TORONTO, June 28, 2025 – Once a week, throughout the Mohawk racing season, Woodbine will profile a horse who has had a life-changing impact on one of their closest connections. This week, it’s a dead heat with driver Tyler Borth shining light on a pair of talented trotters in Ghostly Casper and Sprite Seelster. Canada’s second-winningest reinsman in 2024 (414) talks about his career through the lens of these two horses and the pivotal role each one has played in his success thus far. Ghostly Casper Foaled: February 28, 2020 Sire: Resolve Dam: Cool Creek Breeze Wins-Seconds-Thirds: 10-14-11 Earnings: $835,378 Trainer: Benoit Baillargeon Owner: Benoit Baillargeon, Teresa Davidson, Santo Vena, & Nunzio Vena Breeder: Diane Ingham & Harry Rutherford Ghostly Casper and driver Tyler Borth winning Race 2 on June 23, 2025 at Woodbine Mohawk Park (New Image Media) What was it like forming a connection with Ghostly Casper in the race bike? “The first time I sat behind him, he was just a true professional. He was great-gaited, and he did everything that you asked of him. From the beginning, he was a natural.” You’ve driven plenty of standout horses over your career. What is it that makes this one particularly special? “It was special with him because I won the [2023] Gold Super Final with him as a 3-year-old, and they’re going for $300,000. Also, it was for a great guy to drive for, Ben Baillargeon, who has a lot of good horses.” “I think Casper helped show other trainers that you can win a race going for that kind of money and create even more opportunities down the line. Talk about his personality on and off the track. “He seemed pretty chill in the paddock from what I saw. Going to the track, he’s still a stud, so another horse would walk in front of him, and he’d kind of let out a roar to let everyone know he was the man.” Three words to describe him? “Great-gaited. Professional. Durable.” How has he changed your life? “I hadn’t been at Mohawk that long, and to get a horse like him that early on in my career and win the Gold Super Final, was incredibly meaningful. I was also able to go to Hoosier with him, which was something different for me because I had never driven in the States. “I drove him in a [Breeders] Crown elimination. Unfortunately, we didn’t make the Final, but I feel like he elevated me as a driver and helped me get more drives for other big trainers and compete in other big races against the sport’s best.” Sprite Seelster Foaled: March 13, 2022 Sire: Green Manalishi S Dam: Speak Of The Devil Wins-Seconds-Thirds: 3-2-3 Earnings: $165,098 Trainer: Katie MacNeil Owner: Elite Equine LLC & Tyler Borth Breeder: Seelster Farms Inc. Sprite Seelster and driver Tyler Borth winning the OSS Gold Series division for three-year-old trotting fillies on May 26 at Woodbine Mohawk Park (New Image Media) What were your first impressions of Sprite Seelster? “We bought her as a baby for $40,000 out of the [2023] London Yearling Sale. My partner that I had, he was supposed to go to Florida and train her down because I didn’t have much room to train her down. He ended up not going, but we still wanted to send her to Florida. So, we ended up sending her to [trainer] Gregg McNair. “I wasn’t at the sale. I had just seen her standing in the alleyway. I saw the Hip Number and thought to myself, ‘Wow, that’s a really good looking horse.’ We looked further into her – she was a Green Manalishi filly – and wrote the cheque. “My first impression, I guess you could say, was that she was beautiful.” When did you realize she was special? “We raced her as a 2-year-old, and they always liked her, but she was maybe a little immature. She probably had a few aches and pains because she was such a big, growthy filly. But I still liked her as a 2-year-old. She got turned out for two or three months. My girlfriend, Katie McNeil, and I trained her back. “She was doing everything right, but we got to about 2:15 with her and we were really impressed, but you still don’t know, right? I think it was her first couple qualifiers that she had some good last quarters, and I got thinking that she could be a Gold contender this year.” What race of hers was most meaningful to you and why? “In the SBOA, she was third in, and she did all the work. It was a windy night, and she had never really raced that hard, being left with, and then coming home, especially under less-than-ideal conditions. Going into her next race, which was an Ontario Sire Stakes Gold, I thought she had a good shot, but I had the nine hole, and I just went to the front, and she turned away beautifully. “She won by a couple of lengths, and I was ecstatic with her because that was my girlfriend’s first Gold win as a trainer and my first Gold win as an owner. We were very happy all the way around.” Three words to describe her? “Relaxed. Strong. Athletic.” How has she changed your life? “She’s just starting to change my life. Obviously that Gold win, just the money, I’ve never had a horse that I’ve owned part of or all of or any piece of, it was a big chunk of change. We’ve never won, I don’t even know if we’ve had one in a Gold race let alone win a Gold, especially for $140,000. “It’s obviously the first one of the year, and if she keeps racing well all season going into the Super Final, as long as she stays healthy, then it could be a really exciting year for us.” Matthew Lomon, Woodbine Share This:Share
