English Channel (April 9, 2002 – November 11, 2021) was an American Champion Thoroughbred racehorse and a leading sire of turf horses in North America. In four years of racing, he competed in 23 races, winning 13, finishing second in four, and finishing third in one. His final victory came at the 2007 Breeders' Cup Turf, where he set a record for this race when he won by seven lengths. Following this race, he was retired to stud in Lexington, Kentucky. Background Bred in Kentucky by Keene Ridge Farm, English Channel was sired by Smart Strike out of the Theatrical mare Belva. He was sold at the 2003 Keeneland September Sale for $50,000 to James T. Scatuorchio. He was trained by Todd Pletcher. Racing career Two-Year-Old Campaign English Channel made his first start at the age of two in a 1 1/16 mile maiden race on the turf at Saratoga. Ridden by John Velazquez, he got off to a slow start, running midpack almost throughout before accelerating to the lead and pulling away to break his maiden by a length. Three-Year-Old Campaign Seven months later, in March 2005, English Channel made his second career start in an allowance at Gulfstream Park. Once again he ran midpack, but unlike in his maiden race, he was unable to close ground on the eventual winner, Drum Major, and finished fourth. Exactly one month later, English Channel ran in an allowance at Keeneland Race Course. After making a four-wide sweeping move, he ran at the front of the pack, taking the lead and recording a 5 3/4 length victory. On Preakness day at Pimlico, English Channel made his stakes debut in the listed Woodlawn Stakes. After running much of the race in traffic, he charged into the lead and pulled away, winning by 4 lengths, marking his first career stakes victory, his second straight victory by more than three lengths, and his third overall victory. In June 2005, Pletcher pointed the horse to the inaugural Colonial Turf Cup at Colonial Downs to try for the first leg of the Grand Slam of Grass. Currently a Grade II event, the race was a listed stakes in its first year. Running on the outside in third during the opening portions of the race, English Channel took the lead and pulled away from his competitors to score his third straight victory. English Channel then attempted the second