Shaman Ghost back on his game

ELMONT, N.Y. – This is a big weekend for trainer Jimmy Jerkens, with Effinex in Saturday night’s Grade 1 Stephen Foster Handicap at Churchill Downs and Unified’s two-turn debut in the Grade 3 Pegasus at Monmouth on Sunday.

He can only hope things go as well for those horses as they did for Shaman Ghost in last Saturday’s Grade 2, $400,000 Brooklyn Invitational, a race he won by 4 1/4 lengths.

Shaman Ghost got a dream inside trip under Joel Rosario in winning for the first time since last July, when he took the Queen’s Plate at Woodbine. Shaman Ghost had raced only twice since then, including a third in a fast allowance going 1 1/16 miles here May 21. He was beaten 2 1/4 lengths by Touchofstarquality.

“He ran very well, actually,” Jerkens said. “He was gaining again at the end of that allowance race. I thought it was terrific. He had to be getting tired chasing a fast horse and a fast pace like that, and I thought he ran terrific. That’s why I wanted to run him back.”

Jerkens said Shaman Ghost came out of the Brooklyn very well and that he would look at the Grade 2, $500,000 Suburban on July 9, pending discussions with owner Frank Stronach and his racing advisers.