Elusive Quality
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Elusive Quality (January 27, 1993 – March 14, 2018) was an American
Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...
racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...
who was a record-setting sprinter on the racetrack and the
leading sire in North America The list below shows the leading sire of Thoroughbred racehorses in North America for each year since 1830. This is determined by the amount of prize money won by the sire's progeny during the year. It is restricted to stallions which are based in N ...
of 2004. He sired the 2004
Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, almost always on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The competition is a Grade I stakes race for three-year ...
winner
Smarty Jones Smarty Jones (February 28, 2001) is a champion Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 2004 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes and came second in the Belmont Stakes. Background Born at Fairthorne Farm in Chester County, Pennsylvania, the horse was ...
.


Background

Elusive Quality was bred in Kentucky by Silver Springs Stud Farm and Marie Costelloe. He was owned by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who put him into training with
Bill Mott William I. "Bill" Mott (born July 29, 1953, in Mobridge, South Dakota) is an American horse trainer, most notable for his work with Cigar. Mott earned the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Trainer in 1995 and 1996. He was inducted into the Nationa ...
. Elusive Quality was sired by Gone West, a stakes winning son of
Mr. Prospector Mr. Prospector (January 28, 1970 – June 1, 1999) was a Thoroughbred racehorse who became an outstanding breeding stallion and notable sire of sires. A sprinter whose career was cut short by repeated injuries, he won seven of his 14 starts, i ...
. Elusive Quality's dam, Touch of Greatness, was an unraced daughter of Hero's Honor. She was a granddaughter of 1981
Kentucky Broodmare of the Year The Kentucky Broodmare of the Year is selected each year by the Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association. The title is considered the highest honor an American thoroughbred broodmare can receive, as the majority of American breeding s ...
Natashka.


Racing career

Elusive Quality raced twenty times and won nine times, including two stakes races, on both turf and dirt. He made his first start as a three-year-old on May 3, 1996 in a maiden special weight race at
Belmont Park Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse racing facility in the northeastern United States, located in Elmont, New York, just east of the New York City limits. It was opened on May 4, 1905. It is operated by the non-profit New York Racin ...
, which he won in front-running fashion by lengths. His time for miles over the sloppy main track was a solid 1:41.20. He was second in his next start, then won his third start, an allowance race at Belmont. Stepped up in class, he finished second in the King's Bishop Stakes at Saratota, nosed out at the wire by Honour and Glory. He was then eighth in the Vosburgh Stakes before being returned to allowance company, in which he finished second and first in his last two starts of the year. Gone West began his four-year-old campaign on February 21, 1997 in an allowance race at
Gulfstream Park Gulfstream Park, owned by The Stronach Group, is a Thoroughbred race track, casino and outdoor entertainment and shopping destination in Hallandale Beach, Florida. Thoroughbred horse racing occurs year-round, defined by three distinct race meets ...
. He set a fast pace and continued to open up ground on the rest of the field to win by five lengths. His time of 1:20.17 for seven furlongs set a track record, and earned him the highest Beyer Speed Figure of the year for a sprinter. He was winless in his other four starts that year, with the highlight being a third place finish in the Tom Fool Handicap. Elusive Quality won four of seven starts at age five. He started the year with an allowance race win on February 5, 1998 at Gulfstream Park, then another allowance win on April 29 at Churchill Downs. Stepped up in class for the Metropolitan Handicap on May 25, he finished eighth. Just six days later though, Mott decided to switch Elusive Quality from dirt to turf. He responded by earning his first graded stakes win in the Jaipur Handicap, prevailing by a head in a time of 1:20.99 for seven furlongs over turf. On July 4 in the
Poker Handicap The Poker Stakes is a Grade III American Thoroughbred horse race for horses aged four years old and older held over a distance of one mile (8 furlongs) on the turf held annually in mid June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. History The event ...
, he went straight to the lead and won by six lengths while setting what was then a world record of 1:31.63 for one mile on the turf. "With this horse," said jockey Jerry Bailey, "you just break and hang on. If he feels like it, he wins. It seems he's more comfortable now that he runs on turf." He finished his career with a fourth place finish in the Woodbine Mile and a sixth in the
Kelso Handicap The Kelso Stakes is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds and older run over a distance of one mile (8 furlongs) on the dirt held annually in late October at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. The event offers a purse of $3 ...
. His career earnings were $413,284.


Stud career

Elusive Quality retired to stud in 1999 for an initial fee of $10,000. He initially stood at
Gainsborough Farm Gainsborough or Gainsboro may refer to: Places * Gainsborough, Ipswich, Suffolk, England ** Gainsborough Ward, Ipswich * Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, a town in England ** Gainsborough (UK Parliament constituency) * Gainsborough, New South Wales, ...
in
Versailles, Kentucky Versailles () is a home rule-class city in Woodford County, Kentucky, United States. It lies by road west of Lexington and is part of the Lexington-Fayette Metropolitan Statistical Area. Versailles has a population of 9,316 according to 2017 cen ...
before being relocated in 2007 to Darley America's Jonabell Farm in
Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, Fayette County. By population, it is the List of cities in Kentucky, second-largest city in Kentucky and List of United States cities by popul ...
. During the South American breeding season, he was shuttled to Darley Australia or Stud TNT in Brazil. By 2005, his stud fee had increased to $100,000. At the time of his death in 2018, he had sired 51 graded stakes winners including eight champions. He was also the broodmare sire of 73 black-type winners.


Notable progeny

''c =
colt Colt(s) or COLT may refer to: *Colt (horse), an intact (uncastrated) male horse under four years of age People * Colt (given name) *Colt (surname) Places *Colt, Arkansas, United States *Colt, Louisiana, an unincorporated community, United States ...
, f =
filly A filly is a female horse that is too young to be called a mare. There are two specific definitions in use: *In most cases, a ''filly'' is a female horse under four years old. *In some nations, such as the United Kingdom and the United States, t ...
'', g =
gelding A gelding is a castrated male horse or other equine, such as a pony, donkey or a mule. Castration, as well as the elimination of hormonally driven behavior associated with a stallion, allows a male equine to be calmer and better-behaved, makin ...
''


Death

Elusive Quality was euthanized on March 14, 2018 due to the infirmities of old age.


Pedigree


References

{{Reflist


External links


Evasive's page on Haras de Grandcamp's websiteElusive Quality's page on Darley America's websiteElusive Quality's pedigree
1993 racehorse births 2018 racehorse deaths Racehorses trained in the United States Racehorses bred in Kentucky United States Champion Thoroughbred Sires Thoroughbred family 13-c Horse racing track record setters