WON: Breeders Bowl Juvenile Turf Filly -G1, The Connecticut 1845 Handicap -Stk, MSW 36400.
2nd: Filly Grand Prix -G1, Silver Spoon Juvenile -G2

Track Records: None

Divisional Ranking: 2

Speed Ranking: 143 with a 93.727

By- Rbokie24

When the dark gray filly was born into ufslfarms stable, he really wasn’t sure what kind of runner he had on his hands. Ufslfarms entered the daughter of Silver Ghost into the EWC’s Million Dollar Baby competition in Indiana with hopes that she would shun her turf breeding and take a liking to the dirt. After the dust cleared in her first race, SJ’s Silver Ghost was seventh in the field of sixteen, some seven lengths behind the winner. Ufslfarms was happy to have barely made the cut into the second leg of the competition, but was disappointed in the less than expected effort of his 5/1 filly that struggled with an outside 12 post.

The EWC’s Million Dollar Survivors race took place six weeks later allowing the freshmen time to rehabilitate from their first efforts. SJ’s Silver Ghost emerged with higher odds of nearly 10/1, but gained some positioning with the seven post in a fifteen-horse field. SJ’s Silver Ghost broke well and stayed close throughout the six furlong race only to finish sixth in a huge group that were a mere two and one quarter lengths off the eventual winner. A better effort that gave the filly a 70 speed number, some 13 better than her maiden voyage.

The sixth place finish gave SJ’s Silver Ghost a trip to the EWC’s Million Dollar Finals and a post position of three in a seven-horse field. With odds of 5/1, Ufslfarms made his way to the betting window. His filly was fresh off another six-week rest and was revved up and ready to finally break her maiden in her third race. Unfortunately, the race went a whole second faster than the previous leg and SJ’s Silver Ghost faded quickly to fifth, nearly eleven lengths behind the winner.

Ufslfarms left Indiana and went back to the farm with his filly, disappointed with her three-race showing against open company. He gave her another five weeks off before entering her in a five and one-half furlong Maiden Special Weight in North Florida. Figuring that his filly did not care for the surface in Indiana, he entered her on the grass. With a strong pedigree for the lawn, the move made sense. At odds of 7/2, SJ’s Silver Ghost vaulted from the gate and led from the first quarter to the wire. She destroyed the fourteen-horse field of fillies by over four lengths going away. The monkey was off of Ufslfarms’ back. His filly had finally won.

With the first win behind her, SJ’s Silver Ghost took another six-week break before she found herself in Connecticut in the Connecticut 1845 Handicap. She had faced winners before in the EWC competition, but was new to the true handicap experience. As bad luck would have it, SJ’s Silver Ghost drew the nine hole in a nine-horse field. Ufslfarms wasn’t worried. His filly had experience from the outside of larger fields and he instructed the jockey to try and get the lead early. J. Ingram did just that and took the daughter of Silver Ghost to the front. She gained the lead shortly after the quarter pole and never looked back. The six and one half furlongs was the furthest she had ever traveled and she did it in style winning by three and one half lengths at odds of 7/2. The win earned her an 83 speed rating and put her onto the Breeder’s Bowl trail.

Immediately following the race, the organizers for the Grade I Filly Grand Prix at Royal Ascot contacted Ufslfarms asking about his filly. Ufslfarms was not too keen on shipping all the way to Europe on only five weeks rest, but the prestige of Ascot was enough to change his mind. SJ’s Silver Ghost arrived at E1 in week 1880 with odds of 10/1 and the eight post in a full field of fourteen. With several speed horses in the race, Ufslfarms wanted to try and rate his filly just off the pace. She broke well in sixth and easily stalked the leaders before making a bold move at the three quarters pole. With only a quarter mile left in the mile event, the dark gray filly had the lead in a Grade I race! The short rest and the long flight to England took its toll as the filly ran out of gas with just a sixteenth left to run. She put in a huge effort but was narrowly beaten by half a length at the wire. The second place finish earned her an 88 speed number and a date with destiny in the Breeders Bowl Juvenile Turf Filly race in California.

The six weeks between the Filly Grand Prix and the Breeders Bowl seemed like an eternity to Ufslfarms. His filly had come out of her first Grade I well. She had no signs of trauma and her spirit was sharp. The trip to Europe did not bother her one bit. As she trained up to the battle with the world’s top turf fillies, SJ’s Silver Ghost looked like she was maturing rather quickly. She was all business in the morning. On week 1922, it was time to transfer that business to the afternoon.

A full field of fourteen horses was entered in the big race. SJ’s Silver Ghost was given odds of nearly 9/1. She was coming out of the five hole and Ufslfarms was debating on whether or not he should instruct H. Harzheim to take her to the lead. Harzheim suggested he just try and keep her close and make his move at about the seven-furlong mark. With the race being a mile and a sixteenth, that would give SJ’s Silver Ghost a mere three sixteenths to take over and hold the lead.

The bell sounded and SJ’s Silver Ghost was sitting seventh only a length and a quarter off the leaders. Harzheim held his position through the opening half-mile and saw that his plan was working perfectly. At the three quarter pole, SJ’s Silver Ghost was sitting third just a head off of the dueling leaders. When they hit the seven-furlong mark, it was SJ’s Silver Ghost who had her head in front. Harzheim cracked the whip and the daughter Silver Ghost responded brilliantly. She would not allow the other horses to pass her! Ufslfarms knew that he was about to win the Breeders Bowl!

At the wire, SJ’s Silver Ghost kept her head in front and won in 1:44 flat. She held off the challenge of thirteen other fillies and earned a 93 speed for her effort. She vaulted to the top of the division in under two minutes! Ufslfarms was thinking he had something special on his hands now. He was second-guessing his idea of running the filly one more time in her two-year-old season.

After handling the mile and a sixteenth so easily, SJ’s Silver Ghost only got four weeks off before she was shuttled from California to Hong Kong for the Grade II Silver Spoon Juvenile. Many people in the horse racing world questioned Ufslfarms’ choice of bringing his champion back so quickly. Ufslfarms refused to answer questions and would not give any interviews.

At post time, SJ’s Silver Ghost was 5/1 with the outside post in a fourteen-horse field. Knowing that the horse liked to clear the field as quickly as possible, jockey M. Clubb tried to get her to the rail quickly. SJ’s Silver Ghost was able to pass nine of the fourteen fillies and was sitting just two lengths off the leaders. Through a half mile, she hadn’t lost any ground as was fourth by two and a quarter lengths. Clubb urged the champion two year old at the three quarter mark and she responded just like she had in her previous races. She ranged up to the leader and dueled all the way the stretch, but was unable to pass her losing by a head and settling for second. The champion had been beaten, but barely.

As the Eclipse awards neared, the two-year-old filly turf division had been shaken up so much that no horse was a clear-cut winner. The candidates were all lining up with their credentials in hand. Ufslfarms was confident that his filly’s turf record of 5/ 3-2-0 for a total earnings of $677,090 should be more than enough to bring her the crown. He was right.