GHOSTZAPPER

MATING RECOMMENDATIONS

14 G1 winners, 13 millionaires, six champions. Ghostzapper’s stud career has been one of elite quality since he retired from his own championship racing career.

Once again, this Adena Springs stalwart will end the year as a top 15 sire by American earnings.

It was an outstanding year for Ghostzapper, one capped by the brilliance of Goodnight Olive, whose unbeaten campaign culminated with wide-margin victories in the G1 Ballerina Stakes and G1 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint, in which she became the second winner of the race for her sire following Judy The Beauty.

It wasn’t just about Goodnight Olive, however. Moira emerged as one of Canada’s leading three-year-olds to defeat colts in the Queen’s Plate and win the Woodbine Oaks. 

Four-year-old Our Flash Drive added further to her record by taking the G2 Bessarabian Stakes while seasoned campaigner Fearless was an appropriate winner of the G3 Ghostzapper Stakes as well as the G2 Brooklyn Stakes. 

There was also a G1 2yo in Loggins, who was beaten only a nose by Forte in the G1 Breeders’ Futurity, to go with a juvenile stakes winner in Zia Zapper and Godolphin’s wide-margin Fair Grounds maiden winner Banishing.

Results from 2022 reaffirmed the success of several patterns already proven to be effective with Ghostzapper.

Goodnight Olive was bred by Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings out of the Smart Strike mare Salty Strike and therefore bred on the same Mr Prospector cross as the G1 winners Guarana (dam by Distorted Humor), Molly Morgan (dam by Distorted Humor), Better Lucky (dam by Seeking The Gold), Paulassilverling (dam by Grindstone) and Starship Truffles (dam by Not For Love). 

Fearless is also out of a Street Cry mare.

As Guarana, Molly Morgan and this season’s dual stakes-winning sprinter Visitant show, Ghostzapper has proven extremely effective with mares carrying Distorted Humor. 

Responsible for six stakes winners overall, it’s a variation of the Ghostzapper - Forty Niner cross that has also hit Graded stakes heights through G2 scorers Arena Elvira (dam by Twining) and Hear The Ghost (dam by Coronado’s Quest) as well as G3 winner La Javiera (dam by Roar).

2022 also provided an insight into his ability with Unbridled’s Song-line mares courtesy of Moira, out of a mare by Unbridled’s Song, and Zia Zapper, whose dam is by the Unbridled’s Song horse Old Fashioned. 

Previous to this year, Ghostzapper had sired G1 winner Paulassilverlining out of a mare by Grindstone.

Seeking The Gold blood has also become an element to Ghostzapper’s success, with the son of Mr Prospector appearing as the damsire of Better Lucky and G2 winner McCraken as well as in the deeper backgrounds of the G1 winners Contested and Guarana. 

As for G1 2yo Loggins, he joins Contested, G2 scorer Proctor’s Ledge and G3 winner In Good Spirits as a successful Ghostzapper produced on a variation of the Arch cross.

In Loggins’ case, he is out of a mare by Blame, who incidentally is bred on the same Arch - Seeking The Gold cross as the dam of Contested.

On a broader scale, Loggins reaffirms Ghostzapper’s affinity for mares containing Hail To Reason. 

Current G2 winner Our Flash Drive is another such animal, being one of seven stakes winners for the stallion out of a mare by Dynaformer - others include G1 winner Stately Victor, champion Theodora B. and G2 winner Varenka. 

G1-winning 2yo Nucky is also out of a mare by Rock Hard Ten while You And I is the damsire of G2 scorer Iliad. 

Ghostzapper has also enjoyed success with the Seattle Slew line. 

Dubai World Cup winner Mystic Guide is a case in point being out of an A.P. Indy mare and therefore bred on the same cross that produced fellow G1 winner Moreno as well as the G3 winners Champagne Problems and Matthewsburg.

G2 winners Mystical Star (dam by Capote) and Schiaparelli (dam by Avenue Of Flags) also represent the Ghostzapper - Seattle Slew cross.

Ghostzapper has also enjoyed notable success with Holy Bull via the champions Judy The Beauty and Holy Helena. Only 18 foals have been bred on the cross, yet its ten winners also include G3 scorer Happy Farm.

Results have also shown that reinforcements of various lines should come under consideration. Goodnight Olive, for example, carries inbreeding to Deputy Minister (grandam by Salt Lake) as does Nucky (granddam by French Deputy) and the G3 winner Gamble’s Ghost (granddam by Deputy Minister). 

He also has a noteworthy record when it comes to reinforcing Intentionally or his son In Reality. That came to fore again this year via Moira (4x5 to In Reality) to join a list highlighted by Stately Victor (4x4 to In Reality), Contested (4x5 to In Reality) and Shaman Ghost (3x5 to Relaunch; 4x6 to In Reality). 

G1 winner American Gal, who is out of the Ghostzapper mare American Story, is also inbred on a 4x4 cross to Relaunch and 5x5x5 to In Reality.

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