| English Channel | |
|---|---|
| Sire | Smart Strike |
| Grandsire | Mr. Prospector |
| Dam | Belva |
| Damsire | Theatrical |
| Sex | Stallion |
| Foaled | 2002 |
| Country | United States |
| Colour | Chestnut |
| Breeder | Keene Ridge Farm |
| Owner | James T. Scatuorchio |
| Trainer | Todd Pletcher |
| Record | 23:13-4-1 |
| Earnings | $5,199,028 |
| Major wins | |
| Virginia Derby (2005) Colonial Turf Cup (2005) Woodlawn Stakes (2005) United Nations Stakes (2006,2007) Turf Classic Stakes (2006) Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational Handicap (2006, 2007) Canadian Turf Handicap (2006) Breeders' Cup Turf (2007) |
|
| Awards | |
| American Champion Male Turf Horse (2007) | |
| Horse (Equus ferus caballus) | |
| Last updated on October 27, 2007 | |
English Channel (foaled April 10, 2002 in Kentucky) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse. Owned by James T. Scatuorchio and bred by Keene Ridge Farm, he was sired by Smart Strike out of the Theatrical mare Belva. In four years of racing, he competed in twenty three races, winning thirteen, finishing second in four, and finishing third in one. His final victory came at the 2007 Breeders' Cup Turf, where he set a record for this race when he won by seven lengths. Following this race, he was retired to stud in Lexington, Kentucky.
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English Channel made his first start at the age of two in a 1 1/16 mile maiden race on the turf at Saratoga. Ridden by John Velazquez, English Channel got off to a slow start in his first race, running midpack almost throughout before accelerating to the lead and pulling away to break his maiden by a length in his first time out.[1][2]
Seven months later, in March 2005, he made his second career start in an allowance at Gulfstream Park. Once again he ran midpack, but unlike in his maiden race, he was unable to close ground on the eventual winner Drum Major and came across the wire in fourth place.[2] Exactly one month later, English Channel ran in an allowance at Keeneland Race Course. After making a four-wide sweeping move, he ran at the front of the pack, eventually taking the lead and recording a 5.75 length victory.[2]
On Preakness day at Pimlico, English Channel made his stakes debut in the listed Woodlawn Stakes. After running much of the race in traffic, he once again charged into the lead and pulled away, winning by 4 lengths, marking his first career stakes victory, his second straight victory by more than three lengths and his third overall victory.[3]
In June 2005, Pletcher pointed the horse to the inaugural Colonial Turf Cup at Colonial Downs to try for the first leg of the Grand Slam of Grass. Currently a Grade II event, the race was a listed stakes in its first year. Running on the outside in third during the opening portions of the race, English Channel once again took the lead and pulled away from his competitors to score his third straight victory.[4]
English Channel then attempted the second leg of the Grand Slam, running in the Virginia Derby, once again at Colonial Downs. This race would mark his graded-stakes debut, as the Virginia Derby was a Grade III event at that time. After taking a few missteps on the backstretch, he recovered and once again drove to the finish line, winning by 3.25 lengths, marking his fourth straight victory and his first career graded stakes win.[5]
From Colonial Downs, the Grand Slam of Grass moved to Arlington Park for the third leg - the Secretariat Stakes. Going into the race as the favorite in his Grade I debut, English Channel was halfway to becoming the first horse to complete the Grand Slam of Grass.[6] However, the Secretariat would not be his race. After racing alongsid Purim, English Channel was overtaken by Gun Salute, who had been following the leaders in third. Gun Salute pulled away slightly, beating English Channel to the wire by 1.75 lengths, ending both his win streak and his chances at a Grand Slam.[7]
A narrow defeat followed in the Turf Classic Invitational at Belmont Park. Making his first start against older horses, English Channel lost by a head bob to Shakespeare after the two horses had raced alongside each other throughout the closing stages.[8]
Rounding out his three-year-old campaign, English Channel ran fifth in the Breeders' Cup Turf after tiring in the stretch, only the second time in his career he had finished outside of the top two.[9]
English Channel began 2006 in the same place that he began 2005 - Gulfstream Park. Going off as the 9-5 favorite in the Canadian Turf Handicap, he ran in second throughout, eventually taking the lead in the stretch and holding off Miesque's Approval to win by three-quarters of a length.[10]
After a two-month layoff, English Channel shipped to Churchill Downs to once again try to win a Grade I stakes. Unlike his last three attempts, however, English Channel would not be denied in the Turf Classic Stakes. Running third throughout, English Channel again accelerated when he hit the stretch. He was strongly challenged by Cacique but they hit the wire, English Channel was ahead by a half length, earning his first career Grade I victory.[11]
English Channel then headed back to Belmont for the Manhattan Handicap. After narrowly missing a Grade I in the Hirsch and a disappointing run in the Breeders' Cup, Belmont would again deny English Channel a win. After following the pace in his usual style, he was unable to get his usual kick when he hit the stretch and finished in fourth, with Cacique winning.[12]
A month later, however, he would reverse the form with Cacique. Running for the first time at Monmouth Park in the United Nations Stakes, English Channel raced in fourth for most of the race before they entered the stretch. In a repeat of their meeting at Churchill Downs Again, English Channel held off Cacique to win by a half length after accelerating in the straight.[13]
In his next race, English Channel's backers picked the worst possible year for him to make his first attempt at the Arlington Million. While English Channel and Cacique raced in third and fourth, The Tin Man, an eight year old son of Affirmed, set a pace so slow that some would later describe it as "murder". The slow pace enabled The Tin Man to conserve enough energy for the stretch and a very popular win. Due to the pace, however, English Channel was not able to make a move and finished fourth, slightly more than two lengths behind the winner.[14]
Pletcher ran English Channel in one final prep before the Breeders' Cup, the Hirsch at Belmont, a race inwhich he had been narrowly defeated the previous year. Co-entry Icy Atlantic took the lead and kept a slow pace while English Channel ran on the outside. When they hit the stretch, English Channel moved strongly to take the lead, pulling away to win by 4.5 lengths.[15]
In 2006, the Breeders' Cup was at Churchill Downs, the same location as English Channel's first career Grade I win. Considered a favorite to win the race, he had a better run than the previous year, but was unable to keep pace with Better Talk Now and eventual winner Red Rocks, finishing third, over two lengths behind the winner.[16]
Going against the modus operandi of the day, English Channel returned for yet another season in 2007, surprising many horse racing fans by starting his season in a Thursday afternoon allowance at Gulfstream. Despite the unimportant nature of the prize, he ran one of the best races of his career setting the course record for 1 1/8 miles and narrowly missing the world record by 0.59 seconds.[17]
Next, joining fellow American horses Lava Man and Miesque's Approval, English Channel shipped to Nad Al Sheba in Dubai to run in the Dubai Duty Free Stakes. The three American entries all ran disappointingly, with English Channel running the worst race of his career, finishing in 12th place.[18]
Another disappointment followed when English Channel again ran in the Manhattan. He led in the stretch and held off challenges from the outside, only for Better Talk Now to squeeze by on the inside, beating English Channel to the wire by a head.[19]
In his next start, a prep for the upcoming Breeders' Cup at Monmouth Park, English Channel attempted to defend his title in the United Nations against one of the country's top mares, stablemate Honey Ryder. On this day, however, Honey Ryder was no match for English Channel, who defeated her by a length with Better Talk Now well beaten. In addition, he set a course record with his victory.[20]
From Monmouth, it was back to Saratoga, where English Channel had not run since breaking his maiden as a two-year-old. In the Sword Dancer Invitational, "The Graveyard of Champions" lived up to its reputation, as long shot Grand Couturier ran away from English Channel, winning by three lengths. English Channel had to settle for another second, meaning that at this late stage in the 2007 campaign, he only had one graded win to show for his efforts.[21]
With just one stakes win in 2007, English Channel returned to Belmont, a track that he had only won at once in five starts despite going off on more than one occasion as the favorite. Returning in the Turf Classic Invitational, English Channel went off as the 2-5 favorite. Running his usual race by racing just behind the leaders, English Channel entered the stretch and attempted to make his move but was at first unable to find a clear run. When a gap did appear, English Channel accelerated through it, catching the leader and pulling away to win by 2.25 lengths.[22]
Coming off of his win in the Turf Classic, English Channel made his third attempt at the Breeders' Cup Turf. Going off as the second favorite behind the odds on favorite Dylan Thomas, English Channel ran in his usual spot just off the lead and he went to the front in the straight, pulling away from second place Shamdinan to finally win the Breeders' Cup Turf. The seven length win was the largest of his career and the largest winning margin in Breeders Cup Turf history.[23]
Following his winning efforts in the Breeders Cup Turf, English Channel was retired to stud where he began breeding in the 2008 season at Hurricane Hall Farm in Lexington, Kentucky.[24] He currently stands at Lanes End in Versailles, Kentucky.
| Finish | Race | Distance | Track | Date |
| 1st | Breeders' Cup Turf | One and One-Half Miles | Monmouth Park | October 27, 2007 |
| 1st | Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational Handicap | One and One-Quarter Miles | Belmont Park | September 30, 2007 |
| 2nd | Sword Dancer Handicap | One and One-Half Miles | Saratoga Race Course | August 11, 2007 |
| 1st | United Nations Stakes | One and Three-Eighths Miles | Monmouth Park | July 7, 2007 |
| 2nd | Manhattan Handicap | One and One-Quarter Miles | Belmont Park | June 9, 2007 |
| 12th | Dubai Duty Free Stakes | One Mile, 194 Yards | Nad Al Sheba Racecourse | March 31, 2007 |
| 1st | Allowance | One and One-Eighth Miles | Gulfstream Park | February 22, 2007 |
| 3rd | Breeders' Cup Turf | One and One-Half Miles | Churchill Downs | November 4, 2006 |
| 1st | Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational Handicap | One and One-Quarter Miles | Belmont Park | October 7, 2006 |
| 4th | Arlington Million | One and One-Quarter Miles | Arlington Park | August 12, 2006 |
| 1st | United Nations Stakes | One and Three-Eighths Miles | Monmouth Park | July 8, 2006 |
| 2nd | Manhattan Handicap | One and One-Quarter Miles | Belmont Park | June 10, 2006 |
| 1st | Turf Classic Stakes | One and One-Eighth Miles | Churchill Downs | May 6, 2006 |
| 1st | Canadian Turf Handicap | One and One-Sixteenth Miles | Gulfstream Park | March 11, 2006 |
| 5th | Breeders' Cup Turf | One and One-Half Miles | Belmont Park | October 29, 2005 |
| 2nd | Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational Handicap | One and One-Half Miles | Belmont Park | October 1, 2005 |
| 2nd | Secretariat Stakes | One and One-Quarter Miles | Arlington Park | August 13, 2005 |
| 1st | Virginia Derby | One and One-Quarter Miles | Colonial Downs | July 16, 2005 |
| 1st | Colonial Turf Cup | One and Three-Sixteenths Miles | Colonial Downs | June 25, 2005 |
| 1st | Woodlawn Stakes | One and One-Sixteenth Miles | Pimlico Race Course | May 21, 2005 |
| 1st | Allowance | One and One-Sixteenth Miles | Keeneland Race Course | April 13, 2005 |
| 4th | Allowance | One Mile | Gulfstream Park | March 13, 2005 |
| 1st | Maiden Special Weight | One and One-Sixteenth Miles | Saratoga Race Course | August 6, 2004 |
| Sire Smart Strike |
Mr. Prospector | Raise a Native | Native Dancer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raise You | |||
| Gold Digger | Nashua | ||
| Sequence | |||
| Classy 'n Smart | Smarten | Cyane | |
| Smartaire | |||
| No Class | Nodouble | ||
| Classy Quillo | |||
| Dam Belva |
Theatrical | Nureyev | Northern Dancer |
| Special | |||
| Tree of Knowledge | Sassafras | ||
| Sensibility | |||
| Committed | Hagley | Olden Times | |
| Teo Pepi | |||
| Mistinguette | Boldnesian | ||
| Royal Warrant |