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GSW Runaway Ghost Retired, to Stand in New Mexico

GSW Runaway Ghost (Ghostzapper–Rose’s Desert, by Desert God) has been retired from racing and will stand for the 2021 breeding season at Double LL Farms in Bosque, New Mexico. With lifetime earnings of $783,509, he won a total of six stakes races, from six furlongs to a mile and an eighth, by a combined 27 1/4 lengths. His GIII Sunland Derby win earned him the right to “Run for the Roses” in the 2018 GI Kentucky Derby, but he was forced to scratch prior to the Derby after suffering a training injury while at Sunland Park Racetrack in New Mexico.

Runaway Ghost came back as a 4-year-old and won three stakes races at Sunland Park before shipping to Kentucky for the GII Commonwealth S. at Keeneland, where he suffered an ankle injury after twice clipping heels in the race. A third generation homebred for Joe Peacock of San Antonio, Texas, Runaway Ghost retires sound and will continue to be owned by the Peacock Family as he starts his second career.

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Juliet Foxtrot, Varenka Trying To Get 2020 Seasons Back On Track In Saturday’s Gallorette

Juliet Foxtrot and Varenka, graded winners in 2019, will seek their first stakes score this season in the $150,000 Gallorette (G3) Saturday, Oct. 3 at Pimlico Race Course.

A field of eight fillies and mares was entered in the 1 1/16-mile Gallorette on grass, the second on a 12-race all-stakes Preakness Day program, and the first of seven graded events. First race post time is 11 a.m.

The Gallorette honors the Hall of Fame mare bred in Maryland, who was the leading money-winning female in history when she retired in 1948. During her five seasons of racing she often competed against the top male handicap runners in the country. She won 21 of 72 starts, including the Whitney and the Carter.

Augustin Stable's homebred filly Varenka showed so much promise as a 2-year-old that she raced in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1) as a maiden and won three of five starts last year, topped by a dead-heat victory in the Lake Placid (G2) at Saratoga.

The daughter of Hall of Famer Ghostzapper is winless in three tries in 2020. In her most recent outing, she was fifth, beaten 2 ¼ lengths, as the 3-1 favorite in the One Dreamer on Sept. 7 at Kentucky Downs.

“She's been a little disappointing this year, I would say,” trainer Graham Motion said. “She won a stake last year as a 3-year-old and I think she's found the step up to older horses a little bit tougher. Having said that, she hasn't been beaten very far in her races this year. I thought she was a little unlucky last time at Kentucky Downs. She didn't have a great trip and she was only beaten two lengths. In three times year this year she's been beaten two, three lengths each time. She's right there she just has to step up a little bit.”

Varenka will race in blinkers for the first time. She will start from the outside post under jockey Trevor McCarthy.

Juddmonte Farm's British homebred Juliet Foxtrot had a very strong 2019 season after being imported and turned over to trainer Brad Cox. The daughter of Dansili capped a three-race win streak with a front-running score in the Modesty Handicap (G3) at Arlington Park. She just missed by a nose to Vasili in the John C. Mabee (G2) at Del Mar, then was second to champion Uni in the First Lady (G1).

Juliet Foxtrot finished the season with a third, beaten 1 ½ lengths, in the Matriarch (G1). This season, the speedy 5-year-old mare, who drew the inside post in the Gallorette under Florent Geroux, has not been able to find the same type of success.

Robert and Lawana Low's 4-year-old homebred She'sonthewarpath has thrived this year for trainer Steve Margolis, winning three of five starts, all in stakes company. With Gabriel Saez taking over for regular rider Chantal Sutherland, the Declaration of War filly will be making her first start since finishing second on Aug. 2 in the Kentucky Downs Preview Ladies Turf Stakes. She'sonthewarpath's third dam is the Lows' standout sprinter Capote Belle.

Storm the Hill will make her first start since January and debut for top turf trainer Mike Maker. The 6-year-old Get Stormy mare, owned by Alastar Thoroughbred Company and Michael Valdes, is the most seasoned of the Gallorette runners with 29 starts. The Gallorette will be her 11th straight graded-stakes. Her most recent victory was in the Senator Ken Maddy (G3) at Santa Anita in November 2018. Horacio Karamanos as the mount from Post 3.

Not in Jeopardy, third by a half-length in the 2019 All Along at Laurel Park; No Mo Lady and Jabuticaba, respectively second and fourth in the 2020 All Along Sept. 7; and Wicked Awesome are also entered, the latter for main track only.

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Liveyourbeastlife To Give Abreu His First Shot At American Classic Race

A week after a quicker than anticipated breeze of Liveyourbeastlife, trainer Jorge Abreu said he wanted something a little easier from the 3-year-old son of Ghostzapper, and he got just what he was looking for with a six-furlong work in 1:16.20 on the Belmont Park main track in preparation for the Grade 1, $1 million Preakness on October 3 at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md.

Last week, the dark bay colt worked five-eighths in a swift 59.89, prompting Abreu to breeze Liveyourbeastlife without blinkers on Saturday morning. The conditioner said the equipment would remain on the horse for the Preakness.

“He had a nice maintenance breeze this morning; nice and steady. I wasn't looking for anything crazy,” Abreu said. “He had a nice, long gallop out which is just what I wanted. Last week, he breezed a little quick. I didn't want him to do too much, so I took the blinkers off for the work.”

Owned by William H. Lawrence, Liveyourbeastlife was a late-closing second to Mystic Guide in the Grade 2 Jim Dandy on September 5 at Saratoga in his most recent start, where he registered a career-best 94 Beyer Speed Figure at 14-1 odds.

Bred in Kentucky by Phillips Racing Partnership, Liveyourbeastlife is out of the multiple black-type producing Kris S. mare Ellie's Moment, whose notable progeny include Time and Motion – a Grade 1 winner on turf. Despite the fact that Liveyourbeastlife boasts a pedigree that would suggest turf, Abreu said the horse does not handle the grass as well as one would think.

“I worked him on the turf one day at Saratoga last summer and he didn't work well at all. He went [five-eighths] in 1:05,” Abreu recalled. “But he does well on the dirt, so no need to change anything.”

Liveyourbeastlife will give Abreu, who took out his trainer's license at the end of 2016 after working as an assistant for Chad Brown, his first contender in an American Classic. Abreu said he is looking forward to the milestone opportunity.

“I am very excited. The horse is going into the race in very good shape, so we'll take the shot and see what happens,” Abreu said.

A 4 1/4-length winner on debut last September at Belmont Park for a $62,500 tag, Liveyourbeastlife did not find the winner's circle again until August 12, where he won a first-level allowance event at Saratoga that included graded stakes placed Candy Tycoon prior to his runner-up effort in the Jim Dandy.

Abreu said the horse has continued to show gradual improvement throughout the summer.

“The horse isn't a flashy horse in the morning,” Abreu said. “Nobody expected him to run that big in the Jim Dandy, but he's just getting better with age and with more racing experience.”

Liveyourbeastlife is expected to ship to Pimlico Race Course on Tuesday morning and will be ridden by Mid-Atlantic based rider Trevor McCarthy.

In other Preakness Stakes related news, Paul Pompa, Jr.'s Country Grammer, who went a half-mile in 50.25 seconds over the Belmont main track Saturday, has been confirmed for the final leg of the 2020 Triple Crown and will look to give Brown his second victory in the prestigious event after saddling Cloud Computing to a victory in the 2017 Preakness. The son of second-crop sire Tonalist won the Grade 3 Peter Pan on July 16 at Saratoga and was a last-out fifth in the Grade 1 Runhappy Travers.

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The House that Awesome Again Built

All eyes will be on Santa Anita for their opening weekend feature in the GI Awesome Again S. as Bob Baffert trainees Maximum Security (New Year’s Day) and Improbable (City Zip) go head to head for the first time since that consequential first Saturday in May last year.

The $300,000 Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” contest could mark the emergence of an unusual stablemate rivalry.

Over two decades ago, the race’s namesake was part of a different rivalry– one for 1998 Horse of the Year.

Awesome Again had gone undefeated that year, claiming five consecutive victories in the GII Stephen Foster H., GI Whitney, GII Saratoga Breeders’ Cup H., GIII Hawthorne Gold Cup H. and finally the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic.

While his chief competitor Skip Away ended up finishing sixth in that year’s Classic, his five Grade I wins from earlier in the year were enough for Skip Away to be named Horse of the Year.

Adena Springs Stallion Manager Bill Drury admits his bias, but he said he still believes Awesome Again should have received the title from his Classic victory.

“That year’s Classic was the strongest field of horses ever put together in the same race,” he said. “I think he should have got Horse of the Year off that. Had he beat Skip Away twice, he would have.”

To prove his point, Drury can rattle off the field’s Grade I winners by heart: Awesome Again, Skip Away, Silver Charm, Arch, Gentlemen (Arg), Coronado’s Quest, Touch Gold, Swain (Ire) and Victory Gallop.

The horseman remembers being in the Churchill Downs’ grandstand that day.

“I didn’t see him cross the finish line because I knew I wanted to be in that winner’s circle,” he recalled. “When I saw Pat Day lead him between those horses, I knew he had it. It was such a thrill. I knew he was coming to my stallion barn and I was on cloud nine when he won that race.”

Drury said that Awesome Again got his Horse of the Year vengeance soon after taking up stud duty.

Awesome Again wins the Breeders’ Cup Classic with Pat Day aboard | Horsephotos

“I tell people that when he didn’t get it, it ticked him off so he said, ‘I’ll make my own Horse of the Year,’ and he produced Ghostzapper in his first crop.”

2004 Horse of the Year and Hall of Fame inductee Ghostzapper is one of the 14 Grade I winners, 13 millionaires and four Breeders’ Cup Champions that Awesome Again has produced. Ghostzapper’s win in the Breeders’ Cup Classic made his sire the first Classic winner to also sire a Classic winner.

After 21 years at stud, Awesome Again was officially pensioned last year from stud duty.

“After all that he’s done for us, we decided to let him enjoy his retirement,” Drury said. “We had people begging, ‘I’ve got a mare I want to breed to Awesome Again,’ and we literally had to keeping saying no. He deserved retirement.”

Even still, when Drury introduces guests to the farm, the homebred for Frank Stronach is still the headliner.

“I always start by telling my visitors to Adena Springs, ‘Welcome to the house that Awesome Again built.’ He’s our corner-post stallion. He’s still a crowd favorite when people come. He’s our first homebred champion and we’ve gotten several champions by him.”

Drury and Awesome Again have formed a close bond over their many years together, and the 26-year-old bay will always have a place in Drury’s heart.

“We’re pretty good buddies,” he said with a smile. “I believe the saying that cream rises to the top. Well he’s got to be one of the sweetest creams there is. His personality is one in a million. He’s got the heart of a champion and he’s just a classy horse.”

Adena Springs Stallion Sales Manager Ken Wilkins spoke on the success the farm has had with the son of Deputy Minister.

“A phenomenon you don’t see that much anymore is people taking the time and patience to develop sire lines,” Wilkins said. “Deputy Minister had a huge impact in Canada and of course in the United States. Awesome Again was one of our foundation sires and that led to Ghostzapper, who’s been a star in his own right.”

Wilkins noted that the sire line has come full circle at this year’s yearling sales.

“This will be Awesome Again’s last crop of yearlings that will go to sale. But at the same time, the sire line has been carried on by our Shaman Ghost (Ghostzapper), whose first crop of yearlings are offered this year. So it’s kind of a transition. Our hope is that Shaman Ghost will carry the baton.”

Wilkins added that he expects breeders will soon find many of the same characteristics in Shaman Ghost as they did in his grandsire.

“Breeders recognized the quality and consistency that Awesome Again had as a sire,” he said. “One of the things he brought to the table was that he was a proven bet. We certainly bet on him over and over again, and we cashed a lot of tickets from making those bets.”

Frank Stronach greets Shaman Ghost after his win in the GI Santa Anita H. | Benoit

Game on Dude, an eight-time Grade I winner and record three-time GI Santa Anita H. winner, is Awesome Again’s leading earner and one of his five multi-millionaires.

“Game on Dude is probably Awesome Again’s fan-favorite offspring,” Wilkins said. “It seems like a week doesn’t go by without someone coming out here and mentioning him. The career that horse had was tremendous.”

Awesome Again’s four other multi-millionaires include Ghostzapper, Eclipse Champion Older Mare Ginger Punch, GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Champion Wilko and Awesome Gem.

Drury explained that he has found a common trait in many of his charge’s top progeny.

“He’s not a big horse, but he put a giant’s heart in his horses,” he said. “Ginger Punch, Wilko, Game on Dude- they’re not big horses, but they could run. You can’t even see Ginger Punch in the photo finish [of her win in the 2007 GI Breeders’ Cup Distaff] because she was behind the horse that came in second. If there was one trait he passed on more than anything, it was the heart he put in the horse.”

In recent years, Awesome Again’s most successful progeny include last year’s GI Belmont S. winner Sir Winston, as well as Grade II winners Bravazo, Always Shopping and Something Awesome.

“That’s the sign of a great sire,” Wilkins said. “Great sires keep coming up with good horses. Then the next thing you see from a great sire is that they become a great broodmare sire.”

Awesome Again’s daughters have produced six Grade I winners, including Eclipse Champion Accelerate (Lookin At Lucky). Ghostzapper looks to continue the trend as the broodmare sire of Triple Crown hero Justify (Scat Daddy) and champion sprinter Drefong (Gio Ponti).

With Awesome Again’s final crops now hitting the track, Adena Springs hopes he can pass on the baton to the stallion empire he has constructed.

“He’s the center post of my stallion barn,” Drury said. “We’ve got his son, we’ve got his grandson and we have his half-brother Macho Uno (Holy Bull). He’s Adena Springs’ legacy, and I’m proud as I can be to have been with him.”

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