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Sunland Derby Winner Runaway Ghost Retired to Stud

He was pointed toward the 2018 Kentucky Derby (G1) before sidelined due to injury.

Runaway Ghost trains at Keeneland in April 2019

Runaway Ghost trains at Keeneland in April 2019

Anne M. Eberhardt

Runaway Ghost, winner of the 2018 Sunland Derby (G3) and an earner of $783,509, has been retired and will stand the 2021 breeding season at Double LL Farms in Bosque, N.M.

A 5-year-old son of Ghostzapper  out of the Desert God mare Rose's Desert, Runaway Ghost won eight of 15 races, mostly under the direction of trainer Todd Fincher in New Mexico. Michael Machowsky and Steve Asmussen also trained him during his career. The horse won five black-type stakes, capturing four on dirt in New Mexico and another on synthetic at Golden Gate Fields as a 2-year-old in 2017. His stakes victories ranged from six furlongs to 1 1/8 miles.

His Sunland Derby win in 2018 secured him enough points to compete in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) at Churchill Downs later that spring, but he suffered a training injury while preparing for the race at Sunland Park that forced him to miss the Derby.

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Runaway Ghost came back as a 4-year-old and won two stakes races at Sunland before shipping to Kentucky for the Commonwealth Stakes (G3) at Keeneland, where he ran 12th after twice clipping heels and exiting the race with an ankle injury. He returned a month later to win another stakes race at Sunland.

He raced three times this year, placing in his season debut at Sunland and following that with a win, before running seventh in the Lone Star Mile Stakes June 28 in the final start of his career at Lone Star Park.

A third-generation homebred for the late Joe Peacock of San Antonio, Runaway Ghost was retired sound and will continue to be owned by the Peacock family as he starts his second career, according to a release distributed by Peacock's son, Joey. A stud fee was not announced.

He is one of three winners for his dam, a multiple stakes winner within the New Mexico-bred ranks. Rose's Desert also produced stakes winner Sheriff Brown (by Curlin ).

Bred in Kentucky by his owner, Runaway Ghost went through the 2016 Keeneland September Yearling Sale as part of the Shawhan Place consignment but fell short of his reserve when bidding halted at $240,000.