Teeing Up Ellie

Now that we’ve entered 2013 with a new claiming group, we’re also looking at moving forward with the private purchase of a 2 year old Minnesota bred filly named Elusive Edition (Late Edition – Mystical Elusion – Menifee).  “Ellie” comes to us from Iowa breeder Stacey Meyer who has, in the past, dropped foals in both Iowa and Minnesota.  Ellie could have been one of the last foals she had in Minnesota if not for the cooperative marketing agreement between Canterbury Park and the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community signed early in the 2012 racing season.

Because of the lack of a future in Minnesota when she was conceived and foaled, the foal crop she is a part of is small.  Because of that it lends itself to potentially being a good money making year or two for Minnesota breds that can run a lick.  Of course the dearth of MN breds also generates the issue of running enough MN bred conditioned races after the maidens are cleared, but the hope is that Ellie develops enough to become a state bred stakes contender.

Her sire, Late Edition, was a decent race horse.  From the advertisement at Equine Now selling him as a stallion:

“Late Edition is a graded stakes placed son of Cryptoclearance and is out of Starlet Storm by Storm Bird. He is a half brother to US Champion Flanders. He was raised and raced by Overbrook Farm in KY, placing second in the San Vicente and third in the Gotham under trainer D Wayne Lukas. He is a sound breeder and an easy horse to handle. His TB racing progeny have earned over $400,000 with limited foal crop sizes in a regional market.”

Her dam, Mystical Elusion (Menifee-Kaluki), was a RNA at the 2004 Keeneland April 2 Year Old sale and proceeded to go to the racetrack.  She only raced twice as a 2 year old, but race six times at three, winning one and placing second twice before she was retired.  She wasn’t outstanding, but she was serviceable and her own breeding (half to Fantasy Stakes winner Gabigotherway and winner of over $300,000 Geniver)  was enough to get her a shot in the shed.  Her first foal was Franks Sister Mary (ironically by Even the Score, Sire to both Tabby Lane and E Sveikata) who raced for three years in the Pacific Northwest picking up three wins in 23 career starts and hitting the board 9 times.  Her second foal is a promising, yet unraced, three year old this year and then there is Ellie.

As this group hopefully comes together this month, we’re also in the process of looking for a horse to claim out of Tampa for the coming season (that group is full) and getting Tabby ready to head to shed to meet Eastwood Dacat (Tabby Dacat, anyone??).  As 2013 continues to awake, the possibilities seem endless – which is a nice feeling to have in Minnesota when the temperatures are forecasted to only reach the teens this weekend!  A little more than 4 months until Opening Day at Canterbury…