The dominant performance of Sovereignty in the Aug. 23 Travers Stakes (G1) had commentators racing to place him among the top performers of recent times, one even going as far back as Spectacular Bid, who was born almost 50 years ago. If we just confine ourselves to the current century, however, there are plenty of benchmarks with which to measure any claims to greatness.
Beginning with Flightline who was Horse of the Year as recently as 2022, we also have another runaway Travers victor (and two-time World Champion) Arrogate; Triple Crown heroes Justify and American Pharoah ; two-time Horse of the Year laurates California Chrome and Curlin ; distaff superstars Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra; and Point Given, who like Sovereignty won two legs of the Triple Crown and the Travers, adding the Haskell Invitational Stakes (G1) on route; and Ghostzapper, who on one metric at least, tops them all.
Coincidentally, Ghostzapper—who served what is likely to be his last season at the age of 25 this year—had a memorable weekend as sire of Banishing, who on Aug. 22 took the Charles Town Classic (G2), and Dr. Venkman and Stronghold, 1-2 in the Pat O'Brien Stakes (G2) on Saturday, and as broodmare sire of both Book'em Danno, who captured the Forego Sakes (G1) and Friendly Ghost, winner of the Elgin Stakes at Woodbine.
The Travers, where Sovereignty elevated an already impressive resume to a potentially historic one, is run at Saratoga, and it was at Saratoga that Ghostzapper first grabbed serious public attention, flying home from way off the pace, to take third, beaten a pair of necks in the King's Bishop Stakes (G1). Prior to the King's Bishop, Ghostzapper had won three of his four previous starts, all in maiden and allowance company, and after that event, he was to remain undefeated in six subsequent starts.
He only ran once more at age 3, building on his King's Bishop performance by taking the 6 1/2-furlong Vosburgh Stakes (G1) by 6 1/2 lengths. The following year, he went 4-for-4, all in graded stakes, in the process demonstrating that he was no mere sprinter. Those efforts included an epic battle with the following year's Horse of the Year, Saint Liam, in the Woodward Stakes (G1); a three-length wire-to-wire victory in the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1); and a 8 1/4-length triumph in the Philip H. Iselin Breeders' Cup Handicap (G3), where he earned a 128 Beyer Speed Figure, the highest one figure maker Andy Beyer ever published for a route. The reigning Horse of the Year, Ghostzapper, remained in training at age 5, but ran just once, taking the Metropolitan Handicap (G1) by 6 1/4 lengths.
At stud, Ghostzapper proved himself a very good sire, but didn't typically produce that fall 2-year-/spring 3-year-old dirt horse that the market most desires. To date he has been represented by 106 stakes winners, the best including Canadian Horse of the Year and champion 3-year-old filly and Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1T) winner Moira; Mystic Guide , who took the Dubai World Cup (G1); twice champion sprint female Goodnight Olive; Shaman Ghost , champion 3-year-old colt in Canada and twice a grade one winner in the United States; champion female sprinter Judy the Beauty; plus Holy Helena, Contested, Moreno, Paulassilverlining, Better Lucky, Guarana, Stronghold, Stately Victor, Molly Morgan, Starship Truffles, and Nucky.
Banishing, who was annexing the most valuable prize of his 23-race career at Charles Town, is one of those later-developing Ghostzapper offspring. The now 5-year-old didn't tackle stakes competition until this year, when he's shown himself a consistent and versatile performer with black-type wins at six, 6 1/2, eight, and nine furlongs. His most notable effort prior to Friday was a win in the Oaklawn Mile Stakes (G3), and in addition to his four wins in 2025, he's occupied runner-up spot in four of his other five outings.
Banishing is one of six stakes winners sired by Ghostzapper out of mares by A.P. Indy; the others include the previously mentioned grade 1 winners Mystic Guide and Moreno. His dam, Dowager, is one of five winners out of the Machiavellian mare, Marietta, winner of the Iowa Oaks (G3) and Arlington Oaks (G3), and also dam of French listed scorer Thousand Islands, who in turn produced Ben Ali Stakes (G3) scorer, Watershed, to a son of A.P. Indy.
Marietta's dam, Minister Wife, is by Deputy Minister, also the paternal grandsire of Ghostzapper, giving Deputy Minister 3x4 in Banishing's pedigree (this via Ghostzapper's sire, Awesome Again, and Marietta, who both have a similar background with Deputy Minister, Mr. Prospector, and Olden Times close up).
Successful in the Demoiselle Stakes (G2) and Pocahontas Stakes, Minister Wife is a daughter of the prolific Dowery, whose 13 wins included the Cotillion Handicap (G3), and who also took second in the Maskette Stakes (G1). Dowery's third dam, Cherokee Rose, won the Coaching Club American Oaks in 1954, and along with How (Kentucky Oaks, Coaching Club American Oaks) and Sequoia (Spinaway Stakes), formed a notable triumvirate of sisters by Princequillo out of the mare The Squaw II. All three became noted/producers and tap-root mares, with Cherokee Rose also featuring as granddam of Horse of the Year Ack Ack.
Dr. Venkman is, like Banishing, a 5-year-old. He, however, is far more lightly raced, and the Pat O'Brien Stakes (G2) was only his tenth start. He'd previously captured the San Diego Handicap (G2), and taken second in the Triple Bend Stakes (G2), Kelly's Landing Stakes (G3), Triple Bend Stakes (G3), and Perryville Stakes.
A half-brother to Fasig-Tipton Futurity winner Tranche, Dr. Venkman is out of the 2-year-old winning Archarcharch mare, Theory of Change. She is a three-quarters sister to Nijnsky II Stakes (G2T) winner So Long George, and half sister to stakes winner America America, and the stakes-winning and grade 1-placed My Gal Betty. The sixth dam, Loggetta, didn't produce a black-type horse, but she's the ancestress of more than 40 stakes winners, including the formidable turf mare, War Like Goddess.
Dr. Venkman is a product of the cross of Ghostzapper with Roberto line mares that have produced 17 stakes winners, 13 graded, including grade one winners Stately Victor, Contested, and Nucky.
