Elliodor (Lyphard-Ellida) Photo: Form Organisation
Pittsburgh Flyer, one of three winners produced by Elliodor’s now deceased Champion 2YO daughter, Warning Zone, achieved a notable feat when accounting for former Gr1 Blue Diamond Stakes winner, Earthquake, when landing Saturday’s AUS$120 000 sprint. The lightly raced filly, one of 89 stakes winners for sire Street Cry, has now won or placed in five of her six outings and should not stop here.
Elliodor, whose maternal grandson and potential Gr1 Computaform Sprint contender, Tevez (Caesour) impressed at Kenilworth when landing the fifth race of his career, has proved a lasting influence in the South African stud book. Should Tevez prevail in the Computaform he would give his remarkable dam, Minelli, a rare big race double, with her champion daughter Val De Ra (Var) having won the same race back in 2011.
Broodmare influence
Both he and his highly successful sire, Model Man, have more than left their mark as broodmare sires, and the Elliodor name looks set to continue on the X-trail of important South African winners for generations. Between them, Elliodor and Model Man are broodmare sires of ten lots in this week’s March Yearling Sale, while the pair combine as damsire of 27 lots on sale at next month’s National Yearling Sale.
Between them, Elliodor and Model Man’s daughters have produced the winners of the Gr1 Mercury Sprint, Gr1 Empress Club Stakes, Gr2 Dingaans, Gr2 KRA Fillies Guineas, Gr2 Merchants, Gr2 Peninsula Handicap and Gr2 Premier’s Trophy in just the past two years.
Elliodor is also the broodmare sire of former Equus Champion, Kochka (Black Minnaloushe), who recently made a really promising return to racing and Kochka looks more than capable of adding more big race success to his illustrious broodmare sire’s already formidable record. The Elliodor legacy is made all the more remarkable when taking into consideration that his biggest crop of foals numbered just 54, and he averaged just 33 foals per year during his 24 seasons at stud – a far cry from what today’s leading stallions would number.
Elliodor is also the damsire of Oaks winner, Studio Fifty Four, dam of both Champion Stayer Jeppe’s Reef (Jallad) and dual Algoa Cup hero Disco Al (Captain Al), while he is also the broodmare sire of the well performed and bred Master Of My Fate (Jet Master). Remarkably, Elliodor’s daughters have produced a gamut of champions, whose distances ranged from sprints to stamina contests. Top runners out of Elliodor mares include champion sprinters Cordocelli (still alive and well today at Nutfield Stud) and Val De Ra, and champion stayer and Gold Cup hero, Aslan (Silvano).
Statistics
Model Man (Elliodor-Top Model) Photo: Form Organisation
Elliodor had the more than respectable statistic of siring 10% stakes winners to foals and left behind 43 individual Grade 1 horses. His top runners included South Africa’s first equine millionaire, the above mentioned Model Man, three Gr1 Paddock Stakes winners, and fellow Gr1 winners Eldoriza (Gold Challenge), Forest Trogon (SA Nursery), Kale (SA Derby), Lord Shirldor (SA Classic, FNB 1600), Promisefrommyheart (Equus Champion) and July winner, Super Quality.
The son of Lyphard also sired EP Derby hero Eli’s Star, whose first diminutive crop created shock waves in the racing community, when, from just four foals , he produced Gr1 Cape Guineas/Derby hero Eli’s Truth, who amassed over R1.06 million in stakes. Eli’s Star, whose initial crop produced 100% winners to runners, went on to sire a top class sprinter in the form of Gr1 Cape Flying Championship hero, Eli’s Game.
International success
Elliodor also left his mark internationally, with his daughter Crimson Palace (also a winner in Dubai) landing the Gr1 Beverly D Stakes in North America, and Gr3 Middleton Stakes in Britain while Warning Zone herself was a stakes winner in North America. He is also the broodmare sire of the lightly raced, but high class Singapore galloper, Flax, who ran third in the G1 Singapore Airlines International Cup, and the world class sprinter, Tiza, who captured no fewer than four group races in France a few years earlier.
Important family
Elliodor was one of the more successful sire sons of the great Northern Dancer horse Lyphard, who, having a plethora of well performed sons retire to stud, is best known as a sire of sires through the deeds of Alzao, Brazilian champion Ghadeer and the ill-fated Lypheor.
His female line has also grown considerably over the past few decades. Out of a sister to British champion and influential sire Busted (whose top class offspring include Horse Of The Year Mtoto and good sire Bustino), Elliodor shared his female line with the likes of ill-fated South African champion filly Spook Express (Comic Blush), Gr1 Yalumba Stakes victor Northern Drake (Varick) and current classy Australian stayer Real Love (whose wins include the Gr2 Perth Cup). Classy local gallopers Seattle Ice (Gr2 Charity Mile) and his half brother Profit Report (Falcon Sprint) are also members of this family.
Interestingly enough, he shares his tap root ancestor, Bill And Coo (William The Third) with such legends as US Triple Crown winner, Secretariat and dual Arc de Triomphe hero Alleged.
Remarkable to think that Elliodor’s first crop contained just 14 foals and his third just five! Safe to say he enjoyed more success than many stallions who covered double the number of mares.
