Win Win Win wins Forego, Channel Maker adds another G1 win
It looked like a hopeless situation. Midway around the far turn in Saturday’s Forego Stakes, Win Win Win was last of 11 horses, 17 lengths behind the leader, and he would have to make up the difference over a sloppy track that was being pelted by what remained of Hurricane Laura. Win Win Win was so far behind on the backstretch that at one point track announcer John Imbriale almost neglected to mention him. As the field spun into the stretch, Win Win Win was still the last by far to come into view, slicing through the rain and fog like a ghost horse before straightening out nearly 10 paths from the rail. He began gobbling up ground in huge chunks, but at the eighth pole he still had five lengths to make up – and five horses to pass. The son of Hat Trick collared pacesetters True Timber and Complexity in the final jumps, finishing a half-length ahead of the latter in a swift 1:21.71 for seven furlongs.
It was the first graded win for Win Win Win, whose resume includes in-the-money finishes in last year’s Tampa Bay Derby and Blue Grass, as well as unplaced efforts in the Kentucky Derby and
Preakness.
Channel Maker adds third G1
Even his most fervent admirers would probably admit that Channel Maker isn’t the most consistent horse around. Going into the Sword Dancer on Saturday, the 6-year-old gelding had won just five of 34 starts – he also had five seconds and four thirds – and was winless in his last 10. On the plus side, two of Channel Maker’s victories had come in G1 races (2018 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic and 2019 Man o’ War) and he’d earned more than $2.2 million.
Also in Channel Maker’s favor was the fact he’d previously run well on soft and yielding turf, including last year’s wins in the Turf Classic and G2 Bowling Green, indicating that he might handle the soft going in the Sword Dancer.
After a brief tussle, Channel Maker took over the lead from Marzo and proceeded to show the way through a cautious opening mile of 1:42.33. The son of English Channel started pulling away on the third and final turn, setting off down the lane with a two-length advantage that grew to five at the eighth pole and 5 ¾ lengths at the wire.
Favored Cross Border was second, followed by recent United Nations winner Aquaphobia. Sadler’s Joy, Channel Maker’s rival in 13 longdistance turf races, finished fourth.
Uncle Mo
With six graded winners and a ranking among the top stallions in progeny earnings, it had already been a good year for Uncle Mo. It got even better when sons and daughters of the 12-year-old stallion won four graded stakes at Saratoga and Del Mar over the past two weekends.
The flurry began at Del Mar on Aug. 22 with victories by Harvest Moon in the Torrey Pines and
Mo Forza in the Del Mar Mile. This past Saturday at Saratoga, Uncle Mo added triumphs by Yaupon in the Amsterdam and Bye Bye Melvin in the Saranac, giving him 10 individual graded winners for the year, the most of any stallion.
Yaupon showed himself to be a horse to watch in the Amsterdam. After sailing through the opening half-mile in :44.68, the undefeated colt covered the final eighth in 12 seconds flat, finishing the six furlongs in a serious 1:08.50 over a muddy (sealed) track. Winning trainer Steve Asmussen indicated afterward that bigger challenges lie ahead for his talented sophomore sprinter.