SHAMAN GHOST on his way to a 1 length win in the Santa Anita Handicap – Santa Anita Media photograph
SHAMAN GHOST – FIRST CANADIAN/ONTARIO BRED TO WIN SANTA ANITA HANDICAP
Surging off the rail with aim on front runner Midnight Storm, Stronach Stables’ Queen’s Plate winner SHAMAN GHOST powered to victory in the legendary Santa Anita Handicap (G1), the same race won by greats like Seabiscuit, Spectacular Bid, Alysheba and others.
It was the first win in the iconic race for a horse bred in this country and the 3rd win by Stronach in the Big Cap, whose MILWAUKEE BREW won it two years in succession.
The bay son of Ghostzapper from the Gilded Time mare Getback Time ran 1 1/4 miles in 2:01.57 good for a 108 Beyer Speed Figure according to Daily Racing Form. Shaman Ghost was 6 to 5.
SHAMAN GHOST becomes the second richest Canadian-bred in horse racing history to Strnoach’s Awesome Again, who has $4,374,350. Awesome Again also won the Plate and he went on to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic (g1)
FRANK STRONACH, OWNER/BREEDER OF SHAMAN GHOST, WINNER: “This is my third win in the Big ‘Cap (Frank Stronach also owned Milwaukee Brew who won the 2002 & 2003 Big ‘Cap’s.) Of course any time you win a Grade I it is a thrill, especially this race.
“I was kind of sitting there quiet (watching the race.) He’s had a lot of bad racing luck and he’s better than what he has shown. Today it all worked out.”
JAMES JERKENS, SHAMAN GHOST, WINNER: “He was in a nice spot the whole way, and then when the leader kicked away a little on the turn, for a second it looked like he was getting a little discouraged.
“Javier was able to head him to the outside, out of the dirt, and I felt good right before they turned for home. I felt like, ‘May the best horse win.’
“It didn’t look on paper like there was much pace, so it didn’t surprise me that he was placed where he was. He’s been showing up in all of his races, so I think he should get some (respect) now.”
Meanwhile, Shaman Ghost’s 2-year-old half brother by Point of Entry is in the upcoming MARCH OCALA 2-YEAR-OLD IN TRAINING SALE on March 14-15. Read more on him below.
SHAMAN GHOST now is considered one of the greatest Canadian-breds of all time, certainly in modern history, along with Awesome Again, Dance Smartly, Sky Classic, and Chief Bearhart.
KENTUCKY DERBY NEWS
One minute we were marveling at MASTERY, a colt who fought off 2 tough rivals throughout the early part of the San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita and drew off to a jaw-dropping score and seconds later, hoping he was going to be okay. The Candy Ride ARG) – Steady Course (Old trieste) colt was pulled up quickly after the wire by jockey Mike Smith who felt something off in the hind end of the colt.
Turns out the colt had a condylar fracture in a left front ankle and he is readying for surgery this week. The colt likely will not race again. With a 4 for 4 record and his 105 Beyer Figure from the win yesterday, this is a big loss for racing as he was looking like a potential superstar for Cheyenne Stables. Bob Baffert trains Mastery.
TAPWRIT – 96 Beyer Figure in Tampa Bay Derby win
The $1.2 million Fasig Tipton August yearling TAPWRIT blasted to a big win on a fast track in the Tampa Bay Derby and joins Gunnevera as a top Kentucky Derby contender. The son of Tapit os from the mare Appealing Zophie
Tampa Bay Downs media photo
From Tampa Bay Media – When you put more money up for grabs than ever before in track history, it’s logical to expect top-quality racing.
Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby winner Tapwrit and the other four stakes winners more than delivered.
The Festival Day card produced a track record and three stakes records (four if you count the Columbia Stakes, which was being run at a distance of a mile on the turf for the first time).
A crowd of 10,079 more than did its part to make the day memorable, contributing to total wagering handle of $12,123,021.60, the second-largest figure in Tampa Bay Downs annals.
“We’re extremely pleased and proud to see our biggest day receive such tremendous support from the Tampa Bay community,” said track Vice President-General Manager Peter Berube. “We wish all the participants the best of fortune going forward, and naturally we’re hopeful Tapwrit will move on to compete in the Kentucky Derby (Presented by Yum! Brands).”
The striking gray colt Tapwrit was the unquestioned standout of the afternoon, launching a powerful move approaching the far turn and going on to a four-and-a-half length victory from State of Honor in the Grade II, $350,000 Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby. His time of 1:42.36 for the mile-and-a-sixteenth is a new stakes record, and would have been a track record had not his stablemate, 5-year-old Stanford, won the $100,000 Challenger at the same distance three races earlier.
Both horses are trained by Todd Pletcher, who won his third consecutive Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby, fourth in five years and fifth overall. Tapwrit earned 50 points toward qualifying for a berth in the May 6 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs.
Also setting a course record was the 3-year-old filly Fifty Five, who won the Grade III, $200,000 Florida Oaks for 3-year-old fillies on the turf in 1:41.60 for the mile-and-a-sixteenth.
QUEEN’S PLATE NEWS
Favourite TIZ A SLAM made his 3-year-old debut in the Columbia Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs on Saturday and finished a decent 5th beaten 1 1/2 lwngths with an 83 Beyer Figure. The Chiefswood Farm homebred made a quick, wide rally into the last turn of the 1 mile grass race, was fanned wide and stalled a bit in the late stages but it should prove to be a good starting point on his way to the Plate.
Tiz a Slam, trained by Roger Attfield, won the one-turn , 1 1/16 miles Cup & Saucer Stakes and this was his first 2-turn race of his 5-race career.
STATE OF HONOR, owned and bred by Manfred and Penny Conrad of Waterloo, ran his usual good race in the Tampa Bay Derby, setting the pace and battling on hard even while TAPWRIT blew by him and ran in a near- track record of 1:42.36.
The colt was 2nd in the Coronation Futurity at 1 1/18 miles last fall, 2nd in the Mucho Macho Man at Gulfstream and 3rd in the Sam Davis. He won his maiden at 7 furlongs. Yesterday, the son of To Honor and Serve posted an 89 Beyer Speed Figure.
Whether the colt can win at 1 1/4 miles on Tapeta in July is a big question as he tries hard but may be better at one turn events.
STALLION HEIRESS, the top rated filly on the Queen’s Plate list, won again at Fair Grounds on Saturday. The Exchange Rate gal, bred by Sean and Dorothy Fitzhenry, led all the way at 20 cents on the dollar in a mini stakes event on the grass at 1 1/.16 miles, racing the distance in 1:44.76. She led all the way setting a slow pace buut continues to boss around turf fillies in the south.
AVIE’S MESA, a Sky Mesa colt for Ivan Dalos, earned a 73 Beyer Figure when 3rd in a 7 1/2 furlong grass race at GUlfstream on Saturday. The colt was 4th in the Cup and Saucer behind Tiz a Slam last season.
MARCH OCALA 2-YEAR-OLD SALE MARCH 14 – 15
SHAMAN GHOST’S little half brother by Point of Entry is in the catalogue. The colt is deep in the sale and is not a Canadian bred as Shaman Ghost’s dam Getback Time was sold carrying this 2yo for $42,000 to Arindel Farm.
Ontario breds in the sale:
at 44:10 of this YouTube video you can watch Robert Harvey’s homebred Scat Daddy 2yo colt worked in 9 and 4/5 for the sale.
3 10.3 C Macho Uno Mahalo Ontario Halcyon Hammock Farm, Agent II 1
26 11.0 F Super Saver Miss Dixie Halo Ontario Best A Luck Farm LLC, Agent VIII 3
51 out C Tale of the Cat My Sister Sandy Ontario Winners Circle Thoroughbreds LLC, Agent 4
55 out C Maclean’s Music Mystic Silver Ontario Eddie Woods, Agent XXII 11
122 10.3 C Shanghai Bobby Reef Road Ontario Mayberry Farm, Agent I 2
157 10.2 F Curlin Santerra Ontario Niall Brennan Stables, Agent XVI 8
181 out Artie Schiller Shukriya Ontario Mayberry Farm, Agent VI 2
261 out F Maclean’s Music Toula Ontario Wavertree Stables, Inc. (Ciaran Dunne), Agent 5
536 out F Street Sense Flawless Diamond Ontario Eddie Woods, Agent XIV 11
576 9.4 F Shanghai Bobby Hallnor Ontario Halcyon Hammock Farm, Agent III 1
577 10.0 C Scat Daddy Hangingbyamoment Ontario James Layden, Agent 13
581 11.2 C Graeme Hall Happy Vale Ontario Best A Luck Farm LLC, Agent V 3
640 10.3 F Eskendereya Kinkora Ontario Best A Luck Farm LLC, Agent VII 3
677 10.0 C Orb Lynnette Ontario de Meric Sales, Agent XXXVI
KENTUCKY DERBY POINTS
1. Gunnevera 64 Peacock Racing Stables LLC (Solomon Del-Valle, Guillermo Guerra & Jaime Diaz) Antonio Sano $1,042,800
Mastery 60 Cheyenne Stables LLC (Everett Dobson) Bob Baffert $480,000
2. Tapwrit 54 Bridlewood Farm (John & Leslie Malone), Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners (Aron Wellman) & Robert V. LaPenta Todd Pletcher $295,570
3. J Boys Echo 53 Albaugh Family Stables LLC (Jason Loustch) Dale Romans $255,000
4. Girvin 50 Brad Grady Joe Sharp $249,800
5. Practical Joke 34 Klaravich Stables Inc. (Seth Klarman) & William H. Lawrence Chad Brown $766,000
6. Classic Empire 32 John C. Oxley Mark Casse $1,493,820
7. El Areeb 30 M M G Stables LLC (Mohammed Al-Gadhi) Cal Lynch $330,000
8. Gormley 25 Mr. & Mrs. Jerome S. Moss (Jerry & Ann Moss) John Shirreffs $284,000
9. Untrapped 24 Michael Langford Steve Asmussen $120,000
10. State of Honor 22 Conrad Farm (Manfred & Penny Conrad) Mark Casse $119,564
11. McCraken 20 Whitham Thoroughbreds LLC (Janis R. Whitham) Ian Wilkes $285,048
12. Iliad 20 Kaleem Shah Inc. Doug O’Neill $200,000
13. Cloud Computing 20 Klaravich Stables Inc. (Seth Klaraman) & William H. Lawrence Chad Brown $60,000
+Not This Time 18 Albaugh Family Stable (Dennis Albaugh) Dale Romans $430,210
14. Wild Shot 17 Calumet Farm (Brad Kelley) Rusty Arnold II $132,200
15. Guest Suite 15 William S. Farish & Lora Jean Kilroy Neil Howard $144,040
16. Lookin At Lee 12 L and N Racing LLC (Don Nelson) Steve Asmussen $325,600
17. Term of Art 11 Calumet Farm (Brad Kelley) Doug O’Neill $119,000
18. Uncontested 11 Harry T. Rosenblum & Robert V. LaPenta Wayne Catalano $100,729
19. One Liner 10 WinStar Farm LLC (Kenny Troutt), China Horse Club (Ah Khing , et a; Todd Pletcher $300,000
Note: One spot in the Kentucky Derby starting gate is an invitation to the “Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby” point leader. The invitation order of
preference is Epicharis-JPN (50 points), Mont Saint Legame-JPN (40 points) and Adirato-JPN (20 points).
20. Irish War Cry 10 Isabella De Tomaso Graham Motion $272,660
21. Mo Town 10 Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith & Team D Tony Dutrow $188,000
22. Three Rules 10 Shade Tree Thoroughbreds Inc., Tom Fitzgerald & Roy Geoff Jose Pinchin $142,240
+Zakaroff 10 Antone Metaxas Steve Specht $122,000
23. No Dozing 10 Lael Stables (Roy & Gretchen Jackson) Arnaud Delacour $106,500
24. Royal Mo 10 Mr. & Mrs. Jerome S. Moss (Jerry & Ann Moss) John Shirreffs $90,000
25. Local Hero 10 e Five Racing Thoroughbreds (Bob Edwards) Steve Asmussen $40,000
