BENDING STRINGS, HOST WIN AT BIG A HEADLINE p11 NEWS For information about TDN, DELIVERED EACH NIGHT BY FAX AND FREE BY E-MAIL TO SUBSCRIBERS OF call 732-747-8060. www.thoroughbreddailynews.com SUNDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2004 A DAY OF FIRSTS IN THE LONE STAR STATE ZAPPED! On a sunsplashed afternoon which saw the state of Sure, there were some questions to be answered Texas play host to the Breeders’ Cup World Thorough- going into the $4-million Breeders’ Cup Classic sur- bred Championships for the first time in its history, rounding Stronach Stables’ there were many firsts of the equine Ghostzapper (Awesome and human variety during yesterday’s Again). Consider the critics eight-race program at Lone Star Park. silenced. The bay colt made Ashado (Saint Ballado) kicked off the the most of his inside draw, day’s festivities with an authoritative leading every step of the victory, becoming the first filly to win way for arguably the most the GI Kentucky Oaks and the Breed- impressive victory in the ers’ Cup Distaff in the same season. 21-year-history of the Ghostzapper (right) leads the event. “This is as big a win Trainer Todd Pletcher was uncharac- field in the Classic Horsephotos teristically demonstrative in cheering as I’ve had in my career,” said winning trainer Bobby his filly to victory, and with good Frankel, winning his first Classic after saddling the post- reason; she provided him with his time favorite in each of the previous three years. “He first victory in a Breeders’ Cup event. ran the way I thought he would. This is a good horse--a For good measure, Pletcher made it two wins from 14 really good horse.” Classic cont p2 runners when Speightstown (Gone West) rallied up the inside to win the Breeders’ Cup Sprint. Both of the Click for the brisnet.com chart or the free brisnet.com catalogue-style pedigree. aforementioned runners were bred by Aaron and Marie Jones, who become the third breeders to be repre- BREEDERS' CUP CLASSIC POWERED BY DODGE S.-GI, sented by more than one winner on a single Breeders’ $3,668,000, LSX, 10-30, 3yo/up, 1 1/4m, 1:59 Cup program. Midlantic-based conditioner Graham (NTR/NSR), ft. Motion also celebrated a successful afternoon in the 1--GHOSTZAPPER, 126, c, 4, by Awesome Again Metroplex, highlighted by the upset victory of Better 1st Dam: Baby Zip (SW), by Relaunch Talk Now (Talkin Man) in the Breeders’ Cup Turf, who 2nd Dam: Thirty Zip, by Tri Jet also gave up-and-coming rider Ramon Dominguez a first 3rd Dam: Sailaway, by *Hawaii Breeders’ Cup win. Motion was also represented by O-Stronach Stables; B-Adena Springs (KY); T-Robert Filly & Mare Turf runner-up Film Maker (Dynaformer). J Frankel; J-J Castellano; $2,080,000. Lifetime Re- cord: 10-8-0-1, $2,996,120. *1/2 to City Zip (Carson Unheralded trainer Don Chatlos brought Singletary City), GISW, $818,225. (Sultry Song) into the Breeders’ Cup Mile off a single 2--Roses in May, 126, c, 4, Devil His Due--Tell a Secret, prep race, a third-place finish in the GII Oak Tree Breed- by Speak John. ($19,000 yrl '01 KEESEP; $115,000 ers’ Cup Mile, and, carrying the blue and orange colors 2yo 2002 OBSAPR). O-Kenneth L & Sarah K Ramsey; of Billy Koch’s Little Red Feather Racing, the four-year- B-Margaux Farm LLC (KY); T-Dale Romans; J-John old drove to a narrow victory. Julio Canani, who twice Velazquez; $800,000. saddled winners of the Mile, proved that he can do it 3--Pleasantly Perfect, 126, h, 6, Pleasant Colony--Regal on the main track as well, sending out Sweet Catomine State, by Affirmed. ($725,000 yrl '99 KEESEP). (Storm Cat) to a championship-caliber victory in the O-Diamond A Racing Corporation; B-Clovelly Farms Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. And for the first time, the (KY); T-Richard Mandella; J-J Bailey; $440,000. Breeders’ Cup Classic was won by a horse sired by the Margins: 3, 4, 3/4. Odds: 2.50*, 8.70, 2.50. winner of a previous Classic. On the eve of Halloween, Also Ran: Perfect Drift, Azeri, Personal Rush, Birdstone, it is only appropriate that the jewel of the afternoon Dynever, Fantasticat, Funny Cide, Bowman's Band, was won by a horse with a ghostly moniker. Newfoundland, Freefourinternet. TDN P HEADLINE NEWS • 10/31/04 • PAGE 2 of 15 Bred To Be Any Kind Faith In Castellano Pays Off A half brother to the good sprinter City Zip, Any rider would salivate at the chance to ride the Ghostzapper began his career racing around one bend likes of a Ghostzapper. A trainer could be easily swayed and found the winner’s circle three times from his first to make a switch to a “big-name” jock. But Bobby four trips to the post before finishing a hard-charging Frankel stayed with Javier third against the bias in the 2003 GI King’s Bishop S. at Castellano and the commit- Saratoga. He closed his sophomore season in style, ment paid off yesterday. “I winning the GI Vosburgh S. with a 116 Beyer Speed had all the confidence in the Figure, but trainer Bobby Frankel resisted the urge to go world,” the winning jockey on to the Breeders’ Cup, deciding instead to freshen commented. “He broke well him up for a four-year-old campaign. “Maybe he could and I took him off the rail. be the winner of the Met Mile next year,” Frankel said There was no question he at the time. Ultimately the bar would be set much wouldn’t go wire-to-wire. higher. Ghostzapper beneath a jubilant Javier Castellano Horsephotos He’s that sharp. Bobby said Pleasantly Perfect in ‘04 whatever you want to do Feet problems delayed a return to action until mid- with him, it’s your job.” For Castellano, the victory was summer, but Ghostzapper celebrated Independence Day particularly emotional. The Venezuela native, who cele- with a blowout success in the GII Tom Fool H., earning brated his 27th birthday Oct. 23, was tabbed to ride a 120 Beyer, the top sprint figure of the year. But in the Exogenous, one of the favorites in the 2001 Breeders’ back of his mind, Frankel thought of Ghostzapper as a Cup Distaff. But the Unbridled filly flipped coming onto two-turn animal. What he unveiled to a rain-soaked the track and later died as a result of her injuries. crowd on hand Aug. 21 at Monmouth Park for the GIII Philip Iselin H. was a two-turn monster, who hit 128 on The Defending Champ Checks In Third the Beyer scale. In his most recent effort, Ghostzapper Diamond A Racing Corp’s Pleasantly Perfect (Pleas- made it three-for-three on the year with a stirring vic- antly Colony), attempting to become the second horse tory in the nine-furlong GI Woodward S. Sept. 11, but to repeat in the Classic, endured a tough trip from the still, how would he handle furlong number 10? 12-hole en route to a third-place finish. “I couldn’t ever The Making of a Champion get him settled and I was wide on both turns,” said jockey Jerry Bailey. “The post position pretty much Sent off the slight betting favorite, Ghostzapper set cost me. He showed a lot of guts, but you can’t run the pace in advance of GI Whitney H. winner Roses in 1 1/4 miles on the bridle like that. It just doesn’t work.” May (Devil His Due) and the duo Tentative plans call for Pleasantly Perfect to contest the raced through sensible fractions G1 Japan Cup Dirt Nov. 28. of :23.42 and :47.00 for the half. Nearly inseparable with four furlongs to race, Ghostzapper Azeri Loses Little in Defeat began to separate himself from The decision to send Azeri (Jade Hunter) to the Clas- his shadow approaching the sic was much maligned, but the six-year-old mare ac- quarter pole and covered his final quitted herself well, finishing fifth. “I thought she ran Horsephotos two panels in a freakishly fast well,” commented her trainer D. Wayne Lukas. “We :23.64 for the win, accomplished took our shot, she ran hard and beat a lot of them that in track and stakes-record time. you guys [the media] liked.” (859) 233-4252 FAX (859) 987-0008 www.claibornefarm.com TDN P HEADLINE NEWS • 10/31/04 • PAGE 3 of 15 BETTER WIN NOW Joy Defeated All the pre-race hype was on Kitten’s Joy (El Prado Kitten’s Joy was the heaviest favorite on the Breed- {Ire}), but it was 27-1 longshot Better Talk Now (Talkin ers’ Cup morning line, but the three-year-old had his Man) who bumped and weaved his way to a 1 3/4- three-race win streak broken in a roughly run stretch length win in yesterday’s GI Breeders’ Cup Turf S. The drive. Kitten’s Joy looked to be moving to the outside five-year-old gelding won the GI Sword Dancer Invita- of a tiring Powerscourt, but was cut off by a rallying tional H. over a yielding Saratoga course at the Turf’s Better Talk Now. “I had to claim foul,” explained the 1 1/2-mile marathon distance favorite’s jockey John Velazquez. “I thought he had a and faced similar conditions yes- chance at the three-sixteenths pole, but the winner hit terday.