English Channel

[kimberley mine]

Splitting this out of the Palace Malice thread.

So far he's the best stallion son of Smart Strike, better than Tenpins by far and outperforming a lagging Curlin.

Optimizer is a legitimate Gr-1 horse--a length behind Point of Entry after a long stretch battle--who keeps running into Wise Dan. I expect that if PoE is sidelined for the summer that Optimizer will pick up a Gr-1 at Saratoga or possibly Woodbine.

I did a bit of checking into his best runners and what I found is that although they were out of well-bred mares, the mares weren't always the best runners or producers AND their English Channel foals were the top earners of their dams for all but one:

Optimizer: out of an AP Indy daughter of Fantastic Find, EC foal is top earner by a long way, mare has a steeplechase stakes winner
Skyring: Dam is a very solid stakes-producing mare, has 2 Gr-2 winners including her EC foal, EC foal has $200k higher earnings than her next highest earning horse
Strait of Dover: has a 3/4 sister by Smart Strike who is multiple SW in BC, EC foal has the highest earnings by far
The Pizza Man: dam's other two foals are MCl winners
Channel Lady: only foal of her dam running
Star Channel: the lone exception, dam has a Gr-3 winner by Spinning World who is top earner

If he keeps that level of production up, he'll earn his keep. Lane's End is pretty good at tailoring their mare base for the distance-running stallions. One or two more good horses and I expect he'll get a lot more attention.

[dublino]

http://www.starquine.com/category/198/Y ... -MARE.html

http://www.starquine.com/category/198/Y ... -200K.html

http://www.starquine.com/category/198/Y ... $300K.html

3 Beautiful looking individuals.

[Cree]

Strait of Dover hasn't even been on the turf yet, and as long as he comes back from his injury (they are coming back carefully), this horse is a serious racehorse, and will be even better on turf.

[madelyn]

I saw English Channel in person when he first got to Hurricane Hall, back when that existed. Verging on TINY, he was that very narrow type that often has a stride that is quite unbelievable for a horse who might scrape 15 hands in heels. Proof that good things do, indeed, come in small packages.

[dublino]

Proof that good things do, indeed, come in small packages.

Madelyn I have been telling women this for years, I am glad some are now listening....

[kimberley mine]

I saw English Channel in person when he first got to Hurricane Hall, back when that existed. Verging on TINY, he was that very narrow type that often has a stride that is quite unbelievable for a horse who might scrape 15 hands in heels. Proof that good things do, indeed, come in small packages.

I was at Colonial the day he won the VA Derby. He came out into the walking arena wearing a white mesh fly sheet that looked exactly like a lace negligee.

I told my friend who was there with me, I'm not going to bother betting on this race. If this horse shows up to the biggest race of his life in a silk nightie, he's going to win. And he did.

[Shergar]

Splitting this out of the Palace Malice thread.

So far he's the best stallion son of Smart Strike, better than Tenpins by far and outperforming a lagging Curlin.

Optimizer is a legitimate Gr-1 horse--a length behind Point of Entry after a long stretch battle--who keeps running into Wise Dan. I expect that if PoE is sidelined for the summer that Optimizer will pick up a Gr-1 at Saratoga or possibly Woodbine.

I did a bit of checking into his best runners and what I found is that although they were out of well-bred mares, the mares weren't always the best runners or producers AND their English Channel foals were the top earners of their dams for all but one:

Optimizer: out of an AP Indy daughter of Fantastic Find, EC foal is top earner by a long way, mare has a steeplechase stakes winner
Skyring: Dam is a very solid stakes-producing mare, has 2 Gr-2 winners including her EC foal, EC foal has $200k higher earnings than her next highest earning horse
Strait of Dover: has a 3/4 sister by Smart Strike who is multiple SW in BC, EC foal has the highest earnings by far
The Pizza Man: dam's other two foals are MCl winners
Channel Lady: only foal of her dam running
Star Channel: the lone exception, dam has a Gr-3 winner by Spinning World who is top earner

If he keeps that level of production up, he'll earn his keep. Lane's End is pretty good at tailoring their mare base for the distance-running stallions. One or two more good horses and I expect he'll get a lot more attention.

Add Blueskiesnrainbows to the list. Grade II winner and Grade I placed. Out of a non-winning Deputy Minister mare. Next best sibling is listed stakes winner Cho Cho cat with less than half the earning of Blueskiesnrainbows.

Though only Graded stakes placed, English Class is at the head of the class compared to his siblings.

Maybe a few big time dirt runners, (could happen) would make some people take more notice.

Don't believe his progeny will ever be super popular in the sales ring.

As for his advertised 25k price. I know from 1st hand knowledge that if you have the right mare a good deal can be had on his stud fee.

EC was one of my favourites as a runner and I am pulling for him as a sire.

Regards,
Shergar

PS: One of his third crop contemporaries who I thought would be the next big thing sure has been a disappointment. Can you guess who that would be...LOL

[kimberley mine]

Add Blueskiesnrainbows to the list. Grade II winner and Grade I placed. Out of a non-winning Deputy Minister mare. Next best sibling is listed stakes winner Cho Cho cat with less than half the earning of Blueskiesnrainbows.

Though only Graded stakes placed, English Class is at the head of the class compared to his siblings.

And stakes-winning Trois Aureole, whose two siblings of racing age have less than $30,000 between them, and Anne of the Dance whose Chilean-bred dam (with obscure breeding even for south america) has as much as her next two highest-earning siblings combined, and Easy Crossing who has earned 3x the money as his only sibling to race so far (young dam).

What is even more striking to me is how, out of ALL of the dams of EC's top foals who also have foals by Smart Strike, the English Channel foals outperformed the Smart Strike 3/4 siblings. 100% of the time, when it happened. Strait of Dover, Anne of the Dance, Channel Isle, English Sunrise (alw winner). That's kind of crazy.

Don't believe his progeny will ever be super popular in the sales ring.

As for his advertised 25k price. I know from 1st hand knowledge that if you have the right mare a good deal can be had on his stud fee.

I think that if he continues with a level of high quality production, he'll settle into the mould of Broken Vow and Smoke Glacken.....there will always be a market for them as good-value money-earning racehorses, and an especially good one will sell big. The top-level fashionable sort? No, not unless something really unusual happens.

[Mac]

I agree with you guys ....I love English Channel. Love him love him so far. I bred two mares to him on discounted stud fees because I want a shot at serious two-turn horses and most of those stallions who can throw that are out of my reach. Definitely agree with some of you that there are indications he could turn out to be a talented sire. Some of this has already been covered but Optimizer, Pizza Man and Strait of Dover from his first crop have all set track records at route distances, and he has quite a few other runners who are good enough that they are running in graded stakes and are knocking on the door of getting a piece. At last check his a.e.I. is 2:00 for the year and 1.67 overall, and he is up there with the expensive stallions regarding "A" list runners on the APEX index for anyone who follows that. Still early to tell for sure, but he's definitely off to a good start.

[Fireslam]

Its interesting looking at the links dublino posted. All the same farm, really light pages for a commercial foal. I certainly hope they got a super deal on the stud fee for those mares. English Channel does seem to be a very good stallion at this point in the game. If those 3 foals mean anything, he certainly hasnt been supported with top mares.

[Mac]

Fireslam, my partner and I acquired a Mr. Prospector mare who was bred to English Channel by then-owner Brad Kelly and she's had four foals on the cross. Seemed liked a pretty in-bred cross but the first two runners are decent. Changethechannel is back in training after a layoff and was last a decent fifth in a gr 2. I bought one of them now a 3-yr-old and own him with a partner, and he's had a couple of outs and we like what we've seen. But it certainly is a d or f nick and there were quite a few mr. prospector line mares bred to him, not just this one. His best runners might be from the A.P. Indy line so far...

[Sunday Silence]

What is his temper and personality like? Loved English Channel!

[Mac]

the three year old is laid-back and smart, very nice personality. Hopefully we'll find out some more about his talent Saturday, 1st race at Arlington.

English Channel had a couple of winners today actually, both allowances (well, starter allowance and allowance). Yeah I'm a fan

[kimberley mine]

Hey Mac, congrats on a good second against a runaway winner!

[Mac]

thanks Kimberly Mine. Winner was a buzz-saw. Hopefully we won't catch one like that one next out