Lady Eli Rises to Flower Bowl Victory
- Laura Pugh
- Oct 8, 2016
- 2 min read
Photo Credit: Adam Coglianese/NYRA
Lady Eli has already fought the most important battle she will ever fight, when she won the battle for her life against laminitis.
It was nothing short of a miracle to see the talented filly return to the track, even if she could only achieve a second place finishing in the Ballston Spa Stakes (GII) at Saratoga one August 27th.
In Saturday’s Flower Bowl Stakes (GI), Lady Eli continued the miracle by returning to the winner’s circle for the first time since she fell ill, after the Belmont Oaks Invitational Stakes (GI), back in July of 2015.
The daughter of Divine Park accomplished something nothing short of incredible when she took the Flower Bowl. The filly sat patiently in third for much of the 10-furlong race, before beginning to range up on the outside with a little less than a quarter mile left to run.
Turning into the stretch, Lady Eli delivered her famous knockout punch. She engaged in a spirited stretch duel with Sentiero Italia, but in the end, Lady Eli would not be denied. She gained a short lead in deep stretch, hitting the wire three quarters of a length the best in a final time of 1:59.85.
What is even more impressive was the stellar final quarter, which Lady Eli completed in roughly 22.60 seconds. While strong finishes have come to be expected from turf races, it is a testament to Lady Eli’s ability and grit that she was able to come home so well in only her second start after a near 14-month layoff.
After the win, trainer Chad Brown confirmed that Lady Eli will get a chance to continue her fairy tale in the Breeders’ Cup, where she will compete in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf.
"There were a lot of different scenarios, some extremely scary,” Brown said. “the best case was we'd be back heading to the Breeders' Cup race as one of the favorites, and here we are.
“It couldn't happen to a more deserving horse, for her to overcome all this." Brown is correct, this scenario couldn’t have happened to a more deserving horse than Lady Eli. At this point, everything is simply icing on the cake, but that won’t stop the racing world from pulling for Lady Eli as she bids to complete her fairytale season in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf.
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