It is the morning of Breeders’ Cup Saturday. The calm before the storm. The rest of the races will soon commence, and Hell will break loose in Del Mar once again. In many of my other articles I made selections for quite a few of the races. However, today I want to focus on one race and one horse before the races rage on.
The Filly and Mare Turf will be contested today, and like many other racing fans, I would love to see the magnificent Lady Eli win this race. She came painfully close last year, and I’m hoping that she can avenge that loss now. She has never met a challenge that she hasn’t accepted, and I expect today to be no different. I think we can all agree that despite the grand scale of the competition, Lady Eli is still the class of this field.
Not only is Lady Eli immensely talented, having won ten of her thirteen races, and claiming second in her only three defeats, but she is also the embodiment of hope. The fact that this filly is able to do what she does is a miracle because a couple of years ago, she fell victim to laminitis. It is a devastating ailment that has claimed the lives of countless horses. Those who do survive it are often times never the same. That is why this mare truly is a living miracle. Overcoming laminitis is a feat in itself, but to instantly bounce back to top form and compete in the highest level of this sport is unheard of.
I cannot even begin to comprehend how this inspiring horse was able to pull off all she has done. However, I really believe that her heart has something to do with it. Lady Eli has always been different from the others. She was born with obvious greatness that has her on an elite level of her own. Her fighting spirit and single-minded drive to win has propelled her to countless victories, establishing her as one of the greatest turf mares in American history. Even when the competition proves to be fierce and unrelenting, Lady Eli always finds a way. The steadfast mare shows no mercy on her challengers, and it is that winning spirit that carried her through what could have been not only an end to her career, but an end to her life.
I am amazed every time I see this one of a kind horse run. She has overcome the impossible, proving unbreakable both in racing and in life. This riveting mare has gone against all the odds, stamping herself as a living legend. It is stories like this that remind us that nothing is ever truly over as long as you have to will to fight and the will to win. I think that when the starting gates spring open today, Lady Eli will once again leave us all in awe.