Maker Aims for Eighth Connally Turf Cup With Trio

Trainer Mike Maker seems to have a barn full of horses who succeed at long distances on the turf, so it's no surprise he's won seven of the past nine runnings of the $200,000 John B. Connally Turf Cup Stakes (G3T), a 1 1/2-mile race for older horses at Sam Houston Race Park. He's entered three in this year's edition set for Jan. 31—Ajourneytofreedom, Conviction Trade, and Marzo—who face an accomplished Florida invader in Spooky Channel.

Paradise Farms and David Staudacher own the first two, and Marzo is owned by Three Diamonds Farm, who also has 2020 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Presented by Coolmore America (G1T) winner Fire At Will in Maker's barn.

Conviction Trade has the best recent record of the trio having won or placed in his last three starts. The 5-year-old Exchange Rate horse was claimed for $50,000 at Belmont Park in October. He made his stakes debut Dec. 26 in the H. Allen Jerkens Stakes at Gulfstream Park, where he set the pace and finished second, beaten less than a length by graded winner Sir Anthony, in the two-mile affair.

"He had a good trip and showed his liking for the distance," Maker said. 

Rafael Hernandez will ride Conviction Trade, the 7-2 second choice on the morning line, from post 5.

Ajourneytofreedom rallied to finish fourth beaten 1 1/4 lengths in his last start, the Nov. 27 Gio Ponti Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack. The farthest the 4-year-old Hard Spun  gelding has raced is 1 1/4 miles, at which he was fourth in the Oct. 3 Belmont Derby Invitational (G1T). He placed twice in stakes on the West Coast last year before claimed for $80,000 in August at Del Mar. A 10-1 shot, he'll break from post 3 under Jesus Castanon.

Marzo will attempt to get back on the board for the first time since third in the Connally a year ago. The 6-year-old Medaglia d'Oro  gelding returned from a four-month layoff Dec. 31 in the Prairie Bayou Stakes on Turfway Park's synthetic track. He was third early but dropped back to finish 10th. He does have a win at 1 1/2 miles, though, from the 2019 Sycamore Stakes (G3T) at Keeneland. Albin Jimenez will be in the irons from post 6 on the 10-1 morning-line shot.

"Marzo had been off since running in the Sword Dancer (G1T) last August at Saratoga. He did not handle the synthetic surface at Turfway Park," Maker said. "We just used that race as a workout."

Terry Hamilton's Spooky Channel, trained by Brian Lynch, also has a graded win at the Connally distance from the 2020 W. L. McKnight Stakes (G3T) at Gulfstream. The 6-year-old English Channel  gelding got up to be fourth in the Dec. 12 Ft. Lauderdale Stakes (G2T) at the South Florida oval in his first start in five months. Regular rider Julien Leparoux has the mount in post 10.

"I thought the Connally was a very appealing fit," Lynch said. "Spooky Channel is a marathon sort of horse, and Julien has won on him before he came off a long layoff for the Ft. Lauderdale and finished well."

Spooky Channel is the 5-2 morning-line favorite.

Celerity, Prairie Bayou runner-up Signalman, Tenfold, Tut's Revenge, Changi, Vettori Kin, Strong Tide, and Henley's Joy complete the field.

Entries: John B. Connally Turf Cup S. (G3T)

Sam Houston Race Park, Sunday, January 31, 2021, Race 9

• Grade IIIT
• 1 1/2m
• Turf
• $200,000
• 4 yo's & up
• 6:07 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Celerity (KY)	Iram Vargas Diego	116	Waylon Cundiff	30/1
2	2Signalman (KY)	Reylu Gutierrez	120	Kenneth G. McPeek	12/1
3	3Ajourneytofreedom (KY)	Jesus Lopez Castanon	118	Michael J. Maker	10/1
4	4Tenfold (KY)	Stewart Elliott	116	Steven M. Asmussen	6/1
5	5Conviction Trade (KY)	Rafael Manuel Hernandez	118	Michael J. Maker	7/2
6	6Marzo (KY)	Albin Jimenez	116	Michael J. Maker	10/1
7	7Tut's Revenge (KY)	Ry Eikleberry	123	Clinton C. Stuart	9/2
8	8Changi (LA)	Weston Hamilton	116	Jeanne Marie Dolan	50/1
9	9Vettori Kin (BRZ)	Miguel Mena	116	Michael Stidham	20/1
10	10Spooky Channel (KY)	Julien R. Leparoux	123	Brian A. Lynch	5/2
11	11Strong Tide (IN)	Sophie Doyle	123	Michael E. Lauer	30/1
12	12Henley's Joy (KY)	Declan Carroll	116	Steven M. Asmussen	15/1