By Jill Williams
Lady Eli had a sensational career that got rolling with a Breeders' Cup win at two and culminated with an Eclipse for champion turf female at five. In between, she fought a life-threatening battle with laminitis and captured the hearts of racing fans. She delivered her third foal, an Into Mischief colt, Mar. 6 at Coolmore America and was bred back to Justify.
“The Breeders' Cup is the ultimate race test of champions to define and prove yourself against the ultimate competition,” said Hill 'n' Dale's John Sikura, who now owns Lady Eli in partnership with Coolmore. “That's what everybody dreams of; to win a Breeders' Cup race certainly defines you as a world-class racehorse. As someone who is in the breeding business, presenting a foal from the best racemare is a unique achievement as far as the quality of the dam. There's only one Breeders' Cup winner in each race each year, so Lady Eli is the epitome of class.”
Lady Eli (2012 dark bay or brown mare, Divine Park–Sacre Coeur, by Saint Ballado)
Lifetime record: Ch. turf female, MGISW, 14-10-3-0, $2,959,800
Breeders' Cup connections: B-Runnymede Farm Inc. & Catesby W. Clay (KY); O-Sheep Pond Partners; T-Chad Brown; J-Irad Ortiz, Jr.
Current location: Coolmore America/Ashford Stud, Versailles, Ky.
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
