DrugSalvastore
06-18-2005, 06:08 AM
Here are my final thoughts on Ghostzapper and where he belongs.
I would put Ghostzapper in a class of what I would call "The explosive freaks of the drugs, medicine, and nutritional advancement age." He would top the list as well. The list of the elite would include
Ghostzapper, Dubai Millennium, Mazel Trick, Candy Ride, Left Bank, and Congaree.
The horse who I would point to as the starter of this trend--and sort of the father of this group--would be Mazel Trick. HE WAS A SUPER FREAK!!!! HE WAS GHOSTZAPPER IN 1999--but he only made it through two starts in '99 before suffering a career ending injury. For those who don't recall..
Mazel Trick was a Bobby Frankel trained son of Phone Trick, he made his first start in '99 off a seven month layoff and ran 7 furlongs in a SUPERSONIC 1:19 4/5ths on his way to a 5 length score in the Grade 2 TripleBend over a subsequent start track record setter who put 4 lengths on the third place finisher. No horse goes 7 furlongs in under 1:20 off a long layoff--this one did and he did while racing erratically. If you look up a chart for the race, you'll see it make mention to him "climbing." He CRUSHED the Hollywood Park track record, lowering it by an amazing 3/5ths of a second. He stretched out to two turns in his next start--and totally humiliated a good field by 6 lengths while under sound restraint. The 2nd place finsher to him, shipped to New York and won the Grade 1 Woodward and the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup in his next two starts. The 4th place finisher was Budroyale, he got beat 18 lengths to Mazel Trick that day, he subsequently won two Graded Stakes in his next two starts and than ran 2nd in the Breeders Cup Classic.
Mazel Trick was injured after the race and never raced again. In those two starts he made in '99--he was the supernatural freak of the decade of the 90's..and NO ONE will ever remember him because he only ran twice as an older horse, in untelivised West Coast races, and than his body gave out. It's worth pointing out that the fortunes of his trainer, Bobby Frankel, didn't collapse with MT in 1999. Frankel would go on to win Eclipse Awards for best trainer in each of the next four years--and one cynical old AOL board West coaster (not me!) seems to think that Mazel Trick was the very first horse to ever taste what he calls "the Frankel juice." I personally think Bobby learned something from Mazel Trick, a horse who he called "the best I've ever seen" at the time he trained him, and that is when greatness comes to you, you had better be as careful as possible with it.
I would put Ghostzapper in a class of what I would call "The explosive freaks of the drugs, medicine, and nutritional advancement age." He would top the list as well. The list of the elite would include
Ghostzapper, Dubai Millennium, Mazel Trick, Candy Ride, Left Bank, and Congaree.
The horse who I would point to as the starter of this trend--and sort of the father of this group--would be Mazel Trick. HE WAS A SUPER FREAK!!!! HE WAS GHOSTZAPPER IN 1999--but he only made it through two starts in '99 before suffering a career ending injury. For those who don't recall..
Mazel Trick was a Bobby Frankel trained son of Phone Trick, he made his first start in '99 off a seven month layoff and ran 7 furlongs in a SUPERSONIC 1:19 4/5ths on his way to a 5 length score in the Grade 2 TripleBend over a subsequent start track record setter who put 4 lengths on the third place finisher. No horse goes 7 furlongs in under 1:20 off a long layoff--this one did and he did while racing erratically. If you look up a chart for the race, you'll see it make mention to him "climbing." He CRUSHED the Hollywood Park track record, lowering it by an amazing 3/5ths of a second. He stretched out to two turns in his next start--and totally humiliated a good field by 6 lengths while under sound restraint. The 2nd place finsher to him, shipped to New York and won the Grade 1 Woodward and the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup in his next two starts. The 4th place finisher was Budroyale, he got beat 18 lengths to Mazel Trick that day, he subsequently won two Graded Stakes in his next two starts and than ran 2nd in the Breeders Cup Classic.
Mazel Trick was injured after the race and never raced again. In those two starts he made in '99--he was the supernatural freak of the decade of the 90's..and NO ONE will ever remember him because he only ran twice as an older horse, in untelivised West Coast races, and than his body gave out. It's worth pointing out that the fortunes of his trainer, Bobby Frankel, didn't collapse with MT in 1999. Frankel would go on to win Eclipse Awards for best trainer in each of the next four years--and one cynical old AOL board West coaster (not me!) seems to think that Mazel Trick was the very first horse to ever taste what he calls "the Frankel juice." I personally think Bobby learned something from Mazel Trick, a horse who he called "the best I've ever seen" at the time he trained him, and that is when greatness comes to you, you had better be as careful as possible with it.