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Shaman Ghost aiming at Pimlico Special

by | May 12, 2017 | Breaking, Maryland, MD Racing, Racing

Shaman Ghost

Shaman Ghost won the Woodward Stakes at Saratoga. Photo by NYRA.

From a Maryland Jockey Club release

Big ‘Cap winner Shaman Ghost heads a quintet of horses that New York-based trainer Jimmy Jerkens plans to Pimlico for stakes on Preakness weekend.

Shaman Ghost is bound for the $300,000 Grade 3 Pimlico Special on May 19.

Stronach Stables’ star, a five-year-old Ghostzapper horse, has four graded wins to his credit, including Grade 1 scores in the Big ‘Cap last out and last summer’s Woodward at Saratoga. Two back he was second to Arrogate in the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park.

Shaman Ghost breezed five furlongs in a bullet 59.05 seconds Wednesday over the training track at Belmont Park, the fastest of 10 horses. He has run twice this year, finishing second in the $12 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) behind Arrogate and winning the Santa Anita Handicap (G1) March 11 last time out.

Jerkens said he also expects to run DeDe McGehee’s Dolphus, a half-brother to Hall of Famer and 2009 Preakness winner Rachel Alexandra and the son of 2010 Preakness winner Lookin At Lucky, in the 1 3/16-mile Pimlico Special for 3-year-olds and up. Dolphus is coming off a front-running one-mile allowance victory April 23 at Aqueduct.

Other horses Jerkens plans to run are Joseph V. Shields Jr.’s Full House in the $250,000 Black-Eyed Susan (G2) and Summer Reading in the $100,000 Skipat, both May 19, and Allen Stable’s Secretary at War in the $100,000 James W. Murphy on the Preakness undercard May 20.

“We’re still working on it but I wouldn’t want to get there any later than Thursday,” Jerkens said. “I’m leaning toward Wednesday because I’d like the horses all to get a look at everything, school in the paddock and maybe get a gallop over the track. That’s what we’d like to do.”