WON: The Baylee’s Dreamer Memorial (G1), Nail in the Coffin (G1), Triangular Sprint Cup (G2), Viking Memorial Sprint (G3), Scuzzy South Stakes (G3), Numbers Don’t Lie Stakes (G3), Turn Off The Alarm Stakes (G3), The Mine Trader Memorial (G3)

3RD: Castle Point Stakes (G2)

Elsinore Captures Top Turf & Female Honors
*Lays Waste to ‘Memo’s Consecutive Graded Wins Mark*

By- Dan Silver (aka. Given)

In a year where many Sim records fell, perhaps none was more impressive than the scintillating string of graded victories that Chilcoat’s brilliant filly Elsinore strung together. When the dust cleared, this gorgeous daughter of Danehill had streaked to eight consecutive graded triumphs, eclipsing the previous record of seven set by turf router extraordinaire Sunnybank Memorial.  Elsinore’s campaign left no doubt in voters minds who the top older lady in 2005 was, as she garnered awards for Top Older Female and Top Turf Female, the third consecutive season that both honors have been bestowed upon one horse.

It wasn’t all roses for this daughter of multiple stakes winning dirt router Mine Trader. After topping off her three-year-old season with a massive victory in the Mumtaz Mahal Stakes (G1, 5.5f), she stumbled in her first start as a four-year-old, failing to fire in Cootie’s Sprint (G3, 7f). Her ninth place finish in that race was a harbinger of things to come in the immediate future, as she ran seventh and eighth in her next two starts, the Los Florostat Stakes (G3, 6f) and The Profitable Colony Stakes (Ungraded, 6f).

For the first time in her 24-race career, Elsinore had finished off-the-board in three consecutive starts. At that point many Sim trainers would have panicked and lost confidence in their charge. Perhaps some would have dropped her to an allowance. Perhaps some would have switched surfaces in a wake-up attempt. Perhaps some might have even thrown her into the auction. Not Chilcoat.

Widely regarded as one of the top trainers in the Sim, Chilcoat lived up to that billing by retaining confidence in Elsinore. Her next start came in the Castle Point Stakes (G2, 6f). While there must have been a few tense moments while she languished in last for the first two calls, that anxiety dispersed into a wave of relief as Elsinore showed her trademark late punch and got up for third place with a 105 speed figure, her first 100-plus number of 2005.

The light turned on, and it stayed on.

She must have come out of the Castle Point Stakes a little fatigued, because Chilcoat gave her six weeks before her next start, which was slated for the Viking Memorial Sprint (G3, 6f). Her main rival looked to be the talented four-year-old filly Grass and She, who was coming off an impressive two length victory in the Las Vegas Handicap (G3, 6.5f). Both fillies ran with the same closing style, and going in it looked very hard to separate them. When the gates opened, Elsinore immediately dropped to the back of the pack and lingered less than a length behind her main rival. They both bided their time until the three furlong mark when M Santos gave Elsinore her cue. And the filly responded, starting to mount her charge, but still staying attached right to Grass and She’s throatlatch. When the fillies entered the stretch, Elsinore turned it into high gear and bounded past her rival.  She hit the lead with half-a-furlong left and the race looked hers for the taking. But wait! Grass and She mounted a frantic rally and began closing in on Elsinore as the finish line loomed. The roar of the crowd grew to a deafening level, and just as any champion does, Elsinore drew energy from the crowd, drew energy from within, and held on to win by the gamest of heads. The decibel level rose even higher when the scintillating time of 1:09.0 flashed on the board. It would end up as the fastest six furlong turf time for older females in 2005.

“I keep trying to come up with superlatives that describe her race that day,” said M Santos, the Swedish jock that had the pleasure of riding Elsinore, “but I keep coming up empty. Simply put it was the most impressive performance that I have ever seen. She’s not only the most explosive filly I’ve ever been on, but she’s also the bravest.”

Next up was a cross-Atlantic trip to Delaware to contest The Baylee’s Dreamer Memorial (G1, 6.5f) in Delaware. In this one, Elsinore’s main competition looked to be Red Tejas, Fatattack’s supremely talented Red Ransom filly who was not only coming off an impressive victory in the Maple Act Memorial (G1, 6.5f), but had also defeated Elsinore two races back in the Castle Point Stakes (G2, 6f). The form of that race, combined with the fact that Red Tejas was stabled at Delaware, resulted in Fatattack’s charge being installed as the 9/2 morning line favorite, with Elsinore as the 8/1 third choice. It was one of the anticipated races of the year at Delaware, and while most of the locals wore their love for Red Tejas on their sleeves, there were a small number of experts who believed Elsinore was the one to beat.

As the gates flew open, Elsinore settled into her customary place near the back of the pack, with Red Tejas only a length in front of her. As usual, they both began mounting their rallies at the three-furlong marker, along with a seven-year-old mare named Fourteen Comb with two G1 victories to her name. It didn’t take long for Elsinore to surge past Red Tejas, who appeared to be struggling to find her best stride. But Fourteen Comb remained a half-length in front of Elsinore as the horses entered the stretch. When she caught sight of the finish line, however, Elsinore found that hidden extra gear and hurtled past Fourteen Comb to register a decisive length victory. Red Tejas finished two lengths behind them in third. Elsinore had her second G1 victory, stopping the clock in 1:15.4, the second fastest time at the distance for older turf females all year.

Word began spreading quickly around the Sim horse racing world that it looked as if Elsinore had put it all together, and that there might be a new queen in the turf sprinting category. Chilcoat shipped her wonder-filly back to Australia for the Triangular Sprint Cup (G2, 5f), and she didn’t disappoint, cruising to an easy-as-pie one-and-a-quarter length victory for her third consecutive victory. She was showered with flowers and gifts during her stay in Australia as the land down under embraced her as one of their own.

After that it was back to North America for the Scuzzy South Stakes (G3, 6f) in Ontario. And it was business as usual for Elsinore, as she showed no ill effects from her heavy travel schedule and romped to a one-and-three-quarter length victory leaving her familiar rival Grass and She two lengths beaten in third.

Four straight graded races had fell victim to Elsinore’s closing punch, but the toughest race yet lay ahead as it was back to Delaware for the aptly named Nail in the Coffin (G1, 6f). The race had been sponsored by Red Tejas’ owner Fatattack, who was out to show the Sim community that his filly was the tops in the land. His charge was coming off an impressive second-place showing in the much ballyhooed GR Simsters vs. DelPenn Smackdown. In addition, both Fourteen Comb and Grass and She showed up for the battle, leaving the track abuzz the entire week leading up to the race. Pundits speculated that there would be some jockey collusion in attempts to end Elsinore’s streak, but Chilcoat and jockey B Ironside, who had ridden her to victory in The Baylee’s Dreamer Memorial, remained conspicuously silent all week.

The air was crackling with anticipation as the field of nine entered into the gates, and when the race started, Ironside gave Elsinore a slight urge with the whip and sent her to the middle of the pack. It was a drastic change of tactics for a filly that was used to starting at the back of the pack. Red Tejas took up Elsinore’s customary spot at the rear, although Red Tejas’ jockey B Ross would later say that the move from his jockey rival B Ironside caught him completely off-guard. Elsinore settled in just behind Fourteen Comb, and just as had happened in their previous meeting at the same track, they moved as a unit entering the stretch. The two lightning-fast ladies hit the lead together, and Fourteen Comb was actually moving the better of the two, beginning to pull away ever so slightly from Elsinore as the entered the final furlong. But just when it looked like the streak might be ending, Elsinore found a hidden reserve of power and accelerated past Fourteen Comb and stunned jockey Z Wylde, who had thought victory was assured. The margin of victory was again a length, with Grass and She and Red Tejas both well beaten in third and fourth, respectively.

“That victory was more impressive than the first time I rode her,” Ironside said. “To be honest with you, even though Chilcoat told me that she could run effectively from midpack, I had my doubts. But boy did this filly prove me wrong, she’s something else I tell you. I’d fly around the world to ride her.”

With her fifth consecutive graded victory, and third G1 victory, people began wondering if the legendary Sunnybank Memorial’s record of seven straight graded victories might be in jeopardy. Chilcoat decided to go back to Europe in search of her sixth in a row, and picked out the Numbers Don’t Lie Stakes (G3, 6f). As the gates opened she went back to her customary style of lying in wait at the back of the pack. But when they reached the midway point of the race and A Smith began urging her, Elsinore didn’t demonstrate her usual push button response. Murmurs began going around the crowd, people wondering if perhaps all the traveling had taken its toll. As they entered the stretch, Elsinore began moving toward the lead, but familiar foe Grass and She got the jump on her and was galloping at a faster pace. The final furlong arrived and still Grass and She looked the winner, but as all champions do, Elsinore willed herself to victory, getting up in the final strides to come away with a narrow quarter-length victory. The heartwarming cheer that went up when she returned to the winner’s circle sent shivers around the track, and Elsinore took it all in with a look of pride and confidence in her stance.

At this point Chilcoat was being bombarded on a daily basis with questions about where her filly’s next start would be. When she announced that it would be the Turn Off The Alarm Stakes (G3, 6f) at fabled Newmarket, tickets sold out in less than an hour. There would be no Red Tejas, no Fourteen Comb, no Grass and She, as those opponents had had their fill of Elsinore. Sent off as the overwhelming 3/1 favorite, Chilcoat’s star filly settled at the rear at the start of the race. And as usual, she began coming strong at the three-furlong marker, and turned it into high gear as the full field of 14 fillies and mares entered the stretch. Elsinore mowed them down one by one until there was no one left to conquer, and with an impressive length victory she entered the Sim record books, tying Memo’s record of seven consecutive graded victories.

Since settling into her stall at Newmarket, Elsinore had been as happy as Chilcoat had ever seen her, and she announced that her race to break the record would be at the same track where she had tied the record. Chilcoat sponsored The Mine Trader Memorial (G3, 6f), set four weeks down the road. Named after Elsinore’s 11-time stakes winning he-mare, it would be a fitting spot for her to attempt for the record. The next four weeks at Newmarket were akin to a month-long party. All anyone talked about was the amazing filly that had conquered three different continents in less than a year and would be going for the graded stakes record. Everyone and everything seemed in an uproar about it, well, except for Elsinore, who continued her daily training routines as if everything was status quo.

The Mine Trader Memorial was set for the last race on the card, and the energy that coursed through the crowd grew stronger with every passing moment. As the eleven fillies came out onto the track for the final race, it was impossible to hear oneself think. Top jockey A Craig, who had ridden Elsinore so masterfully in her most recent victory, sat perched atop her like a king. And who wouldn’t feel that way sitting on the back of the top turf filly in the land? Grass and She looked to be Elsinore’s main competition, but not many people thought she could turn the tables on the queen.

The gates flew open and A Craig immediately settled Elsinore towards the rear of the field. She bided her time, and when they had covered three furlongs, at the urging of her jockey, Elsinore shot forward like a rocket and started closing on the leaders. She was fifth entering the stretch, five lengths back, but that soon became four, and then three, and then two, and when she smelled victory at hand, Elsinore exploded to the front and left her stunned competitors in the dust, winning going away by one-and-a-quarter lengths. And after one of the most incredible stretches in Sim history, Elsinore had written herself into the Sim record books with eight straight graded victories. The chants of “Elsinore! Elsinore! Elsinore!” from the exultant Newmarket crowd could be heard within miles of the track, and the parties continued well into the next morning.

The year wasn’t quite over for Elsinore, as she headed back to the States to contest the Lightning Ladies Sprint (G1, 6.5f) on DelPenn Champions Day. Railbirds at the track said that she looked like a tired horse, so perhaps her grueling schedule was finally catching up to her. She ran a nice race, closing strongly into the stretch, but finished fifth, beaten two lengths by Red Tejas.

The streak came to a close, but the name Elsinore will forever live on as the filly that put together one of the most amazing runs in the history of the Sim. A true legend.