MACHO UNO Sire of G1-winning Millionaires from 6F to 10F AAAAA SSSSASS SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2016 WWW.BLOODHORSE.COM K A A K K K KK IN TODAY’S EDITION Union Strike Mows Down Milestones 5 Dead Heat for Tapit in Spinaway 6 Inspector Lynley Well-Timed in Saranac Run 7 Cathryn Sophia Strolls in Princess of Sylmar 8 California Chrome Cruises in Los Al Work 9 Kentucky Downs Turf Contenders Deliver 10 Three Rules, Cajun Delta Dawn Shine 11 Quiet Reflection Trumps Males in Sprint Cup 12 First Winners for Smart Bid, Keep On Punching 13 Evaluating Top First-Year Sires 14 Results 15 SKIP DICKSTEIN Entries 23 Shaman Ghost (black silks) dives through to win the Woodward Leading Lists 27 SHAMAN GHOST SPIRITS AWAY WOODWARD By Claire Novak Live Turf Racing September 3 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 15 tronach Stables' Ontario-bred Shaman Ghost, the S2015 Queen's Plate winner, dove to victory in a four-horse photo Sept. 3 and beat Mubtaahij by a head, stealing the $600,000 Woodward Stakes (gr. I) Sept. 3 at Saratoga Race Course. Dual grade I winner Frosted, favored at 2-5 in the field of nine, broke poorly and was an all-out third by a head. Shaman Ghost picked up his first grade I win. The 4-year-old son of Ghostzapper took the June 11 Brooklyn Invitational (gr. II) at Belmont Park, but Live Turf came down with an illness and was a flat fifth in Belmont's July 9 Suburban Handicap (gr. II), his start Racing before the Woodward. "The last race was a little disappointing," trainer Sept 3 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 15 Jimmy Jerkens said. "After the Brooklyn, he came “The Horseplayers down with a little bit of a nagging cough. It took Racetrack” him a while to get over it. It looked like he was $1.5 Million Average Daily Purses/KTDF training good up to it, and then was a little flat in Low takeout / full fields the Suburban. The rail was pretty deep that day, Great wagering value (continued on page 3) BLOOD-HORSE DAILY Download the FREE smartphone app PAGE 1 OF 27 ORIGINAL PHOTO BY ANDI TAYLOR "New York-breds are affordable and consistently have a positive ROI . an excellent asset for a stable, with lots of opportunities for great purses.” Trainer Todd Pletcher "The New York-bred program currently is as strong as I've ever seen it. When I go to auctions, I always look at the New York-breds available.” Trainer Chad Brown nytbreeders.org | 518.587.0777 For more information visit our website or call 518.388.0174 SERITA HULT PHOTO © Download the FREE smartphone app SHAMAN GHOST SPIRITS AWAY WOODWARD (continued from page 1) and he was stuck on it all the way around. I think a combination of the two, he got beat six lengths. "We didn't do a lot with him until we got up here. He seemed to perk up in Saratoga, which some of them do." After tracking fifth behind a pace set by Stephen Foster Stakes (gr. I) winner Bradester, who went a quarter in :24.38, a half in :48.43, and three-quarters in 1:11.97, Shaman Ghost made the turn five wide and was set down for the drive by Javier Castellano. When Frosted drifted inward making his rally, Cas- tellano shifted to the three path and his mount dove over gamely to find running room. "(In the stretch, Javier) didn't want to break his momentum," Jerkens said. "He would have had to take hold of him to take him to the outside. He said, 'I knew I had the horse, so I just went for it.' He said he wanted to beat Frosted to the punch, and the only way to get the head on him was to duck down to the inside. He saw daylight, and he took off." Joel Rosario said his decision to not put Frosted under the whip in the stretch was based on prior experience. "Every time I've ridden him, when I hit him with the whip, he didn't like it too much," he said. "When I turned (into the stretch) I thought he was going home free. Just the last 20 yards, it looked like he tired a little." Final time for the 1 1/8-mile test was 1:48.92. The Oct. 8 Jockey Club Gold Cup (gr. I) could be next for the winner. Off at odds of 9-1, Shaman Ghost returned $20, $8.50, and $3.10. Mubtaahij was worth $6.20 and $2.80 at 5-1, and Frosted brought $2.10. Complet- ing the order of finish were Breaking Lucky, Tapin Mojo, Catholic Cowboy, Tale of Verve, Bradester, and Samraat. Shaman Ghost improved his record to 6-1-1 from 12 starts for earnings of $1,291,811. He was bred by Adena Springs out of the stakes-placed Gilded Time mare Getback Time and is her only stakes winner. BH BLOOD-HORSE DAILY Download the FREE SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2016 PAGE 3 OF 27 smartphone app Download the FREE smartphone app UNION STRIKE MOWS DOWN MILESTONES and the momentum carried him past the leaders to By Eric Mitchell win by 2 1/4 lengths despite losing his whip. The final time was 1:23.22 cluster of milestones appeared at the wire of the "No special instructions for me today; they just A$300,000 Debutante Stakes (gr. I) as Union Strike said 'Keep her happy,' " said Garcia. "I've worked this opened up a commanding lead mid-stretch at Del filly the last few times and I broke her out of the gate Mar Sept. 3, and the 2-year-old daughter of Union one time. Something wasn't quite right. The gateman Rags mowed them all down. suggested we try a different bit on her. The one they Not only did Union Strike become a stakes win- were using was too strong. So they made the change ner and get her first graded stakes win, she became and it's made a big difference. She was a runner Union Rags' first black-type stakes winner and first today. And I think the farther they go, the better she's grade I winner. She is also the first grade I winner for going to be." her 25-year-old trainer, Shelby Ruis. "We always thought she would turn out to be a Union Strike was dismissed by bettors at 7-1 in really nice horse, and she has so far," said Ruis. "We favor of 8-5 favorite American Cleopatra, a full sister didn't have any worries going up against those other to 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah. The horses. They had all the pressure. We were the long- 5-2 second choice was Champagne Room, who won shot, but we knew what we had so we were really the Sorrento Stakes (gr. II) in her previous start. excited." Under Martin Garcia, Union Strike got a perfect- American Cleopatra finished second by a nose ly patient ride; at one point tracking next-to-last in over Champagne Room. The remaining order of the field of seven. Morganite led the field through finish was Noted and Quoted, Miss Southern Miss, fractions of :22.16 and :45.25 and going right with Morganite, and Holy Mosey. her was American Cleopatra, who passed the fading The winner was bred in Kentucky by Pollock pacesetter at the top of stretch only to hook up with Farms, Brian Kahn, Taylor Brothers Property, et al. Champagne Room. Garcia was in the midst of a pow- She is the second graded stakes winner out of the erful drive with Union Strike coming out of the turn, Smart Strike mare Classic Strike, who also produced grade II-winning millionaire Handsome Mike, by Scat Daddy. The mare has a Scat Daddy yearling filly, and this season foaled a colt by Broken Vow. Union Strike was pur- chased from the Old South Farm consignment to the Ocala Breeders' Sales Co.'s April 2016 sale of 2-year- olds in training for $375,000 by Ruis Racing, which is owned by Shelby Ruis' father, Mick Ruis Sr. Her connections indicated their newly christened graded stakes winner will next be aimed for the Oct. 1 Chan- delier Stakes (gr. I) at Santa BENOIT PHOTO Anita Park. BH Union Strike (outside) beats Triple Crown winner American Pharoah's full sister, American Cleopatra (inside) BLOOD-HORSE DAILY Download the FREE SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2016 PAGE 5 OF 27 smartphone app DEAD HEAT FOR TAPIT IN SPINAWAY drifted just a little bit and the other filly (Pretty City By Eric Mitchell Dancer) came over and brushed up a little bit right on the wire," said Castellano. "I knew it wasn't going wo daughters of Tapit— Pretty City Dancer and to affect anything but I was very lucky to hold onto TSweet Loretta—hooked up midstretch in the the dead-heat. She is a nice filly and she will move $350,000 Spinaway Stakes (gr. I) Aug. 3 at Saratoga forward." Race Course and battled to a dead heat in 1:24.18 on "I never really saw the head-on, but I thought we a fast track. won and then I thought we got beat," said Casse, who The co-winners were the only two stakes winners picked up his first Saratoga grade I. "Then I met up in the seven-horse field. Sweet Loretta came into with Todd and he said, 'Will you take a dead-heat?' and the race off a 4 1/4-length victory in the Schuylerville I said, 'I'll take a dead heat.' So that's what we got." (gr.