ROAD TO
THE BREEDERS’ CUP
September 15
Zapping Breeders’ Cup ghosts
by James Scully
Bobby Frankel wins at about a 30 percent rate and captured a
record 25 Grade 1 races last year. He’s been voted the nation’s
most outstanding trainer the last four years. A newcomer to the
sport would expect him to excel on Thoroughbred racing’s biggest
day, the Breeders’ Cup World Thoroughbred Championships, but that
hasn’t been the case.
Frankel is only 2-for-57 in Breeders’ Cup races. He’s saddled
the beaten favorite in the last three runnings of the Classic
(G1) and four times overall.
Bet against those trends this year. GHOSTZAPPER (Awesome
Again) is poised to end the heartache.
Saturday’s Woodward S. (G1) marked the first real route test
for the four-year-old, and Ghostzapper got exactly what he needed
in the prestigious 1 1/8-mile event. Closely tracking the pace
from the outset, the bay colt was carried wide into the stretch
by Saint Liam (Saint Ballado) and pushed toward the grandstand
rail through the final quarter-mile.
Saint Liam bumped and brushed repeatedly, knocking Ghostzapper
onto the wrong lead at one point, but there was no denying the
heavy favorite, who began to edge clear late for a neck decision.
The runner-up was extremely game in defeat and Ghostzapper
recorded the fourth-fastest Woodward ever at the distance with a
final time of 1:46 1/5.
Following daylight wins in his only two starts this year,
Ghostzapper needed a challenge. He’s now battle-tested and should
be dead-fit at Lone Star Park on October 30. He’ll bring the best
BRIS Speed ratings into the race with figures of 114, 117 and 112
this year. There’s a lot to like about the improving colt.
His detractors will cite the distance because Ghostzapper has
never been 1 1/4 miles. However, his sire is a Breeders’ Cup
Classic winner and his broodmare sire, Relaunch, produced a
Breeders’ Cup Classic winner (Skywalker) and many other
successful route runners. Ghostzapper doesn’t have to outrun his
pedigree to get 10 furlongs.
He’s got something in common with 1991 Classic winner Black
Tie Affair (Ire), who raced primarily in sprints before
stretching out in distance as an older horse. Black Tie Affair
finished eighth and third in the 1989-90 runnings, respectively,
of the Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) before easily handling his
rivals the following year in the Classic at Churchill Downs.
Defending champion PLEASANTLY PERFECT (Pleasant Colony)
represents a major challenge and ROSES IN MAY (Devil His Due) is
another dangerous, up-and-coming colt. Three-year-olds BIRDSTONE
(Grindstone) and THE CLIFF’S EDGE (Gulch) are also formidable
candidates, and a couple of solid entries could come from Europe.
They could all get zapped.
In other races of interest over the weekend, MAGISTRETTI
(Diesis [GB]) closed powerfully to take the Man O’ War S. (G1) in
his first start for conditioner Patrick Biancone. A Group 2
winner in England last year, Magistretti was a fast-finishing
third (moved to second via disqualification) in the Arlington
Million (G1) in his first start stateside and has established
himself as a top threat for the Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1).
Runner-up EPALO (Ger) (Lando [Ger]) ran a big race for the
opening 10 furlongs but was unable to last the final eighth of a
mile. The Group 1 winner doesn’t appear to want any part of the 1
1/2-mile Turf distance.
In the Gazelle H. (G1) for three-year-old fillies, Mother
Goose S. (G1) heroine STELLAR JAYNE (Wild Rush) earned her second
Grade 1 victory with a one-length triumph. The D. Wayne Lukas
trainee dropped seven straight starts before compiling a 3-2-0
mark in her last five races, earning much-improved Speed ratings
in all five outings. She’s yet to face elders, but the Distaff
division isn’t very deep this year.
Lukas has captured the Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1) twice before
with sophomore fillies (Spain and Sacahuista) and has a very
promising candidate this year in Stellar Jayne along with the
likely favorite AZERI (Jade Hunter).
Turfway Park will host the Kentucky Cup this weekend, with
Roses in May headlining the main event, the $350,000 Kentucky Cup
Classic (G2). Sunday’s program at Belmont features the Matron S.
(G1) for two-year-old fillies, Futurity S. (G2) for two-year-old
males and the Ruffian H. (G1) for distaffers.