Shaman Ghost Brings Top Form Into Suburban Handicap

The Suburban Handicap (G2) currently stands out on Shaman Ghost's resume for all the wrong reasons.

In the 13 starts the son of Ghostzapper   has made beginning with his maiden triumph in March 2015, last year's edition of the 1 1/4-mile event represents the only time he finished worse than third. He did have an excuse that day according to trainer Jimmy Jerkens, a cough that developed close to the race and likely hindered him. Still, that fifth-place outing is a blemish his connections would like the now multiple grade 1-winner to stamp as an aberration.

If the 5-year-old bay horse runs to his recent form, making amends for that effort should not be an issue. With back-to-back graded stakes victories to his credit coming in, Stronach Stables' homebred Shaman Ghost figures to be the overwhelming pick in the field of six entered for the July 8 $750,000 Suburban Handicap at Belmont Park.

Since his effort in the Suburban a year ago, where he finished behind race winner and fellow Jerkens trainee Effinex  , Shaman Ghost has turned the corner and developed into one of the more consistent runners in the handicap division. He followed that disappointing outing by earning his first grade 1 victory in the Woodward Stakes (G1) last September. And after opening his 2017 campaign with a runner-up finish to champion Arrogate in the Jan. 28 Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1), Shaman Ghost invaded the West Coast and departed with three-quarter length triumph in the Santa Anita Handicap Presented by San Manuel Indian Bingo and Casino (G1) March 11.

While Shaman Ghost almost always gave a good account of himself, he hadn't  scored consecutive wins since 2015. He put that stat to rest last time out when he followed his 'Big Cap triumph with a determined neck victory over stablemate Dolphus in the May 19 Pimlico Special Handicap (G3).

"He had an excuse (in last year's Suburban), he came up with a bad cough pretty close to the race and didn't quite get over it," Jerkens said. "It looks like he's ready. He's got good races at Belmont. I wish there was something to run with (rival speedester Matt King Coal). It looks like he'll be out there by himself, but we'll just have to track along and hope we can run him down."

Shaman Ghost earned his first graded win over  the Belmont surface, taking the Brooklyn Invitational Stakes (G2) there last June. He has eight wins from 16 starts and  $3,719,311 in earnings.

Lady Sheila Stable's Matt King Coal went gate-to-wire in the 1 1/8-mile Mountainview on June 3 at Penn National, recording a career-high 102 Beyer Speed Figure. The son of Cool Coal Man won his first two starts of the year before finishing second in the grade 2 Charles Town Classic Stakes April 22.

"He's coming into the race well," trainer Linda Rice said. "We know it's going to be a tough race but he's won a stakes at Laurel and Penn National. I like the distance and we don't have to ship, so we're going to take a shot at it."

Veteran grade 1 winner Keen Ice will make his first start in more than three months for trainer Todd Pletcher. The 5-year-old son of Curlin   most recently finished seventh in the Dubai World Cup Sponsored by Emirates Airline (G1) on March 25, his 10th straight loss since upsetting Triple Crown winner American Pharoah   in the 2015 Travers Stakes (G1).

"It seems like he's in good form," Pletcher said. "You'd hope he'd be fresh and I think the mile and a quarter will suit him. Hopefully he gets a good pace; that would help him a lot. We felt that even coming off a bit of a layoff, his best chance would be at a mile and a quarter."

Suburban S. (G2)

Belmont Park, Saturday, July 08, 2017, Race 9

• 1 1/4m
• Dirt
• $750,000
• 4 yo's & up
• 6:18 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Keen Ice (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	117	Todd A. Pletcher	4/1
2	2Matt King Coal (FL)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	117	Linda Rice	7/2
3	3Sunny Ridge (NJ)	Manuel Franco	119	Jason Servis	15/1
4	4Watershed (KY)	Mike E. Smith	119	Kiaran P. McLaughlin	15/1
5	5Follow Me Crev (KY)	John R. Velazquez	117	Vladimir Cerin	8/1
6	6Shaman Ghost (ON)	Javier Castellano	123	James A. Jerkens	4/5