Will Elusive Quality Make It As A Sire Down Under And If So Why?
by Peter Neilson © 14 October 2004

Elusive Quality stands for $A55,000 incl GST at Darley Stud in the Hunter Valley of Australia

He stood in Australia last year for $A85,000 and served 83 mares (he served 143 mares in the USA during 2003)

Elusive Quality the Racehorse and Sire

Elusive Quality is by Gone West out of Touch of Greatness by Hero’s Honor.

Elusive Quality holds the world mile record on turf at 1.31.6 and also holds the 7f track record at Gulfstream Park. He won 9 times in 20 starts racing at 3, 4 and 5. He ran 2^nd 3 times and was 3^rd in 2 of his other races. He was clearly a very fast and game racehorse.

Elusive Quality was never tried beyond 8.5f so we don’t really now what distance he could have achieved.

Despite Elusive Quality’s outstanding speed he never won a race better than a G3. Racehorses have limited opportunities to win G1 and G2 sprint races on turf in the USA. Being a turf horse probably explains why he started out standing at only $US10,000 in Kentucky. The most commercial first season sires, such as his son Smarty Jones stand for around $US100,000.

Elusive Quality achieved 14 % stakes winners to foals in his first crop and is now one of the most commercial stallions at stud in the USA. His first crop included the G1 2yo Elusive City in Europe and the probable 3yo Champion in the USA this year Smarty Jones. Unfortunately Elusive City was disqualified for some races he won, after testing positive for a prohibited substance used for treating stomach ulcers. Those disqualifications cost Elusive Quality the first season sire’s premiership in the USA to Distorted Humor

Elusive Quality is from the 13c family of the very good USA 2 yr old Anees (by Unbridled). In New Zealand we have had Rossini (by Miswaki) a ¾ brother to Elusive Quality at Glenmorgan Stud Desert Fox (by Sadler’s Wells) currently at Westbury Stud and formerly Gold and Ivory at the Cambridge Stud from this immediate family.

Mr. Prospector

Elusive Quality’s sire Gone West is by Mr Prospector. Mr Prospector held 6f and 7f race records on dirt that were not broken for three decades. Mr Prospector was that rare type of stallion that not only outperformed his pedigree but also succeeded as both a sire of sires and as a Champion broodmare sire. Mr Prospector with Nasrullah, Sir Gallahad in his dam’s pedigree and tracing to Ornis on her tail female line has shown positive results when bred to mares with those horses and their close relations in their pedigrees.

Ornis has a full sister Isis and a full brother Orion. They are by Bend Or out of Shotover who won the Derby and 2000 Guineas and was 2^nd in the 1000 Guineas. Ornis only raced once and was not placed but Orion won 3 of his 5 races at 2 and won the Champion Stakes at 3. Mr Prospector has lines of Orion through Pompey in Polynesian his paternal grandsire and through Sunreigh in Count Fleet on his dam’s side. I suspect that the returns of Ornis, Isis and Orion are important for Mr Prospector but an examination of his top sire sons and grandsons Machiavellian, Gone West, Forty Niner, Unbridled, Woodman, Rhythm, and Hussonet, Straight Strike and Belloto indicates that they don’t all conform.  Forty Niner and Belloto trace to Illuminata and have a different pattern. Fusaichi Pegasus also appears to be a marginal case for the thesis although he has two relevant lines in his dam through Danzig.

Gone West and Elusive Quality

Gone West the sire of Elusive Quality is an emerging sire of sires, with Grand Slam, Zafonic and Mr Greely having all performed well to date. Gone West’s dam Secrettame combines Pompey in Bold Ruler with his full sister Laughing Queen in Tom Fool. Pompey and Laughing Queen both have a line of Orion.

Touch of Greatness the dam of Elusive Quality was an ideal broodmare for Gone West because her dam line goes direct to Ornis through Frizette.  She also has a line of Orion through Polynesian.

Elusive Quality’s Best Racehorses to Date

Looking at Elusive Quality’s, best eight graded stakes performers to date 

(Smarty Jones, Elusive City, Chimichurri, Great Notion, Omega Code, Elusive Diva, Gimmeawink and Nasij) there appears to be a pattern for success in all their dams, bar the case of Gimmeawink.

I have examined the dams of each of his better performers to see if Ornis, Isis or Orion are present.

Smarty Jones
Dam has 2 lines of Bold Ruler, 2 Lines of Tourbillon, Sunrise County who goes tail female to Ornis as well as lines of Polynesian.

Elusive City
Dam has 3 lines of Polynesian, Princess Sonia a daughter of Orion in Danzig, Mr Prospector going back to Ornis and in Dr Fager, there is Frizzle who goes tail female back to Ornis.

Chimchurri
Dam has both Bold Ruler and Tourbillon.

Great Notion
Dam has 2 lines of Polynesian; in Banta she has Pompey and Isis, Orion appears in Count Fleet, while Djeddah and Sun Briar are in Riverman

Omega Code
Dam has 2 lines of Polynesian, 2 lines of Sweet Briar and Tiger goes tail female to Ornis.

Elusive Diva
Dam has Bold Ruler, Polynesian and two lines of Ornis through Seattle Slew and other lines through more Bold Ruler and Count Fleet.

Gimmeawink
Dam has no related lines I can detect. The dam has a tightly bred 3x3 Alibhai pedigree that may be dominating over the sire.

Nasij
Dam has Generous who descends from Dust Commander, incorporating both Pompey and Laughing Queen. There are also 2 lines of Polynesian and a line of Tourbillon

Will Elusive Quality Work Down Under?

I think Elusive Quality can do well in this part of the world. Danehill has four relevant lines for him but there is little obvious affinity with Star Kingdom. One locally successful line that will work well is Hebrew Maid a daughter of Orion and from another branch of the 13 family. The successful sires O’Reilly and Danzero are both tail female descendents of the Hebrew Maid mare. Mares with Dayjur, Danehill, Deputy Minister (Mint Briar), Darshaan, Never Bend, Bold Reason and Mr Leader are all likely to work. Mares by His Royal Highness, Shinko King, Sound Reason, Tuscany Flyer, Yamanin Vital, Vice Regal (New Zealand) (Bismark 11 his sire is tail female to Frizette), Rory’s Jester (Roan Rocket) or with Match111 or Relko have a better than even chance of working. Pompey and Laughing Queen had reputations for great speed combined with unsoundness so I would use only sound sources of these lines.

Other relevant lines are descendents of Affection as in Ekraar, St Reims and his sister Champagne. Mares descending from Kilimanjaro, Bahhare, Jugah. Baldric 11, Gold and Ivory, Le Fabuleux, Worden, Wilkes and Norseman will give useful sources of family 13 lines. As we see more sires bred on the Sadler’s Wells or Fairy King over a Darshaan or Shirley Heights mare, cross standing in this part of the world Elusive Quality broodmares may become priceless.