Shaman Ghost (foaled May 5, 2012) is a retired Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 2015 Queen's Plate and was named Canadian Champion Three-Year-Old Colt.
[2] Ghostzapper was a "freakishly talented" racehorse whose career as a stallion has been somewhat hampered by the fact that his best runners tend to develop late.
"[5] His three-year-old season started the same way, with a fourth place finish in a maiden special weight race at Gulfstream Park on January 3, 2015.
[1] After losses on Polytrack, dirt and turf, Lynch decided to change things up by removing the blinkers the horse had previously worn.
[6] On July 5, Shaman Ghost entered the Queen's Plate, the first leg of the Canadian Triple Crown and run over Woodbine's Polytrack surface at a distance of 1+1⁄4 miles.
The two raced behind a fast early pace, then Danish Dynaformer made his move on the far turn, hitting the lead in mid-stretch.
At that point, Shaman Ghost was in fourth, but started closing ground on the outside, drawing away in the final strides to win by 1+1⁄4 lengths.
[5] Shaman Ghost's next start was the Prince of Wales Stakes, the second leg of the Canadian Triple Crown, held at Fort Erie Race Track on July 28.
"[8][9] Shaman Ghost did not enter the Breeders' Stakes, the third leg of the Triple Crown, and missed the rest of the year after undergoing surgery on his ankle.
[11] In December 2015, Shaman Ghost was switched to the stable of Jimmy Jerkens, who gave the colt time to recover from the ankle surgery, then entered him an allowance optional claiming race at Belmont Park on May 21, 2016.
"[13][14] Shaman Ghost's next race was supposed to be the Breeders' Cup Classic on November 5, but he spiked a fever and was scratched.
With an eighth of a mile remaining, Castellano hit Shaman Ghost left-handed and guided the horse out to the center of the racetrack to avoid engaging Midnight Storm.
"[20] On May 19, Shaman Ghost won the Pimlico Special by a neck over Dolphus, a half-brother to Hall of Famer Rachel Alexandra.
[21] On his next start in the Suburban Handicap on July 8, he raced in second behind a slow early pace, then moved to the lead as they entered the stretch.
"[22] Shaman Ghost was scheduled to make his next start in the Woodward Stakes on September 2 but developed breathing issues that required throat surgery, performed on August 13.
Stronach felt Shaman Ghost's presence would help strengthen the California-bred program, a key element in the success of the state's racetracks.