Champion Lady Eli to be Offered at Keeneland November

Champion and five-time grade 1 winner Lady Eli will highlight Hill 'n' Dale Sales Agency's consignment to the 2018 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale, where she will sell in foal to War Front .

"Lady Eli was an extraordinary racemare who will be a highly sought after jewel for breeders, especially offered in foal to leading sire War Front," said Keeneland Vice President of Racing and Sales Bob Elliston. "Keeneland is honored to have the opportunity to offer such a brilliant champion who will undoubtedly attract interest from buyers around the world."

Trained by Chad Brown, Lady Eli distinguished herself as one of the all-time leading turf distaffers in North America, with a 10-3-0 record  from 14 starts and earnings of $2,959,800.

Undefeated at 2, Lady Eli capped her juvenile campaign with a win in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T), where she defeated grade 1 winner Sunset Glow. She stopped the clock for the mile in 1:33.41, the fastest time ever for the race and a full second faster than the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T) winner on the same day. She was named an Eclipse Award finalist based on her perfect record.

Lady Eli also compiled an undefeated record during her sophomore campaign, when she captured the Belmont Oaks Invitational Stakes (G1T) contested at a mile and a quarter. As she returned to the barn after the race, Lady Eli stepped on a nail, which sidelined her for more than 13 months. 

Her 4-year-old season saw another grade 1 victory added to her résumé with an impressive performance in the Flower Bowl Stakes (G1T). Her final race of the season came in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G1T), where she was nosed out at the wire by Queen's Trust. She was an Eclipse Award finalist for the second time.

As a 5-year-old, Lady Eli captured two more grade 1 events. Shipping west for the first time, she put in a determined effort to win the Gamely Stakes (G1T) at Santa Anita Park, followed by a win in the Diana Stakes (G1T) at Saratoga Race Course. She notched a second win of the season at Saratoga in the Woodford Reserve Ballston Spa Stakes (G2T).

In the final race of her career, the 2017 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf, she was banged around, lost a shoe, and sustained lacerations to her hind legs during a seventh-place finish. Lady Eli won her first Eclipse Award as top female turf horse.

"I can't say enough about this horse," Brown said. "She is the best turf horse I have ever trained. She has the heart of a champion. She is equine perfection. She is the personification of world-class talent, courage, precocity, soundness, and, above all, the will to win. Lady Eli always brought her best game. She didn't need a racetrack, a condition, a position in the race, or a distance, and she certainly never needed an excuse. It's unlikely I will ever have another one like her."

Partner Sol Kumin of Sheep Pond Partners said, "She is an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime animal. She gave me, my family, my partners, and, just as importantly, racing fans around the world the most memorable performances, which will live within me forever."

"Lady Eli was the ultimate champion," said John Sikura, president of Hill 'n' Dale Farms. "She was an elite performer every year and won grade 1 races on both coasts, including the Breeders' Cup World Championships. (She was) ultra consistent in delivering elite performances. She is the rarest of champions with a will to win and tenacity to match her matchless talent."