Shaman Ghost to get another shot at Suburban

ELMONT, N.Y. – The only bad race Shaman Ghost has run for trainer Jimmy Jerkens came in last year’s Suburban, where he finished fifth. Shaman Ghost will have a chance to atone for that performance when he starts next in the Grade 2, $750,000 Suburban at 1 1/4 miles on July 8 at Belmont Park.

Shaman Ghost returned to Belmont Park over the weekend along with his stablemate Dolphus after finishing one-two in the Pimlico Special on Friday. Dolphus set the pace before yielding late to lose by a neck. Jerkens said he had no immediate plans for Dolphus, a half-brother to Rachel Alexandra, but said the horse would be nominated to the Grade 1 Stephen Foster on June 17 at Churchill Downs.

Shaman Ghost came wide and from off the pace to run down Dolphus, who appeared to be fighting back when Shaman Ghost came to him. Jerkens felt Shaman Ghost had Dolphus measured.

“We knew he was going to get there,” Jerkens said. “It was kind of comical. He was like, ‘All right, I better go catch this horse before they get mad at me.’ ”

Shaman Ghost, who won the Queen’s Plate at age 3 when with Brian Lynch, has put together a solid record in the older-male division, with victories in the Grade 1 Woodward and Grade 2 Brooklyn last year and the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap this year. He also finished second behind Arrogate in the $12 million Pegasus World Cup in January.