Tag: ghostzapper

Rhyme Schemes Dominates the Saratoga Special

Rhyme Schemes (Ghostzapper) backed up his big-figure Ellis Park maiden win with a dominating performance in Saturday's GII Saratoga Special S.

After bumping into 'TDN Rising Star' Edified (Tapit) at the start, the even-money favorite sat in the garden spot in an outside joint third through an opening quarter in :22.18. He loomed up with authority while three wide approaching the quarter pole and blew the race apart from there, running up the score in the stretch to win by 9 1/2 lengths. Longshot Market Street (Street Boss) was second. It was another 3/4 of a length back to second- choice Haul (Army Mule) in third.

A well-beaten sixth on debut behind subsequent Bashford Manor S. runner-up Wilson Q (Constitution) and troubled GIII Sanford S. runner-up Gold Sweep (Speightstown) in a very live maiden special weight at Churchill Downs May 18, Rhyme Schemes looked like a different horse with first-time blinkers, airing by 9 1/2 lengths second out going 5 1/2 furlongs at Ellis Park June 15. He earned a gaudy 94 Beyer Speed Figure that day, the highest of any 2-year-old in the country this season.

“There's always pressure,” winning trainer Norm Casse said. “The problem with Saratoga is I'm never 100% confident. I knew the horse was very talented from the onset. Right when we got him, I could tell that he had multiple gears underneath him. That number [94 Beyer Speed Figure last out] was so big it was hard to believe. I needed some more affirmation and I think we got it today.”

Rhyme Schemes will return in Saratoga's seven-furlong GI Hopeful S. on closing weekend Sept. 4.

“We skipped the Sanford with the intention of running him twice,” Casse said. “Here today and coming back in the Hopeful. I think going forward, he's going to be a better two-turn horse, but that remains to be seen.”

Winning owner Deuce Greathouse of Pura Vida Investments added, “The time he ran at Ellis was the first time we gave him his head and let him out, and today was the second time and you see what he does. It's kind of jaw dropping when he does it and sprints away like that.”

Pedigree Notes:

Rhyme Schemes, a $210,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase, becomes the 97th stakes winner/51st graded winner worldwide for Ghostzapper. The Ghostzapper/Distorted Humor cross is also responsible for GISWs Guarana and Molly Morgan. The winning dam Katherine, a $575,000 OBS April breezer, produced a colt by Honor A. P. in 2022 and a colt by Candy Ride (Arg) in 2023. She was bred back to Honor A. P. This is the extended female family of GISWs Malathaat (Curlin), Dream Rush (Wild Rush), Dreaming of Julia (A.P. Indy), et al.

Saturday, Saratoga
HERB MOELIS MEMORIAL SARATOGA SPECIAL S.-GII, $200,000, Saratoga, 8-12, 2yo, 6 1/2f, 1:17.12, ft.
1–RHYME SCHEMES, 120, c, 2, by Ghostzapper
1st Dam: Katherine, by Distorted Humor
2nd Dam: Eileen's Dream, by Bernardini
3rd Dam: Turbo Dream, by Unbridled
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($210,000
Ylg '22 KEESEP). O-Pura Vida Investments LLC; B-Parks
Investment Group, LLC (KY); T-Norm W Casse; J-Ricardo
Santana Jr. $110,000. Lifetime Record: 3-2-0-0, $180,950.
Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the
free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Market Street, 120, c, 2, Street Sense–Quality Way, by
Quality Road. 1ST BLACK-TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE.
($275,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP). O-Les Wagner; B-Robert & Lawana
Low (KY); T-D Wayne Lukas. $40,000.
3–Haul, 120, c, 2, Army Mule–Western Kitty, by Western Fame.
1ST BLACK-TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($260,000 2yo '23
OBSAPR). O-Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners & St Elias Stable;
B-KMN Racing LLC (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher. $24,000.
Margins: 9HF, 3/4, 2 1/4. Odds: 1.05, 12.90, 2.30.
Also Ran: Lasso, Edified, Woodcourt. Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

 

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War Front’s Mysticism Sails In at First Asking

1st-Del Mar, $83,500, Msw, 8-4, 2yo, f, 5fT, :58.17, fm, 1 1/4 lengths.
MYSTICISM (f, 2, War Front–Clairvoyance, by Arch) caught a flier on debut here and despite drifting in greenly, corrected quickly to set all the fractions on a wholly uncontested lead in :23.04 and a half in :46.30. Headstrong passing that half, she rated better coming two wide around the turn and responded when asked to produce a second wind in the stretch. Her advantage diminishing, but not fast enough, Mysticism sailed in 1 1/4 lengths to the good over Cailin Dana (Oscar Performance), who came on from the rear to take second.

 

The first to the races for her dam, the victress has a 2023 half-sister by Ghostzapper. Clairvoyance herself is a half-sister to a fleet of black-type runners including SW Dagnabit (Freud); GSW & G1SP Darwin (Big Brown); and SP Bad Boy Rising (Freud). The extended female family is active in Japan with GSW & G1SP-Jpn Win Marvel (Jpn) (I'll Have Another) as well as his full-sister GSP Win Gerbera (Jpn) flying the banner. This is also the female family of GII Remsen S. winner Comeonmom amd GISP Nolan's Cat. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $49,200. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
O-Cheyenne Stables LLC, Perry R. Bass II and Ramona S. Bass; B-Bass Stables, LLC & Candy Meadows, LLC (KY); T-Richard E. Mandella.

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MGSW Fearless Arrives At Old Friends

MGSW Fearless (Ghostzapper) was welcomed to Old Friends, the Thoroughbred retirement farm in Georgetown, Kentucky on Wednesday, Aug. 2, the organization said in a release early Friday.

The 7-year-old bay gelding, who was last seen running fifth June 10 at Belmont Park in the GII True North S., was retired to the farm by his owner, Mike Repole, a longtime supporter of Old Friends. According to Equibase he amassed eight wins over 19 starts and over $1.2-million in career earnings.

“Fearless was a gutsy and determined racehorse with the perfect name,” said Repole. “The stable really thought Old Friends would be a great place for him to spend the rest of his career with other great horses. I'm thrilled people will be able to visit him at Old Friends.”

Bred by the Helen K. Groves Revocable Trust and foaled in Kentucky on Mar. 17, 2006, Fearless was initially owned by China Horse Club International and WinStar Farm, and trained his entire career by Todd Pletcher.

“No one has been better to Old Friends and his horses than Mike Repole,” said Michael Blowen, President and founder of Old Friends. “We are grateful to him for several retirees, especially Fearless who won a Saratoga stakes race named for another Old Friends resident, Birdstone. And he's gorgeous. Fearless, that is!”

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Ghostzapper Juvenile Colt Romps at Ellis Park

2nd-Ellis, $120,000, Msw, 6-15, 2yo, 5 1/2f, 1:02.82, ft, 9 1/2 lengths.
RHYME SCHEMES (c, 2, Ghostzapper–Katherine, by Distorted Humor) reported home a well-beaten sixth on debut going five furlongs at Churchill Downs May 18. Adding blinkers here, the 8-1 chance was hustled to the front from his inside draw and faced some pressure rounding the far turn. The chestnut began to shake clear approaching the quarter pole and dropped the hammer in the stretch to graduate by 9 1/2 lengths over Ponce de Leon (Copper Bullet) in a sharp final clocking. Cowboy Code (Into Mischief), a $1-million KEESEP yearling, showed little interest while finishing ninth. Katherine produced a colt by Honor A. P. in 2022 and a colt by Candy Ride (Arg) in 2023. The Ghostzapper over Distorted Humor cross is also responsible for GISWs Guarana and Molly Morgan. Sales history: $210,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 2-1-0-0, $70,950. Click for the Equibase.com chart.
O-Pura Vida Investments LLC; B-Parks Investment Group, LLC (KY); T-Norm W. Casse.

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