Keeneland: See the fields for 2 weekend graded stakes

Channel Maker, winner of the Grade 2 Elkhorn last year and the 2020 champion turf male, headlines a field of 10 4-year-olds and up entered for Saturday’s 38th running of the race, going 1 1/2 miles on the Keeneland turf.

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

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) at Keeneland in the fall of 2020, will be ridden by Gerardo Corrales and break from post 5.

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

Ben Ali attracts evenly matched field

Rattle N Roll, emphatic winner of the 2021 Breeders’ Futurity (G1) at Keeneland, headlines an evenly matched field of seven 4-year-olds and up for Saturday’s 92nd running of the 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.

Trained by Kenny McPeek, Rattle N Roll won three stakes in 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 5.

Another entrant with graded stakes success at Keeneland is Tawny Port.

Winner of the 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 7.

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 3 1/4-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 4.