entered Wednesday for Saturday’s 38 running of the $350,000 Elkhorn (G2) going 1½ miles on the turf.

The Elkhorn will go as the eighth race on Saturday’s 10-race program with a 4:44 p.m. ET post time. First post is 1 p.m.

Trained by Bill Mott, Channel Maker will attempt to become the fourth horse to win the Elkhorn in consecutive years. The others were Musketier (GER) in 2010 and 2011, Kim Loves Bucky in 2002 and 2003 and the Mott-trained African Dancer in 1998 and 1999.

Seventh in the W.L. McKnight (G3) in his 2023 debut, Channel Maker will be ridden Saturday by John Velazquez and break from post position one.

Trinity Farm’s Red Knight, who won the W.L. McKnight in his most recent start, will be one of two entries in the Elkhorn for four-time race winner Mike Maker.

Red Knight, who won the 2020 Sycamore (G3) here in the fall of 2020, will be ridden by Gerardo Corrales and break from post five.

Maker, who won the Elkhorn with Dark Cove (2013), Da Big Hoss (2016), Bigger Picture (2019) and Zulu Alpha (2020), also will send out Michael Hui’s Value Engineering.

Winner of the Mac Diarmida (G2) in his most recent start after a runner-up finish in the McKnight, Value Engineering will break from post two under Tyler Gaffalione.

The field for the Elkhorn, with riders and weights from the rail out, is: Channel Maker (Velazquez, 118 pounds), Value Engineering (Gaffalione, 120), Rising Empire (Florent Geroux, 118), Another Mystery (Jareth Loveberry, 118), Red Knight (Corrales, 120), Shawdyshawdyshawdy (Adam Beschizza, 118), Howe Street (Flavien Prat, 118), Highest Honors (Irad Ortiz Jr., 118),Verstappen (Declan Cannon, 118), Tiz the Bomb (Brian Hernandez Jr., 118).

BEN ALI ATTRACTS EVENLY MATCHED FIELD OF SEVEN

Lucky Seven Stable’s Rattle N Roll, emphatic winner of the 2021 Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity (G1) at Keeneland, headlines an evenly matched field of seven 4-year-olds and up entered Wednesday for Saturday’s 92nd running of the $300,000 Ben Ali (G3) going 1 3/16 miles on the main track.

The Ben Ali will go as the ninth race on Saturday’s 10-race program with a 5:16 p.m. ET post time. First post is 1 p.m.

Trained by Kenny McPeek, Rattle N Roll won three stakes 2022 highlighted by a score in the Oklahoma Derby (G3). In his 2023 debut, Rattle N Roll was fourth in the New Orleans Classic (G2) at Fair Grounds on March 25.

Brian Hernandez Jr. has the mount and will break from post position five.

Another entrant with graded stakes success at Keeneland is Peachtree Stable’s Tawny Port.

Winner of the Stonestreet Lexington (G3) last spring, Tawny Port also won the Ohio Derby (G3) last June and enters the Ben Ali off a fifth-place finish in the Essex (G3) on March 18 at Oaklawn Park. Trained by Brad Cox, Tawny Port will be ridden by Flavien Prat and break from post seven.

Arriving Monday at Keeneland from South Florida was Daniel Alonso’s multiple Grade 3 winner Skippylongstocking. Trained by Saffie Joseph Jr., Skippylongstocking enters the Ben Ali off a 3¼-length victory in the Challenger (G3) at Tampa Bay Downs on March 11.

Irad Ortiz Jr. has the mount and will break from post position four.

The field for the Ben Ali, with riders and weights from the rail out, is: Pioneer of Medina (Tyler Gaffalione, 118 pounds), Trademark (Rafael Bejarano, 118), Call Me Fast (Julien Leparoux, 118), Skippylongstocking (Ortiz Jr., 118), Rattle N Roll (Hernandez Jr., 118), Happy American (James Graham, 118), Tawny Port (Prat, 118).

PROSPECTIVE FIELD FOR CLOSING-DAY BEWITCH

Here are the prospective entries for the $300,00 Bewitch (G3) on the April 28 closing day of the Keeneland Spring Meet compiled by Stakes Coordinator Baley Hare:

$300,000 Bewitch (G3) – Possible: Broadway Boogie (trainer James Toner), TempleCityTerror (Brendan Walsh).

Entries will be taken Sunday.

PAUL HALLORAN CAPTURES KEENELAND’S GRADE ONE GAMBLE

Paul Halloran of Lynn, Massachusetts, topped a record field of 292 players and took down first prize of $73,000 in the Grade One Gamble, Keeneland’s signature handicapping contest held Saturday, April 15. Halloran crushed the late daily double with a $10,000 wager on odds-on favorite In Italian (GB) in the Jenny Wiley (G1) and 5-2 favorite Tarabi in the last race to yield winnings of $59,900 and a final bankroll of $60,105.

The Grade One Gamble attracted players from across the U.S. and Canada, who participated at Keeneland and on XpressBet, TVG, 4NJBets, NYRABets and HPI. The buy-in of $3,500 included $2,500 in live bankroll bet on Keeneland’s Saturday card.

Halloran writes for The Saratoga Special, which is produced during the meet at Saratoga Race Course in New York, and his journey to Lexington was primarily to work on a book project about Cody Dorman, namesake of 2022 Big Ass Fans Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) winner Cody’s Wish. After visiting with the Dorman family, Halloran went to Keeneland with a friend, Howard Kravets, cohost of the HHH Racing Podcast. Halloran decided the morning of the Grade One Gamble to enter the contest.

Drew Coatney of Columbus, Ohio, followed his massive win in the 2022 Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge at Keeneland with a second-place showing in the Grade One Gamble. Coatney wagered his entire bankroll on the final race and caught a $10,000 win payoff on Tarabi that yielded $37,300.

Halloran and Coatney, along with third-place finisher Michael Somich, Marshall Gramm (fourth), Brent Kelly (fifth) and Paul Matties (sixth), each won $10,000 berths in the 2023 Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge at Santa Anita and berths in the 2024 NTRA National Horseplayers Championship in Las Vegas. In addition, the next four winners – Rockwood Edwards, Joseph Carnavale, George Chute and Augie Quirch – will join the top six in Las Vegas for the NHC.

SPRING MEET LEADERS

Through April 16 (7 days of 15-day season)

SPRING MEET WEEK 3 SPECIAL EVENTS

Year-round

Official Keeneland Tours. Visit keeneland.com/tours for availability and to purchase.

Through August

Located on Keeneland’s campus, Keeneland Library features the free exhibit The Heart of the Turf: Racing’s Black Pioneersthrough August. The Library is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. To reach the Library, enter Keeneland at Gate 1 (Man o’ War Blvd.) on Keeneland Blvd. and take the first right on Entertainment Ct. The Library is to the left of the Keene Barn and Entertainment Center.

Wednesday, April 19

WINS-Day Challenge Sponsored by Malone’s. This is an inexpensive way for beginner handicappers to try contests. Enter for $10 at Wagering Central on the first floor of the Grandstand and place a mythical $2 win and place wager – no actual money required – on Keeneland races 3-8.

Friday, April 21 through Sunday, April 23

The Hill. Keeneland’s official tailgating area now is open Sundays during the Spring Meet. No ticket or reservation is required for The Hill, located adjacent to the Keene Barn & Entertainment Center and accessible via Gate 4. Amenities, available from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., include a jumbo TV, wagering, live music presented by The Burl, food trucks and complimentary shuttles to the track. Keeneland partner RevelXP will offer tailgate packages for groups of any size. Visit Keeneland.com/tailgating.

Saturday, April 22

Sunrise Trackside. This free Saturday morning program is geared toward families and offers a unique view of Thoroughbreds during training hours. Children’s activities, located on the first floor of the Grandstand from 8-10 a.m., include a visit with Keeneland’s mascot, Buckles, along with face painting, games and more. Fans can enjoy coffee and donuts at the Starting Gate concession stand while watching horses train. Mini tours will be available at the Welcome Stand in the Paddock. A meet and greet with a horse will take place in the Walking Ring from 8:30-9 a.m.

Sunday, April 23

Keeneland Kids Club Family Day Presented by Kentucky Children’s Hospital. The Keeneland Kids Club is the Official Kids Club for Keeneland fans 12 and younger. Kids Club members and their families are invited to enjoy a special day at the races and receive free general admission and access to reserved Grandstand seating when they present their membership cards at admission gates. Children’s activities, which will take place in the North Terrace from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., include face painting and activities with local community partners such as Explorium of Lexington, Kentucky Horse Park, Eckert’s Orchard, Kentucky Children’s Hospital and Amplify Horse Racing. A treat from Hoggy’s Ice Cream will be available for Kids Club members.

Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund Telethon Presented by Lane’s End. The fifth annual fundraising event will be based in the Limestone Café in the Keeneland Sales Pavilion. The telethon will be broadcast on both FanDuel TV and America’s Day at the Races in collaboration with NYRA and FOX Sports and be streamed on tvg.com. Fans can participate by calling 1-844-884-7353 between noon and 6 p.m. ET or can donate directly at https://pdjf.org/donate/