LEXINGTON, Ky. – Even with all those Grade 1 races on his past performances, Channel Maker was no better than third choice Saturday in the Grade 2, $310,538 Elkhorn Stakes at Keeneland. The 8-year-old gelding reminded bettors that class often comes to the fore. Channell Maker, getting a well-measured ride from Luis Saez, posted his first win since the Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic in October 2020, paying $9 after finishing 1 1/2 miles in a stakes-record 2:27 over firm going. “He’s a tricky horse,” Saez said. “Today the key was to break and sit behind the other speed. We just tried to be in the clear and let him settle. He did a great job with it.” Trained by Bill Mott for a four-way partnership, Channel Maker now has earned $3,595,576 from 44 career starts. Once an habitual and sometimes uncontrollable front-runner, the Ontario-bred son of English Channel was willing to sit just off an Elkhorn pace set for much of the way by Two Emmys, gliding to the front with a quarter-mile remaining before finishing 1 1/4 lengths clear of a belated run from Another Mystery. :: Serious horseplayers use serious products. Get DRF's premium past performances, now free for the first time Bemma’s Boy, the 5-2 second choice in a field of eight older horses, was another half-length back in third, followed by Bama Breeze. Two Emmys, the 2-1 choice, faded to seventh. On a warm and breezy afternoon, Two Emmys led through splits of 25.13, 49.53, and 1:14.05 when getting mild pressure from longshot Tiberius Mercurius. In the last of three turns, after patiently tracking that pair while in a clear outside position, Saez gave Channel Maker free rein, and the gelding responded with a determined run through the final quarter-mile. “When we got to the top of the stretch, it was all about him,” Saez said. Channel Maker was making his first start since finishing fifth at 55-1 in the Breeders’ Cup Turf in November. He now has eight wins to go with his fat bankroll. His ownership group is Wachtel Stable, Gary Barber, Randy Hill, and Reeves Thoroughbred Racing. This was the third Elkhorn win for Mott, following his two-time winner African Dancer (1998-99), who held the former stakes record (2:27.80) from the second one. :: Take your handicapping to the next level and play like a pro with free Formulator, DRF's premium data product The 37th Elkhorn may have had its race shape altered with the early scratch of the speedy Phantom Currency, a wire-to-wire winner of the Grade 3 Appleton at Gulfstream Park earlier this month. Trainer Brian Lynch said Phantom Currency, a 6-year-old Goldencents gelding, suffered a recurrence of a soft-tissue injury that forced a 13-month layoff prior to the Appleton. Phantom Currency is owned by Susan and Jim Hill. The $2 exacta (5-9) paid $56.80, the $1 trifecta (5-9-1) returned $96.50, and the 10-cent superfecta (5-9-1-8) was worth $54.37. The Elkhorn was the final leg of the Turf Pick 3 (races 5-7-9), which returned $276.60 on a $3 minimum. Handle was $116,878.