Channel Lady made every call a winning one as she cruised to victory in wire-to-wire fashion in the $150,000 Suwannee River Stakes (gr. IIIT) for older fillies and mares at Gulfstream Park Feb. 9 (VIDEO).
Channel Lady didn’t come close to the track record for the nine furlongs, which was set by her sire, English Channel , who ran the distance in 1:44.51. She hit the wire in 1:48.82 under jockey Javier Castellano, just fast enough to hold off the closing Abaco by three quarters of a length. Inglorious was a nose further back in third.
Channel Lady has now won four of seven starts for trainer Todd Pletcher, who trains the 4-year-old for his father, J.J. Pletcher, and James Scatuorchio. The $90,000 first prize increased Channel Lady’s bankroll to $258,605. Out of the King of Kings mare Queen Supreme, she was bred in Kentucky by Kaygar Stable, Wayne Morris, and Bluegrass Hall.
“She’s been a very good, reliable filly for us from the start," said the winning trainer. "We think she might be best settling in behind the pace, but when we looked at this race there didn’t look like there was much speed in there. As it turned out there was no pace and Javier (Castellano) did the right thing to let her go ahead to the front. English Channel was so good at a mile and a half that I think she’ll go longer when we ask her. Right now we still have the Honey Fox (March 16) turning back to a mile here and we’ll seriously consider that.”
A $25,000 weanling purchase at Keeneland’s November mixed sale in 2009, Channel Lady had previously won the Stardust Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack last November. Her first try in graded stakes company resulted in a good second in the Marshuas River Stakes (gr. IIIT) at Gulfstream last month.
Sent off at odds of 7/2, Channel Lady went to the front and the inside and held at least a one length lead over Romacaca through tepid early fractions of :25.13 and :50.21. Abaco and Inglorious rallied from the back of the seven-horse field, but the slow pace did them in as Channel Lady closed in :11.20 to hit the wire first. Favorite Hard Not to Like finished fifth, trailing Kya One by a neck. Romacaca and Affair Dabbler completed the order of finish.
Leading Astray and My Pal Chrisy were scratched.
Channel Lady returned $9.60, $4.80, and $3.20. Abaco paid $4.80 and $3.00 while Inglorious returned $4.20. The $2 exacta was good for $51.20.
