Road to BC - 9/15

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.