When Carlin retired as a stallion in 2008, expectations have been excessive that the 2007 Preakness Stakes and Breeders’ Cup Basic winner, third within the Kentucky Derby and second within the Belmont Stakes, would comply with in his footsteps and produce horses who would win on the highest degree of route dust racing. Palace Maris, Vino Rosso, Exagerator and Marasat have definitely confirmed that Sensible Strike sires can just do that, however within the Elite Energy sires, Curlin has proven one thing fully completely different: that they will additionally produce sprinters.
Elite Energy confirmed the flexibility of his pedigree when this highly effective stallion achieved back-to-back wins within the Breeders’ Cup Dash, demonstrating that quick horses are available many alternative packages.
grew up purple
Elite energy is truthfully on account of his skill. Along with being a two-time Stallion of the Yr, his dam Broadway Alibi can be a stakes winner, profitable the seven-furlong Ahead Gal Stakes and the one-mile Camry Stakes, and ending second within the 2012 Kentucky Oaks by three-quarters of a size to Imagine You Can. Broadway Alibi, who was racing for breeder E. Paul Robsham, handed via the gross sales ring in 2015 when Robsham’s widow Joyce dispersed the bloodline and offered it to John Clay’s Alpha Delta steady for $2.15 million. In 2017, Clay despatched this daughter of Vindication to Carlin Court docket, and in 2018 this darkish bay mare sired a stunning maroon stallion with a large white blaze and three white socks.
The colt was auctioned on the 2019 Keeneland September Sale and offered to Prince Khalid bin Abdullah’s Juddmonte Ranch for $900,000. Juddmonte’s workforce named him Elite Energy and despatched him to Corridor of Fame coach Invoice Mott. The stallion had a pedigree with two wins over distances of 1 mile, so the steady anticipated to get a horse who might compete at traditional distances. As a substitute, they realized that this runner’s specialty was going to be short-lived: whether or not they might get him into the race. Singh’s issues saved Elite Energy off the racetrack till his three-year-old season, when he debuted in his first particular six-furlong weigh-in trial at Churchill Downs in late September 2021, seven months after Prince Khalid handed away at age 85. Ending in sixth place that day, Elite Energy would wish 4 begins to get his first win, two in his 3-year-old season and two extra for the next 12 months’s 4-year-old season.
Elite Energy’s breakthrough led him by 9 lengths in a seven-furlong race at Churchill in late June. That adopted an allowance win over one mile and 6 furlongs, after which Mott challenged Grade 2 colt Vosburgh in his first stakes on the Huge A (Aqueduct) Belmont within the fall of 2022. Elite Energy confronted a brief pack of 4 horses remaining, slowed his tempo within the first half mile, and after a sluggish time of 47.68 seconds he moved into the lead and received by 5 and three-quarters of a size. The Vosburgh was additionally a win-and-you-in qualifying race for the Breeders’ Cup Dash. After 4 straight wins, Elite Energy headed to Keeneland Racetrack for a six-furlong championship check, the place he would face a a lot harder workforce than earlier than.
It is time to see what Elite Energy is fabricated from.
Golden Twice Over
The water was a lot deeper for Keeneland’s maroon stallions. The 2022 Dash included 2021 Dash winner Aloha West. Jackie’s Warrior has received a number of G1 stakes. And the mare Kimari can be a a number of graded stakes winner. Driving out of the center discipline in sixth place out of 11, jockeys Elite Energy and Airad Ortiz Jr. have been seventh after the primary quarter mile and sixth after the primary half mile, however went 5 vast on the far flip down the monitor and exchanged CZ Rocket within the closing furlong to win by 1 / 4 of a size with a closing time of 1:09.11.
In his fifth race, Elite Energy went from being a first-time competitor to a Breeders’ Cup winner and profitable the Eclipse Award, which is given to the champion male sprinter. “Once we purchased the stallion, we have been dreaming of the Kentucky Derby at a mile and 1 / 4, and he has such an excellent dash,” stated Juddmonte normal supervisor Garrett O’Rourke. blood horse. “There’s at all times lots at stake whenever you spend that sort of cash to purchase a horse, so it’s nice to receives a commission.”
In 2023, Elite Energy, now 5 years previous, is on his solution to his second Breeders’ Cup Dash problem. Invoice Mott first despatched him to Saudi Arabia to compete within the Riyadh Dust Dash hosted by Sports activities Boulevard, the place Elite Energy dominated a discipline together with Grade 1 winner Gunite, proving he’s one of the best dust sprinter on the earth. Upon returning to the USA, he first received the G2 True North Stakes, then outran Gunite and received by a head within the G1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Stakes. Elite Energy, who began 2023 with three wins, confronted Ganite once more within the G1 Forego Stakes at Saratoga Race Course in late August. In that seven-furlong race, Ganite took the lead from the break, whereas Elite Energy was barely off the tempo, ready to stretch and take the win. This time, nevertheless, the Curlin-bred wasn’t ok to catch his youthful rival, shedding by 1 3/4 lengths in his closing outing earlier than the Breeders’ Cup.
Jetting off to California for his closing begin and one other try on the Breeders’ Cup Dash, Elite Energy arrived at Santa Anita Park because the morning favourite forward of Ganite and Golden State favorites Speedboat Seaside, The Chosen Vron and Dr. Sibel. Speedboat Seaside took the lead early within the dash, main the sector with quarter-mile splits of 21.99 seconds and half-mile splits of 44.35 seconds. Elite Energy, ridden by jockey Irad Ortiz, was in third place and closed the straight line by 4 lengths on the far flip to win by a size and a half at odds of 1.70 to 1, protecting six furlongs in 1:08.34. After profitable his second Eclipse as a champion sprinter, Elite Energy retired the two-time Breeders’ Cup Champion and joined Juddmonte’s American Stallion Band in Kentucky.
Together with his dash victories in 2022 and 2023, Elite Energy joins elite horses corresponding to Tiznow, Bayacoa, Miesque and Cody’s Want as back-to-back Breeders’ Cup World Championship winners. In honor of his accomplishments, NYRA this 12 months renamed the six-furlong Run Blissful Stakes after Elite Energy and moved it to the autumn calendar for the Aqueduct fall meet, which can host a Grade 3 race on Dec. 6.
As top-of-the-line male dust sprinters out of 21cent On the finish of the century, with 9 wins in his final 10 races, Elite Energy was a sturdy stallion able to excelling in one-turn races, demonstrating the flexibility of the sire’s genetics, alongside different excellent Curlin-bred horses corresponding to Cody’s Want and Compulsory. Now at stud below proprietor Juddmonte, Elite Energy has the prospect to cross on his superior genetics to a brand new technology of Breeders’ Cup candidates.
