From the illustrious family of fellow Darley stallions E Dubai and Raven’s Pass, Elusive Quality's promising son Flavor scored a rousing victory in his first shot at Keeneland’s Polytrack course. Following a mild brush from second choice King Andrew leaving the gates, Flavor quickly found his footing and pulled jockey Garrett Gomez to a commanding lead over nine other sophomores. The solid chestnut clipped a steady pace of :22.65 and :45.81 before Gomez, who was donning the famed gold silks of Claiborne Farm, urged Flavor to finish up with style. Just past the three-sixteenths pole, Gomez took a cross on the reins and the colt responded with a smart five and three-quarter length victory in a final time of 1:10.68 for six-furlongs in the $50,000 Maiden Special Weight test.
Owned and bred in Kentucky by Claiborne Farm and Adele B. Dilschneider, Flavor is trained by Albert M. Stall, Jr. Claiborne purchased Flavor’s dam Right Spice in foal to Distorted Humor at the 2004 Keeneland November sale. Dilschneider (granddaughter of John M. Olin owner/breeder of 1974 Kentucky Derby winner Cannonade) also owns a Derby hopeful, Terrain.
Right Word, the dam of Right Spice has etched out a legacy to herself. Her progeny includes Stakes winner and graded-placed record setter Words of War (Lord at War), the dam of not only Mr. Prospector’s fastest son, E Dubai, but also G1 Del Mar Oaks winner No Matter What. Upgrading this branch of the family is the 2008 European Champion Two-Year-Old Filly Rainbow View, a daughter of No Matter What.
Full sister to Words of War is Ascutney, the dam of English Heighweight three-year-old Raven's Pass. Now standing at Darley’s Kildangan Stud in Ireland, he made quite an impression in America last November when at three, he handed a mighty defeat to Horse of the Year Curlin in the Breeders’ Cup Classic while setting a track record.
Along with 44 Stakes winners to his credit, Elusive Quality has quite industriously produced two Eclipse champions in Breeders’ Cup winner Maryfield and Kentucky Derby victor Smarty Jones. In 2009, from the same crop as Favor, Edward P. Evans’ Quality Road has emerged as a top tiered three year-old and a Derby favorite following his record-setting wire to wire domination of the G1 Florida Derby. True Quality and Royale Michele are also graded stakes winners for Elusive Quality in 2009.
