The most recent weekend’s racing in the U.S. was highlighted by an epic Metropolitan Handicap (gr. I) duel between Shackleford and Caleb’s Posse. However, it also featured a notable achievement by a former Metropolitan Handicap victor – Ghostzapper – who was represented by graded winners on all-weather, turf and dirt. On Saturday, at Woodbine, Ghostzapper’s five-year-old son, Hunters Bay, made his stakes debut, and ran out a three lengths winner of the 8½ furlong Eclipse Stakes (gr. III), while narrowly missing the Woodbine track-record. Monday at Belmont Park was even more auspicious through the achievements of pair of Ghostzapper three-year-old fillies, Better Lucky, who captured the Sands Point Stakes (gr. II) on her turf debut, and Contested, who recorded her fourth straight win in five starts, with a dominating five lengths victory in the Acorn Stakes (gr. I).
A son of Awesome Again – Baby Zip by Relauch, Ghostzapper was, for our money the best U.S. dirt runner since Holy Bull, a decade earlier, and arguably for even longer period. He won nine of 11 starts, including the Vosburgh Stakes, by 6½ lengths as three-year-old against older horses; the Tom Fool Stakes (gr. III), by 4½ lengths, the Philip H. Iselin Breeders’ Cup Stakes (gr. III), by 10¾ lengths, the Woodward Stakes (gr. I), in a memorable battle with subsequent Horse of the Year Saint Liam, and the Breeders’ Cup Classic (gr. I), by three lengths in a new track-record, at four; and the Metropolitan Handicap (gr. I) 6¼ lengths in his only start at five. Ghostzapper began his stud career at $200,000, and the fact that he was advertised for 2012 at $20,000 live foal reveals that the highest expectations have not been met. Indeed, in terms of success to opportunity, the Champion has been overshadowed by his older and initially far less-heralded half-brother, City Zip. Still, while he may never again warrant a six-figure stud fee, the record is beginning to indicate that Ghostzapper Is a very usable stallion at his current asking price.
Ghostzapper now has 17 stakes winners, eight of them graded from his first three crops. The first crop, now five, has yielded nine stakes winners from 81 named foals, including the Blue Grass Stakes (gr. I) captor, Stately Victor; the previously mentioned Hunter’s Bay, who looks a contender for older horse honors in Canada; Pacific Ocean, who took the Vernon O. Underwood Stakes (gr. III); and the Turnback the Alarm Handicap (gr. III) winner Arena Elvira. So far there are only three stakes winners from Ghostzapper’s second crop, headed by Matthewsburg, who took Kentucky Cup Sprint (gr. III), but the third crop features five black-type winners, including not only the weekend stars Contested and Better Lucky, but also Italian group winner United Color, and Judy the Beauty, winner of the Shady Well Stakes and runner-up in the Spinaway Stakes (gr. I).
Looking at his two grade one winners, Contested (dam by Arch) and Stately Victor (dam by Dynaformer’s grade one winning daughter Collect the Cash) (both TrueNicks A+), we can note that they represent two of the 13 starters sired by Ghostzapper out of Roberto line mares. This follows a trend established by Awesome Again, who has three stakes winners from 30 starters out of mares by sons or grandsons of Roberto. We can also note that Contested and Stately Victor both have In Reality in their pedigrees. This is rather intriguing, as one aspect of Ghostzapper’s pedigree and stud career that is interesting is that he himself is a complete outcross through five generations (and by a stallion that was also almost an outcross at that distance, his sole duplication at that distance being Native Dancer 5 x 5), and is in a program that strongly favors outcross matings. In Reality – grandsire of Ghostzapper’s dam – who was inbred 3 x 3 to War Relic (himself inbred closely to two of the grandparents of Man o’War) is most intensely inbred individual in the first few generations of Ghostzapper’s pedigree. Perhaps, therefore, it’s not coincidence that In Reality already appears in the dams of five of Ghostzapper’s stakes winners, and as far duplicating In Reality within four generations, it’s found in three Ghostzapper stakes winners from only 10 starters.
A look at the pedigree of Contested reveals another inbreeding and linebreeding trend. Her second dam is by Seeking the Gold (by Mr. Prospector), that same horse appearing as sire of the dam of Better Lucky (TrueNicks A). The cross of Ghostzapper over mares by Mr. Prospector, and his sons and grandsons has produced six stakes winners from 54 starters (11%), with the other successful broodmare sires being Twining (Forty Niner branch, and from the immediate family of Arch, the broodmare sire of Contested), Smoke Glacken and his sire, Two Punch, Unbridled and Gulch. Overall, Mr. Prospector is duplicated in 10 of Ghostzapper’s stakes winners, and seven of his eight graded winners, at within four generations, Mr. Prospector appears in nine Ghostzapper stakes winners, from only 85 starters.
Ghostzapper’s best runner out of a Northern Dancer line mare is Italian group scorer United Color (TrueNicks A++), who is out of a mare by Langfuhr (and so one of two stakes winners from only seven starters on a Ghostzapper/Danzig cross, the other being out of a mare by Tilt the Stars). Graded winner Matthewsburg (out of a mare by A.P. Indy) and stakes winner Slews Answer (dam by Seattle Slew) are Ghostzapper’s two stakes winners from 33 stakes winners out of Seattle Slew line mares, this cross seeming to be less effective for Ghostzapper than for Awesome Again. The grade one placed Judy the Beauty (TrueNicks B+) is out of a mare by Holy Bull, sire of Champion Macho Uno out of the dam of Awesome Again. Holy Bull is a horse with a very similar genetic background to Ghostzapper’s broodmare sire, Relaunch, and his sire, Great Above, is a reverse cross to In Reality (this is one of two Ghostzapper stakes winners with duplication of In Reality’s sire, Intentionally through another source). Dynazaper (TrueNicks A++) is a rare outcrossed Ghostzapper, as she is from a daughter of Broad Brush (himself inbred 3 x 3 to Turn-to), also broodmare sire of a stakes winner for Awesome Again. Ghostzapper also has stakes winner Golden Ghost (TrueNicks B) out of a mare by Gilded Time, from the Damascus line, and stakes winner Z Appeal (TrueNicks A++) from a daughter of Turkoman (three stakes winners and a stakes placed horse from five starters by Awesome Again and Ghostzapper out of Turkoman mares). Turkoman’s sire, Alydar, is also broodmare sire of Arch, who we’ve met in the pedigree of Contested. We’ll also record that Stately Victor comes from the immediate family of Ghostzapper’s male line ancestor, Deputy Minister, and that Ghostzapper may also like Green Dancer and Grey Dawn II, from a family that has links to Deputy Minister’s female line.
We would also be remiss if we didn’t note that in addition to some marked pedigree trends, Ghostzapper appears to respond extremely well to racing class in his mates. Two of his stakes winners are out of grade one winners; six more out of grade two and three winners; and another three out of listed winning mares. With that in mind, he might be an interesting value for money play for a breeder with an older class racemare, with the right pedigree.
Alan could I ask your views on the fact that it has been proven by scientist at Cambridge University that the stallion we all know as Bend Or was in fact a horse called Tadcaster, going by everything I have learned it makes no difference generally speaking as both where by the same sire Doncaster.
From the strictly male-line aspect it doesn’t make a difference as both horses are by Doncaster.
However, it does impact in other ways. Tadcaster is half-brother to Mersey, the dam of Carbine, who came to England after his racing days in Australia were over, and had a significant impact as a stallion.
Tadcaster’s granddam, Eulogy, is half-sister to Voltigeur, great-grandsire of the great racehorse and sire, St. Simon.
Another half-sister to Eulogy (Volley, sister to Voltigeur) is granddam of Lord Clifden, who through Hampton is in the male-line of Gainsborough, Son-in-Law and Dark Ronald (a major influence in German pedigrees).
What this tends to do is to “tighten up” a lot of major pedigrees. For example Orme is a grandson of Tadcaster/Bend Or, out of a sister to St. Simon, so now is linebred to the female line of Tadcaster and Voltigeur. La Troienne and Teddy, also have a lot more inbreeding that family, including through Hampton (so they have the female line through Tadcaster.Voltigeur and Hampton) and Teddy’s famous sons Bull Dog and Sir Gallahad III were out of the great mare Plucky Liege, a Carbine/St. Simon cross, so having linebreeding to the family. War Admiral, who crossed so well with La Troienne’s daughters, had Tadcaster, Hampton, St. Simon and Carbine.
It also impacts a horse like Nearco, who has Tadcaster in his male-line, which comes down via Polymelus (dam by Hampton, so more of the family), and who has four crosses of St. Simon, and in his dam, more Tadcaster, as well Carbine, and a sister to St. Simon.
It doesn’t really effect how we deal with modern pedigrees, but it certainly does change our understanding of some from the past.