Deceased South African champion, and Triple Crown winner, Horse Chestnut (Fort Wood) has well and truly established himself as a top-class broodmare sire with his daughters having produced the likes of Equus Champion Smart Call (a close and unlucky fourth in Sunday’s Gr1 Prix Jean Romanet), Canadian Gr1 winner and sire Cannock Chase (Lemon Drop Kid), and recent US Gr3 winner Fault (Blame).

Another high-class performer out of a Horse Chestnut is current Canadian star Dragon Bay (Parading), winner of both the Gr2 Nijinsky Stakes and G2 Eclipse Stakes at Woodbine this year.

The Triple Crown winner and former Drakenstein Stud sire was back in the limelight on Sunday-this time as the broodmare sire of a Canadian Classic winner.

Horse Chestnut’s maternal grandson Channel Maker (English Channel) landed the third and final leg of the Canadian Triple Crown at Woodbine on Sunday when landing the Breeders Stakes over 2400m on turf.

The Bill Mott trained colt, who was ridden to victory by Rafael Hernandez, was dispatched an 8/5 favourite for the $400 000 contest and he duly obliged in a thrilling finish. Hernandez had Channel Maker ninth through a mile before taking the lead down the stretch. He and Channel Maker ran neck-and-neck with Patrick Husbands and Final Copy (Maria’s Mon) to the finish line, securing the win by a nose courtesy of a late head bob. It was another half length back to third place finisher King And His Court (Court Vision).

The winner had to withstand three inquiries-which were later overruled and the result allowed to stand.

Channel Maker, winning for just the second time in his career, was produced by the three time winning Horse Chestnut sired stakes winner In Return. He had previously won the Vandal Stakes as a two-year-old.

To date, Horse Chestnut (sire of Gr1 winning fillies Lucifer’s Stone and Chestnuts N Pearls) is the broodmare sire of at least 16 black type winners.