Shaman Ghost is the first Queen's Plate winner for Frank Stronach since home-bred Awesome Again in 1997. Awesome Again is of course a leading sire, and also grandsire of Shaman Ghost, whose sire Ghostzapper is also a home-bred of Stronach. Both Awesome Again and Ghostzapper had won the Breeders' Cup Classic for Stronach.
When Awesome Again won the Queen's Plate in 1997, he was only a maiden winner. He then won the Grade 2 Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga after his Queen's Plate victory.
Video of Shaman Ghost's Queen's Plate:
Here is Awesome Again's Queen's Plate:
The day before, WinStar Farm's home-bred Speightster, by Speightown, won the Grade 3 Dwyer Stakes at Belmont. His dam Dance Swiftly is a full sister to Dance Smartly; also a half sister to Smart Strike, who is yet another Canadian-bred leading sire born in the early/mid 1990s. WinStar bought Dance Swiftly for $2.4 million from Sam-Son Farm in the 1999 Keeneland November Sales.
Video of Speightster;s Dwyer win:
Both Smart Strike and Awesome Again were assigned Intermediate / Classic chef-de-race.
