by Brett Sturman

Ghost Shark, one of Illinois’ best 2-year-old male pacers from last year from a more contentious state-bred group than usual, has impressed on arrival in Pocono’s Bobby Weiss Series. If all continues to go well, the stakes will be raised even higher.

Owned by Kyle Larner of Michigan and Brian Hochman of Illinois, the gelded son of Revenge Shark out of Give Up The Ghost is managed while out East by conditioner Rob Harmon. Prior to the move, the pacer has been trained throughout his career by Michigan native Tim Roach.

Last year, while racing exclusively in Illinois between Hawthorne and the Illinois State Fair races at Du Quoin and Springfield, Ghost Shark took his freshman mark of 1:51.3 with a rallying win in a Director Cup stake at Du Quoin. He concluded the season with a hard fought second place in the Incredible Finale 2-year-old final on the Night of Champions.

This year, it took just two starts for Ghost Shark to tie his mark of 1:51.3. After missing by just a head in his season’s debut two weeks ago in 1:51.1, the 3-year-old gelding was never headed last week while coasting in a wire-to-wire win as the overwhelming 1-9 race favorite.

For Ghost Shark, it’s always been more a matter of attitude than talent.

“You could tell from the word go that because of his stride and everything else, that he was going to be a better than average horse, let’s put it that way,” said Roach. “But we went through a hard time with him at first. He was very laid-back jogging and training, but when he saw the starting gate, he wanted to be very aggressive. So, we had to make some changes on him, open his bridle, put a more severe driving bit in and work with him. And [driver] Travis Seekman did a fantastic job of listening, taking our word and learning to race the horse off a helmet, because his first two races he was just blasting right out of there, you couldn’t hold him. Between training and Travis, he learned to really relax in a horse race, and he’s now turned into a real professional on the track. I think that’s what’s making him be able to carry his speed more now. He doesn’t waste his energy fighting and pulling on you.”

Ghost Shark was purchased out of the 2021 Illini Classic Yearling Sale for $10,000. Bred by the University of Illinois and part of the first foal crop of Revenge Shark, it’s not as though Ghost Shark comes from an obscure pedigree; far from it. His third dam Ghost Of A Smile produced $400,000 earner Jennie Fanetta, who in turn produced $500,000 winner Verdad. Though for Roach and his team, there was a more direct connection.

“Kyle and his partners bought him out of the sale, but we raised his mother, Give Up The Ghost,” said Roach. “And then we sold his mother through a sale, and she ended up at the University of Illinois and in their broodmare program and so seeing this colt then out of Give Up The Ghost, there was that drawing to him.”

Standing for a mere $1,500, Revenge Shark has done quite well for himself in the early going. Best known from racing for his desperately close win in a blanket finish in the 2015 Messenger Stakes, he produced 12 starters from 16 foals in his first crop as a sire. From that first 2-year-old crop of last year, seven of those won, including, of course, Ghost Shark.

“They’ve done exceptionally well for the limited crop that he had,” said Roach. “They’ve raced pretty well out there, and in fact, we’ve bought another Revenge Shark this year. The two that I have are very well gaited, with a really want-to attitude with them both. I just think that he’s thrown some toughness, they’re a little bit more rugged, a throwback, maybe because Revenge Shark is a Cam’s Card Shark which is getting a little bit older. There might be part of that throwback breeding in him.”

Now 3, Ghost Shark has grown, and perhaps so have expectations for him.

“He’s a bit taller now and I let his hobbles out two inches from last year,” said Roach. “But just his whole attitude. He grew up in his head, too. When we were training him back down, one day me and my daughter were going up the backstretch and she was kind of riding beside me with him, and unlike last year, he just sat there calmly until she called on him and then he took off. And that’s when I said that this horse has really changed into a professional. He’s really nice: he’s the best horse that I’ve ever trained. And not that I’ve trained a lot of great ones or anything, but he’s by far the best I’ve ever had.”

As the horse of a lifetime for Roach and owners, Ghost Shark will have the opportunity to test his limits even further.

“The plan was when he went out there to Pocono that he would probably come back after the Weiss and have a little bit of rest, because we don’t want to over race him,” said Roach. “Illinois isn’t starting their Night of Champions races until September and his money won’t be out there until October, so we want to race him enough but not too much between now and then. We actually staked him to a couple of the big races in Canada. We’ll bring Ghost Shark back after the Weiss to give him a rest and then I’ll run him up to Ontario for the Somebeachsomewhere and North America Cup that we’ve staked him up to and we’ll see how that goes for us. I know they’re lofty goals, but he’s obviously the best horse that we’ve ever had. He’s got a long way to go with those other types of horses, but he’s got some talent and we want to see where it takes us.”