Halloween Named Horses: Ghostzapper
With Halloween approaching I decided to write about a horse with a spooky name in Ghostzapper. The Awesome Again Colt was foaled in April 2000 by Frank Stronach's Adena Spring Farms.
Ghostzapper kicked off his two year old career with just 2 races, winning his debut at Hollywood Park and then later racing at Santa Anita and finishing 4th. After his 4th place finish in December of 2002 he would not return the track until June 2003. He would get his first taste of Stakes competition in the King's Bishop Stakes at Saratoga. He would race well behind the pace and when kicked in was unable to rally past 3rd place.
Ghostzapper made his next start in the Grade I Vosburgh Stakes on September 27. Despite having no stakes wins to his name, he was the second choice in a field of older horses. After trailing the field early, he unleashed a "devastating" burst of speed and pulled away to win by 61⁄2 lengths. After the victory he would be sidelined to recover from quarter cracks and a bruised hoof.
Although Ghostzapper was primarily thought of as a sprinter, trainer Frankel believed the horse might be able to handle longer distances. To test Ghostzapper's stamina, Frankel entered him in the Philip H. Iselin Breeders' Cup Handicap at Monmouth Park Racetrack on August 21 over a distance of 11⁄8 miles. Over a muddy track, Ghostzapper won the race by 103⁄4 lengths!! Thats a monstrous fete on a muddy track at that distance. Ghostzapper's next race was the Woodward Stakes at Belmont Park on September 11, again at a distance of 11⁄8 miles. Ghostzapper battled in stride with Saint Liam in the stretch and Saint Liam would come off the rail and bump Ghostzapper, but jockey Javier Castellano was able to pull away with Ghostzapper.
His final race of 2004 was the Breeders' Cup Classic at Lone Star Park, run over a distance of 11⁄4 miles. The excellent field included 2002 Horse of the Year Azeri, defending Breeders' Cup winner Pleasantly Perfect, American Classic winners Funny Cide and Birdstone, and multiple stakes winners Roses in May and Perfect Drift. The rail was no worry for Ghostzappers connections, they knew they had a special horse and knew the fans would witness something special today. Ghostzapper justified the confidence of his connections and led the entire way, pulling away in the stretch to a three-length victory over Roses in May. The final time of 1:59.02 set a new track record and an unofficial Breeders' Cup Classic record (because the race is run at different tracks, there is no official record).
Ghostzapper won the 2004 American Horse of the Year title, beating Smarty Jones in votes 174–95. He was also voted the American Champion Older Male Horse. Ghostzapper was also named as the world's top ranked racehorse by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) with a rating of 130. He finally made his 2005 debut on May 30 in the Metropolitan Handicap (more commonly known as the Met Mile) at Belmont Park. After settling into third place in the early running, he moved to the lead on the far turn and pulled away to win by 61⁄2 lengths. Ghostzapper was retired from racing on June 13, 2005, after the discovery of a hairline fracture of his left front sesamoid bone. Although he only had one win in 2005, his connections felt it helped solidify Ghostzapper's status as one of the all-time greats. "It was worth keeping him in training just for winning that one race", said Frankel. "He impressed people in the Met more than he did in the Breeders' Cup, and he ended his career in style." He retired with career earnings of $3,446,120.