Ghostzapper

[Swaps1955]

Any explanations why Ghostzapper has not one winner yet?

[karenkarenn]

I love him, but the year is not over yet.

[ASB]

There will be very real cause for concern if after Saratoga/Del Mar he still doesn't have a winner.

I was not particularly impressed with them as weanlings/yearlings, but he received a good book and had real talent to spare. He's still very live.

[LB]

He had one come close today. Dogwood Stable's Zapster got caught right before the wire in the 7th race at Saratoga.

[karenkarenn]

You know in regards to Zapster. He was available in shares and I called Cot myself, and asked between Zapster and the giacomo colt he had, and he told me that the Giacomo colt looked better than Zapster.
I still have that paperwork.

[LB]

You know in regards to Zapster. He was available in shares and I called Cot myself, and asked between Zapster and the giacomo colt he had, and he told me that the Giacomo colt looked better than Zapster.
I still have that paperwork.

Who was the Giacomo colt? His oldest are only yearlings this year.

[karenkarenn]

If you would like I can call Cott tommarrow. I know that I had to invest 75,000 in him. Which was a bit out of my price range.
karen

[FOS]

hi LB

He had one come close today. Dogwood Stable's Zapster got caught right before the wire in the 7th race at Saratoga.

If I had a dog (or in this case a Dogwood ) in the fight, I wouldn't be particularly pleased with Zapster's performance in general...and the way he finished in particular.

The way I read the chart, the course was Firm, Zapster pressed the pace, then went to the front and set a rather pedestrian pace of 1:11.86 (6 furlongs), 1:37.05 (the mile) then was worn down/outfinished by the winner.

You may have run the quarter (in your crocs ) from six furlongs to a mile faster than Zapster did (25:19) . As for the winning time...1:43.42 was not a whole lot to write home about either.

Whether young or old...I (for one) like to see a two-turn turfer (in this case two turns going a mile and a sixteenth) RELAX EARLY, come from off the pace and FINISH STRONG...rather than press the pace, take the lead relatively early, and finish the way Zapster did.

Oh well...often easier said than done.

Whatever the case may be...I wish Team Zapster plenty of luck.

Respectfully

[bcassidy]

believe it or not his best may be in Europe. It looks like they have to hope for late blooming horses........

[Heidilady]

You may have run the quarter (in your crocs ) from six furlongs to a mile faster than Zapster did (25:19) .

Hey FOS, long time no chat. Doesn't Azeri have a chestnut Ghostzapper yearling filly? Given how long it was before her parents got to the top of their game, I'm a tad nervous. If she looks like her mama though, maybe it's a good sign. I just scrolled through GZ's 2yos on this database and yup those are some nice mares. I hope he does well, I really do. Smarty Jones is just now cranking up a bit with a graded winner so they really need to be patient.

I dunno about you, but I'd pay good money to see someone try to run in crocs with toe grabs.

[FOS]

hello Heidilady

Great to see ya .

You may have run the quarter (in your crocs ) from six furlongs to a mile faster than Zapster did (25:19) .

I dunno about you, but I'd pay good money to see someone try to run in crocs with toe grabs.

Toe grabs? What a visual .

Hey FOS, long time no chat. Doesn't Azeri have a chestnut Ghostzapper yearling filly? Given how long it was before her parents got to the top of their game, I'm a tad nervous. If she looks like her mama though, maybe it's a good sign.

Whatever a Ghostzapper out of Azeri looks like, it certainly has two VERY tough acts to follow...WOW

I just scrolled through GZ's 2yos on this database and yup those are some nice mares. I hope he does well, I really do.

So do I. Reality is though...it's mid August, and some of Ghostzapper's connections may be feeling a spasm or two in their guts. Might a cup of Green Tea help...maybe with a shot of Gastrogard ?

Smarty Jones is just now cranking up a bit with a graded winner so they really need to be patient.

Seems to me that, in general, those that supported SJ (with mares, raising foals/yearlings, training, etc) have been very patient, and also offered the dual classic winner an exceptional opportunity. With that in mind, I'm not buying...are you?...that what we've seen of Smarty's disappointing (thus far) first crop is related to impatience...or lack of opportunity.

For what it's worth...seems (to me anyway) that most thoroughbreds (at the time of their conception) sired by stallions that stood for BIG-dollar stud fees (as did both Smarty Jones and Ghostzapper) often receive an extremely generous measure of patience & opportunity.

That's (for starters) why some may find Smarty Jones (as a racehorse sire) to be so EXTREMELY disappointing...

...after all, he stood for $100,000 (some seasons/nominations offered for a measly $70k) and was bred to a quality book of mares that owners were apparently willing to sink BIG-dollars into. Very simply...Smarty Jones was offered a BIG opportunity, and likely many (if not most) of his sons and daughters were the beneficiaries of a whatever-it-takes (including patience) attitude. All Things Considered...is it unreasonable to suggest that Smarty Jones' first crop did little, if anything, to fuel confidence in/enthusiasm for Smarty the racehorse sire?

As for Ghostzapper...he too was offered a BIG opportunity. Will his first crop (2yos of 2009) outperform SJ's first crop (2yos of 2008)? Who knows; but even though SJ didn't set the bar very high (thus far anyway) with his first crop runners...Ghostzapper certainly isn't knockin' 'em dead; not yet anyway. Patience...patience.

Bottom line...is it unreasonable to suggest that there may be a correlation between the Quality and Quantity of Opportunity afforded a stallion, and the measure/level/degree of patience (or lack therof) afforded the resultant offspring and/or the sire himself?

Thoughts?

Best.

Respectfully

[tbrace]

Hard to face but 9 of 10 stallion prospects are flops.

Being a race horse or a race mare doesn't really guarentee anything, except high early stud fees, and high prices for early babies (the first two or three crops.

[karenkarenn]

Ghostzapper gets a stakes winner in a dead heat.

http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/ ... dium=email

[Georgerz]

First winner and first stakes winner at once.

[merse]

Good for him but this story has an ironic twist. The other horse that dead-heated, Toboggan Slide was bred by a friend of mine, Jim Steele. When you are a small breeder, any stakes win is a big deal so I excitedly read this morning's online journals and, other than mentioning his name as "the other horse" that dead-heated, Toboggan Slide is ignored.

Lucky for Jim, though, Toboggan Slide has the September 26th Maryland Million Nursery as a target which is a week before the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Eastern Fall Yearling sale. (Jim has Toboggon Slide's full sister entered in the sale.)