Two Ghosts, under Justin Stein, rallied with authority to take Saturday's $150,000 Grey Stakes (G3) at Woodbine.
Piper's Factor, 5-2 on the toteboard in the 1 1/16-mile test for 2-year-olds, emerged on top after an early scramble for the lead, as Midnight Mascot settled into second and was followed by 2-1 choice Pipit and Jayhawk through an opening panel in :24.72.
It was status quo for the top four through a half in :49.41 with Piper's Factor still a half-length clear, while Two Ghosts sat last of eight. As the field navigated the turn for home, Piper's Factor was under pressure from Midnight Mascot, as Two Ghosts' stablemate, Tunechi, arrived on the scene to their outside.
Two Ghosts, trained by Barb Minshall, began to make inroads as the field straightened for the stretch drive and then started to methodically pick off his rivals before striking front late. At the wire, the Ghostzapper gelding conjured up a one-length win. Piper's Factor nosed out Jayhawk for second. Tunechi was fourth. Sherif Ali and Simply in Front were both scratched.
The final time was 1:44.56.
“He just waited for the cue to run, and he was carrying me along nicely until we hit the quarter pole, and we worked out a trip through the field,” said Stein. “When I asked him to run, he really accelerated and showed an extremely impressive turn of foot. The rest is history.”
“He's always been a little quirky of a horse in general and sometimes can be a little stubborn, but he went in and had to wait a while,” added Minshall. “But he was good in there [the starting gate] and obviously broke well enough. I just told him [Justin], 'Let the horse get comfortable and just let him run. He's got a huge stride for his size, and he'll kick on when you find a path down the lane and just ride with confidence.' ”
Bred by Ghostzapper Syndicate and owned by Hoolie Racing Stable LLC, Two Ghosts came into the Grey off a solid second in the seven-furlong Display Stakes on October 15. It was the second straight runner-up result for the dark bay, who broke his maiden in his third start on August 27 at Woodbine.
An US$85,000 purchase at the 2022 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Two Ghosts is now 2-2-0 from six starts. His dam is the Distorted Humor mare Celia's Song.
Two Ghosts paid $14.90 for the win.
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