Hill ‘n’ Dale at Xalapa and Adena Springs’ Ghostzapper reached a prestigious milestone Feb. 18 when his 3-year-old son Stronghold became the sire’s 100th black-type stakes winner worldwide in the Sunland Park Derby (G3).
Eric “Rick” and Sharon Waller’s homebred was knocking on the door of a stakes win last year, when he was second in the Los Alamitos Futurity Stakes (G2) and Bob Hope Stakes (G3). The Sunland Park Derby victory by 2 1/2 lengths was his 2024 debut. The colt has two wins and three seconds from five career starts with trainer Phil D’Amato.
Stronghold wins the Sunland Park Derby Feb. 18 at Sunland Park
The Wallers bred Stronghold out of their homebred, multiple grade 1-placed, grade 2 winner Spectator . The daughter of Jimmy Creed won the 2017 Sorrento Stakes (G2) before finishing third in the Del Mar Debutante Stakes (G1). At 3, she was second in the Santa Anita Oaks (G1).
Stronghold is the result of multiple generations nurtured by the Wallers. They bought into the family when they acquired privately the stakes-placed Mr. Leader mare One Stop after she was bought back during the 1998 Barretts January Mixed Sale. One Stop produced graded-placed stakes winner Swiss Diva (Swiss Yodeler). Swiss Diva’s first foal was Diva’s Tribute (Henny Hughes), who broke a hock one week after she was born and never raced.
When it came time to breed Diva’s Tribute, pedigree consultant Anne Peters recommended either grade 1 sprinter Jimmy Creed or rising sire Into Mischief . Spectator is the second foal out of Diva’s Tribute.
Spectator’s mating to Ghostzapper followed a proven path of success. Mares by Distorted Humor and his sons—including Jimmy Creed—and grandsons have produced 27% black-type stakes winners from starters when bred to Ghostzapper. Among the stakes winners are six graded stakes winners: grade 1 winners Guarana and Molly Morgan ; grade 2 winner Rhyme Schemes ; and grade 3 winners Stronghold, Gloryzapper , and Two Ghosts .
This cross is represented by 55 foals of racing age, as of Feb. 19, that have collectively earned more than $5.8 million.
Ghostzapper raced as a homebred for Frank Stronach’s Adena Springs. The son of Awesome Again (also a Stronach homebred) was blazingly fast, with only one of his 11 lifetime starts producing an Equibase Speed Figure below 100. He won nine of his career starts and ran undefeated in 2004, when he was honored as Horse of the Year and champion older horse. Ghostzapper produced a 130 ESF in beating Saint Liam in the Woodward Stakes (G1) and in his next start captured the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) in a track-record 1:59.02 at Lone Star Park. His time in the Classic remains a stakes record.
Ghostzapper wins the 2004 Breeders’ Cup Classic at Lone Star Park
Ghostzapper is now the seventh-leading active North American stallion by number of lifetime stakes winners behind Darley Stallions’ Medaglia d’Oro (176), Gainesway’s Tapit (163), Spendthrift Farm’s Into Mischief (145), Claiborne Farm’s War Front (117), Lane’s End’s Candy Ride (114), and Hill ‘n’ Dale’s Curlin (101).
Ghostzapper has sired eight champions. They include 2022 Canadian Horse of the Year and champion 3-year-old filly Moira ; 2022-23 Eclipse champion female sprinter Goodnight Olive ; 2020 Canadian champion turf female Theodora B. ; 2017 Canadian champion Holy Helena ; 2015 Canadian champion 3-year-old colt Shaman Ghost ; 2014 Eclipse champion female sprinter Judy the Beauty ; and 2012 Canadian champion older horse Hunters Bay .
Ghostzapper at Adena Springs
Ghostzapper entered stud at Adena Springs Kentucky in 2006 at an initial stud fee of $200,000. He stood at the Bourbon County farm through 2020 and then was relocated to Hill ‘n’ Dale at Xalapa as part of a partnership between the two breeding operations. Stronach retains a majority interest in Ghostzapper, who stands for $75,000.
