Ghostbuster Colt Mystic Guide Could Jump From Jim Dandy Win To Preakness

Godolphin's Mystic Guide emerged from his triumph in the Grade 2 Jim Dandy at Saratoga in good order and shipped back to Fair Hill Training Center on Saturday evening, where trainer Michael Stidham is primarily stabled.

The sophomore Ghostzapper chestnut earned his first graded stakes victory in the 1 1/8-mile event over the Saratoga Race Course main track in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., and arrived off a third-place finish in the Grade 3 Peter Pan on July 16 to Country Grammer.

Stidham said the Grade 1, $1 million Preakness Stakes on October 3 at Pimlico Race Course is a possibility for Mystic Guide.

“We're going to look at it and see how he trains these next couple of weeks,” Stidham said. “He's already back at Fair Hill and looked good this morning. He came out of the race in good shape.”

Never off the hoard in five career starts, Stidham said Mystic Guide had always touted himself as a horse with a bright future. Following a five-length maiden score at second asking in his two-turn debut in March at Fair Grounds, he finished third in a one-turn first level allowance race at Belmont Park which was won by Tap It to Win en route to the Peter Pan.

“He always showed us a lot of promise right from the beginning,” Stidham said. “We stayed patient with him. We didn't put him in spots that he wasn't ready for. We tried to do the right thing by the horse, and it paid off yesterday. There was temptation in thinking about the Derby, but he didn't advance quickly enough to be in that picture.”

Following Saturday's Grade 1 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, which was won by Authentic who kept heavy favorite Tiz the Law at bay, Stidham said the 3-year-old division appears to be wide open.

“I don't think that there's a big difference in a lot of the 3-year-olds,” Stidham said. “Tiz the Law was certainly the leader of the group, and then obviously he got beat yesterday. I think it opens the picture up and I think our horse is lightly raced and could be coming into his peak now and coming up to his best racing.”

A Kentucky homebred, Mystic Guide is out of the three-time Grade 1-winning A.P. Indy mare Music Note. Stidham currently has Mystic Guide's half-brother Gershwin in his barn. The unraced 2-year-old son of Distorted Humor has been training forwardly at Fair Hill and Stidham said he could make his career debut soon.

“He's showing some early promise. He hasn't started yet but he's had some nice works,” Stidham said. “There are a lot of similarities. They're big, strong colts and Gershwin has shown some early talent. He's another one that's going to be a two turn horse. We aren't in any rush with him. He'll make his first start in the month to six weeks.”

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Shackleford Half to Monomoy Girl Tabbed a Rising Star at Del Mar

Superman Shaq (Shackleford), a half-brother to champion Monomoy Girl (Tapizar), disappointed with a dull effort in his debut, but made amends with a ‘TDN Rising Star’ worthy graduation at Del Mar Sunday. Shedding blinkers and sent off the 5-2 favorite for this second start, the chestnut colt strode out to the early lead and had company through a quarter in :22.08. He began inching clear turning for home, spurted further away after a half in :45.77 and bound home a 3 3/4-length winner. Parnelli (Quality Road) was second and Hot Pastrami (Dominus) was third. The time for the 5 1/2 furlongs was 1:04.25.

Superman Shaq was beaten 23 1/4 lengths when sixth after pressing the pace in his six-furlong debut at Del Mar Aug. 8, but had put in a solid string of three works since that Aug. 8 effort, most recently going five furlongs in 1:00 flat (3/58) Aug. 30.

“I thought I did, but I didn’t have him fit for the first race,” trainer Peter Miller admitted Sunday evening. “The blinkers off today helped him relax, too.”

Miller said the colt could make his next start in the Sept. 26 GI American Pharoah S., a Win and You’re in race for the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.

Superman Shaq was a $230,000 Fasig-Tipton October yearling and put in a sizzling quarter-mile work in :20 3/5 before reselling for $550,000 at this year’s OBS Spring sale. In addition to Monomoy Girl, who continued her illustrious career with a victory in Friday’s GI La Troienne S., the colt is a half to fellow ‘TDN Rising Star’ and graded winner Mr. Monomoy (Palace Malice). Drumette, in foal to Mastery, sold for $1.85 million at the 2018 Keeneland November sale. She produced a filly by Mastery in 2019 and a colt by Tapit in 2020.

7th-Del Mar, $56,500, Msw, 9-6, 2yo, 5 1/2f, 1:04.25, ft.
SUPERMAN SHAQ, c, 2, by Shackleford
                1st Dam: Drumette, by Henny Hughes
                2nd Dam: Endless Parade, by Williamstown
                3rd Dam: Mnemosyne, by Saratoga Six
$230,000 Ylg ’19 FTKOCT; $550,000 2yo ’20 OBSAPR. Lifetime Record: 2-1-0-0, $33,500. O-Gary Barber; B-Frankfort Park Farm & Michael Hernon (KY); T-Peter Miller. *1/2 to Monomoy Girl (Tapizar), Ch. 3-year-old Filly, MGISW, $3,386,818; and to Mr. Monomoy (Palace Malice), GSW, $327,162. Click for the Equibase.com chart or Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

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Hough: Woodward Winner Global Campaign To Train Up To Breeders’ Cup Classic

Sagamore Farm and WinStar Farm's Global Campaign earned a 104 Beyer Speed Figure for his frontrunning score in Saturday's Grade 1, $500,000 Woodward Handicap at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Trained by Stanley Hough and forwardly ridden by Luis Saez, Global Campaign was tracked throughout by Juddmonte Farms' regally-bred multiple graded-stakes winning millionaire Tacitus through splits of 24.65, 48.89 and 1:11.90 on the fast main track.

A busy Saez kept to task on Global Campaign late in the final turn and repelled the challenge from Tacitus to secure a 1 3/4-length win. He covered 10 furlongs in a final time of 2:01.40

“It was quite a performance. I'm so proud of him,” said Hough. “He came out of the race great and will be coming back to Churchill Downs later this morning.”

A six-time winner from nine starts with purse earnings of $781,080, Global Campaign made the grade in the 2019 Grade 3 Peter Pan at Belmont Park and entered the Woodward from a frontrunning score on July 18 over Math Wizard in the Grade 3 Monmouth Cup.

Hough said Global Campaign overcame some minor issues and is now living up to his early promise.

“He's had a lot of issues with nagging kinds of things, but at Monmouth I think he turned the corner,” said Hough. “He's been doing very well and his feet are better. We had a little problem with his feet after Monmouth with the shedding of a 'frog' [located on the underside of a horse's hoof], but that happens at some racetracks. For him, it's something that happens, but we were able to shoe him regularly for this race and he went into it fine.”

Hough said Global Campaign will now train up to the Grade 1, $7 million Breeders' Cup Classic on November 7 at Keeneland Race Course.

“We're hoping if everything stays good that we can take him to the Breeders' Cup,” said Hough. “We have 60 days, so the timing is good.”

By Curlin, Global Campaign is out of the late A.P. Indy mare Globe Trot, who passed away from complications giving birth to Global Campaign. Globe Trot produced three foals including multiple stakes winner and multiple graded-stakes placed Sonic Mule and multiple Grade 1-winning millionaire Bolt d'Oro, who now stands at Spendthrift Farm.

Hough said Global Campaign has the credentials to be a successful stallion.

“I think Global Campaign is a really talented horse and with that pedigree, as far as being a stud goes, I don't think there's anybody more qualified than him,” said Hough.

Hough said a more mature Global Campaign will hopefully be a handful for his opponents, rather than himself, in the Breeders' Cup.

“He's been his own worst enemy in the past,” said Hough. “As a young horse he could be a little playful and some of the things that bothered him, he caused himself. But he's maturing, so I'm hoping he has at least one more good one in him.”

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Maidens Figure to Have Big Say in Del Mar Futurity

Dr. Schivel (Violence), a blowout maiden winner last out, plus a pair of horses yet to earn their diploma make up a quality trio of major contenders in Monday’s GI Runhappy Del Mar Futurity.

Backed down to 3-2 debuting June 21 at Santa Anita, the Luis Mendez trainee rallied to be third after some trouble and was runner-up July 4 at Los Alamitos. Jumping way forward in his local bow Aug. 8, the bay blasted clear to a 5 3/4-length victory, earning by far his highest career Beyer with an 86.

Returning to take another crack at him is the runner-up from that day, Spielberg (Union Rags). Selling for a cool $1 million at Keeneland September, the chestnut was backed down to 4-5 debuting for Bob Baffert, but was no match for Dr Schivel. Breaking from the rail, he drilled five furlongs in :59 3/5 (2/74) over this track Aug. 22.

Dixie’s Two Stents (Quality Road) looks to give Doug O’Neill his third Del Mar Futurity win. Narrowly bested by Baffert’s odds-on Freedom Fighter (Violence) debuting locally Aug. 1, the $60,000 Keeneland November buy clocked his final furlong in :11.49 that day and has come back to blow out five panels in a bullet :59 flat (1/58) Aug. 30.

Weston (Hit It a Bomb), a 21-1 victor over Dr. Schivel in the aforementioned Arcadia heat, backed up that result with a game tally in the GII Best Pal S. Aug. 8. He’ll likely need a big figure boost off his career top of 67 to make it three in a row.

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