BY BROCK SHERIDAN

AUGUST 30, 2000—In another chapter at the “Graveyard of Favorites”, Florida-bred Shadow Caster produced a big upset at odds of 50-1 in winning the $250,000 Forego Handicap (Grade 2) at Saratoga Race Course.

Carrying 113 pounds including jockey Jorge Chavez, Gatsas Thoroughbreds’ Shadow Caster contested the early lead with 8-5 favorite and 123 hightweight Richter Scale then took a short lead coming out of the far turn. Richter Scale fought back in upper stretch before eventually dropping back as Shadow Caster edged clear to win by a length with Intidab second. Florida-bred Successful Appeal made a late run to get third. 

Trained by John Terranova II, Shadow Caster finished seven furlongs in 1:15 flat on the fast track. 

The Forego was the third consecutive win for Shadow Caster and fourth in nine starts up to that point in 2000. In his previous two races, he produced a five-length score in an allowance race at Rockingham Park on June 26 then took a Saratoga allowance by a half-length on July 28. The Forego improved his career record to eight wins, four in stakes, with five seconds and six thirds in 29 starts and increased his earnings to $406,729.

In his next two starts, Shadow Caster finished fifth in Delaware Township’s Forest Hills Handicap (G2) at Belmont Park on Oct. 14 and 13th behind winner Kona Gold in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Churchill Downs on Nov. 4. 

The Forego was also the last victory of his career as he failed to hit the winners’ circle in 16 starts in 2001 and 2002 with his best finish in that span coming when second in a Belmont Park allowance race in June of 2001. He retired with eight wins, six seconds and 10 thirds with earnings of $477,653.

Shadow Caster was by Bridlewood Farm stallion Future Storm, who stood for $5,000 in 2000. He was out of the Hobeau Farm homebred mare Just Dance, by Duck Dance, who was also a Hobeau Farm homebred. 

Bred in Florida by Jack Dreyfus in the name of his Hobeau Farm, Shadow Caster’s Forego may have reminded his breeder of another famous upset at Saratoga. Hobeau Farm also bred and owned Onion, who famously defeated Secretariat in the 1973 Whitney at the Spa.

Return to the August 30 issue of Wire to Wire