Elusive Quality's progeny continued their record-breaking ways on June 13, when four-year-old filly Starfish Bay notched her third Stakes win of the year, winning the Candy Éclair Stakes at Monmouth Park by three and a half lengths and in a new course record time of 1:00.76.
Sent straight to the front under John Velazquez, Starfish Bay soon opened up a clear lead and was never challenged, storming down the stretch to win the five-and-a-half-furlong contest in impressive fashion.
This was the third course record for the Todd Pletcher-trained filly, who set a new course record for five furlongs (also at Monmouth) in 2009 and also holds the five-furlong course record at Gulfstream Park having won the Ladies’ Turf Sprint Stakes there earlier this year.
Owned and bred by Gainesway Thoroughbreds, Starfish Bay is out of the G2 winner Touch Love (Not For Love).
Also on Sunday, fellow Elusive Quality filly Roan Inish notched her second Stakes win, taking the $500,000 Woodbine Oaks – the first leg of the Canadian Triple Tiara.
Settled towards the rear, the three-year-old filly was always traveling well and quickening down the stretch, came between horses and prevailed by a head in a thrilling finish. Trained by Darley Flying Start graduate Carolyn Costigan, Roan Inish is owned and bred by her trainer’s father Robert and is out of Canadian Champion Inish Glora.
Elusive Quality is enjoying an outstanding season so far and is currently leading sire in North America by number of Stakes wins (17) and has sired 11 individual Stakes winners so far this year, headed up by Quality Road who won the G1 Donn Handicap in record time and by the widest margin ever recorded in February, before following up with victory in the G1 Metropolitan Mile last month.
He has also sired an outstanding 11 individual record breakers, who have broken 16 track records between them.
