The progeny of Elusive Quality have certainly made a record-breaking start to the year with Quality Road’s outstanding victory in the G1 Donn Handicap (where he broke his own track record and notched a 121 Beyer). Four-year-old filly Starfish Bay followed followed this up in style on Sunday, setting a new five-furlong course record at Gulfstream Park when winning the Ladies Turf Sprint.
Sent straight to the front under Chris DeCarlo, the Todd Pletcher-trained filly covered the first quarter in a blistering :21.05 and opening up a clear lead at the half-mile point, flew home to win by two and three quarter lengths. Her time of :53.75 was four hundredths of a second faster than the previous record, set back in 2005.
This was her second record-breaking performance, having set a new course record at Monmouth Park last year. Previously the winner of the From New York to Old York Stakes at Saratoga, Starfish Bay has now won or placed six times in ten starts.
Bred by Gainesway Thoroughbreds Ltd, Starfish Bay is out of the G2-winning Not For Love mare Touch Love.
Elusive Quality has sired six individual Black type performers already in 2010, headed of course by Quality Road. In 2009, he sired 16 Stakes winners and a further nine Stakes performers. His fee for 2010 is $75,000 Stands and Nurses.
