Franco, Channel Maker dominate Saratoga's Sword Dancer
One week before he pilots the overwhelming 2020 Kentucky Derby favorite, jockey Manny Franco picked up a Grade 1 victory Saturday.
Franco and 6-year-old gelding Channel Maker led at every call of the Grade 1, $500,000 Sword Dancer around Saratoga’s inner turf. The Bill Mott trainee snapped a 10-race losing streak, picking up his first victory since last May’s Man o’ War Stakes (G1) at Belmont Park.
Channel Maker went off an 8-1 shot in the Sword Dancer, a 1½-mile, three-turn event. Cross Border, Pedro Cara and Sadler’s Joy all shared 3-1 post-time favoritism in a field of seven older horses.
Franco took Channel Maker out to the lead out of the gates. The son of English Channel posted fractions of :25.10, :51.14, 1:17.27 and 1:42.33 through the first mile.
"We thought Marzo could be on the lead and we might be laying second, but opportunity presented itself for him to be on the lead and the jockey accepted the opportunity and it worked out very well," Mott said. "Sometimes, you make the right decision and it worked out well today."
Coming through the last of three turns, Channel Maker enjoyed a two-length lead over Aquaphobia and Corelli. Neither of them threatened the pace setter, as Channel Maker pulled away in the stretch to stop the clock in 2:34.86 and return $18.
"He's not an easy horse to ride," Franco said. "We try to go to the lead but sometimes he doesn't break good. But today, we were able to make it and he was traveling the whole way fine and handled the soft ground really well."
Cross Border, already a two-time winner during the 2020 Saratoga meet, rallied to finish second but was still seven lengths behind the winner. Aquaphobia, who entered off a Grade 1 victory, finished third.
Wachtel Stable, Gary Barber, R.A. Hill Stable and Reeves Thoroughbred Racing all campaign Channel Maker. The Ontario-bred gelding now sports a 35: 6-5-4 record with three Grade 1 wins and more than $2.2 million earned.
Channel Maker secured a “Win and You’re In” berth to November’s Breeders’ Cup Turf at Keeneland. He joined Chrono Genesis, Enable, Lord North, Nao Da Mais and Red King as runners to win Challenge Series races in the Turf division.
"That water gets very deep," Mott said of the Breeders' Cup. "We've tried it a couple times and it hasn't worked out with him. You get a whole different group of horses.
"But who knows? There was a year at Keeneland where it was a bottomless ground and if that situation came up, maybe he would benefit from it."
The Sword Dancer victory also gives Franco a boost of momentum heading into Kentucky Derby week. He’ll ride four-time Grade 1 winner Tiz the Law on Sept. 5 in the Run for the Roses.