Elusive Quality will join breeding's $100,000 Club in 2005.
Elusive Quality, who began his stallion career standing for $10,000 and has sired 16 stakes winners to date including Smarty Jones, will stand in 2005 for $100,000.His popularity is also the reason why the Darley operation of Sheikh Mohammed recently announced his half-brother, Rossini, will relocate to Kentucky from Ireland for the coming year. Rossini will stand for $10,000.Elusive Quality, by Gone West -- Touch of Greatness, by Hero's Honor, stands at Sheikh Maktoum's Gainsborough Farm near Versailles, Ky. Rossini, by Miswaki, will stand at Sheikh Mohamed's Darley at Jonabell near Lexington."Ever since Elusive Quality's first crop began running at two, we've had great demand," Dan Pride, the director of stallion operations for Darley in the U.S., said. "He was booked full this year before Smarty Jones."Smarty Jones won the Kentucky Derby (gr. I) and Preakness (gr. I) before missing a Triple Crown sweep when he finished a length behind Birdstone in the Belmont Stakes (gr. I).Smarty Jones has been retired and will stand in 2005 at Robert Clay's Three Chimneys Farm near Midway, Ky. His fee will be $100,000."Elusive Quality's yearlings that sold this year were from a $10,000 fee and averaged $200,000, so he is not only getting success on the track but commercial success in the sale ring," Pride added.Elusive Quality entered stud at Gainsborough in 1999 and stood for $10,000 his first four seasons. His fee was raised to $30,000 in 2003 and $50,000 in 2004.He covered 140 mares this year and Pride said he will cover a similar number in 2005."Part of what we have done with Rossini is bring him in based not only on Elusive Quality, but there is similarity with the way he started off in Ireland. He was a good racehorse who got modest mares when he retired and the results with his first crop show he is moving his mares up. We are giving people a chance that like the pedigree and nick to breed to Rossini for the same fee Elusive Quality started at."
