Horse racing is all about defying the odds. The stories we cherish most are about the horses and people who found success even when the world seemed stacked against them; these stories fill us with hope and inspiration. Buried among the moving, emotional tales of legends like Seabiscuit and Exterminator is the story of a horse named Elmhurst.
The Beginning: Elmhurst's Pedigree, Sale, and Early Career in France (1990 - 1994)
Elmhurst's journey begins at Calumet Farm, one of the most iconic Thoroughbred farms in racing history. He was born on Valentine’s Day in 1990 to a beautiful bay mare named Mimbet. Though Mimbet never won a race in eight attempts, her dam, Our Mims, was a three-time Grade 1 winner and one of Calumet’s champions. Mimbet’s sire, Raise A Native, had a brief racing career but displayed undeniable brilliance.
Elmhurst was Mimbet’s third foal and the only one sired by Wild Again, the winner of the inaugural Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1). With such a royal pedigree, expectations for young Elmhurst were high.
After being sold for $100,000 at the Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale, Elmhurst was shipped overseas to France to start his racing career. He showed promise in his 1993 debut, finishing second in a Weight for Age race at Evreux, but it soon became clear that breaking his maiden would not come easily. For two years, he traveled from racecourse to racecourse in France, yet failed to win a single race in seventeen tries.
In horse racing, the best horses have usually made their mark by the middle of their three-year-old season, or have at least accomplished something by the time they’re four. But Elmhurst reached five years old without a single win to his name. Despite his beauty and bloodlines, success seemed elusive, and his connections’ high hopes had dwindled.
So, it came as a surprise when someone took an interest in purchasing Elmhurst. C.N. Ray of Evergreen Farm, along with trainer Jenine Sahadi, offered Elmhurst’s owners $50,000 to take the five-year-old maiden colt off their hands. His owners agreed, and Elmhurst was shipped from France to the sunny shores of Southern California.
A Change in Scenery: Elmhurst Moves to California (1995 - 1997)
Sahadi and Ray immediately made some changes to Elmhurst’s career. They gelded him and entered him on the dirt for the first time. The change of scenery and surface proved to be exactly what Elmhurst needed; the five-year-old gelding won his first race for his new connections - a six-furlong Maiden Special Weight at Santa Anita Park. He was a maiden no more.
Building on that momentum, Elmhurst went on to win an Allowance at Santa Anita. But afterward, he seemed to fall back into his old pattern. Though he performed respectably at Southern California tracks like Del Mar and Hollywood Park, he again struggled to reach the winner’s circle. It took him over a year and fourteen more races to find victory again, finally winning another Allowance at Santa Anita in October 1996.
It was then that Elmhurst began to show his true potential. He captured another Allowance and soon ventured into stakes company, finishing his six-year-old season with a win in the Flying Continental Handicap at Hollywood Park. After a few races as a seven-year-old, Elmhurst’s connections decided it was time to test him in graded stakes company. The competition would be tougher than anything he’d faced before, but they believed in him and his abilities.
Elmhurst rewarded his team’s faith by finishing second in the Triple Bend Breeders’ Cup Handicap (G3), and four months later, he claimed his first major victory in the Breeders’ Cup Handicap (G3). With this promising win under their belt, Elmhurst’s connections decided to enter him in the prestigious Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1).
Elmhurst had never competed in Grade 1 company before and had only secured his first graded stakes win a month prior. However, his team—owner Evergreen Farm, trainer Jenine Sahadi, and jockey Corey Nakatani—had already come together in 1996 to win the Breeders’ Cup Sprint with Lit de Justice. Although Elmhurst seemed outmatched, they knew what they were doing by entering him in the Breeders’ Cup.
The Height of Horse Racing: Elmhurst in the Breeders' Cup Sprint (1997)
The betting public sent Elmhurst into the starting gates at odds of 16-1; he would need the performance of a lifetime to win this race. As the gates burst open and the horses surged forward, Elmhurst was left in their dust. While he seemed hopelessly beaten at first, he was actually conserving energy, allowing the other horses to tire themselves out by chasing the blistering pace set up front.
As the leaders rounded the far turn and entered the stretch, their legs began to tire and their strides shortened. But Elmhurst was charging past horses as if they were standing still. Midway through the stretch, he appeared on screen in a blur—full of speed and momentum, flying down the center of the track and overtaking horses with ease. Using all the power he had, Elmhurst thrust his neck across the wire first. The seven-year-old gelding had just run the most sensational race of his career.
In doing so, Elmhurst set a Breeders’ Cup Sprint record of 1:08.
[Video: Watch Elmhurst (#3) win the 1997 Breeders' Cup Sprint]
One Chapter Closes, Another Begins: Elmhurst's Final Racing Years and Retirement (1997 - 2021)
Elmhurst continued to race for two more years but never again found himself in the winner’s circle. None of that mattered, however, as he had already etched his name into horse racing history with his Breeders’ Cup win. He was officially retired at the end of his nine-year-old season with a record of 51: 8-11-6 and earnings exceeding $1.1 million.
The gelding first returned to C.N. Ray’s Evergreen Farm in Paris, Kentucky, and was eventually moved to California. In 2008, Elmhurst became a resident of Rocking Horse Ranch, where he took on the special role of teaching confidence and kindness to children and young adults dealing with trauma and mental health issues. He stayed at the ranch until 2011, when it was announced that Elmhurst would be returning to Kentucky to retire at Our Mims Retirement Haven."
"He has taught quietness, kindness, and hope to many," Rocking Horse Ranch's founder Kathy Plaisted explained. "He will always be a favorite here at the Ranch — not because of his winnings (although we do love to show off his record-setting video) but because of his amazing spirit. Of all the horses I have ever met, he truly has a heart of a champion! He has worked hard both on and off the track and is deserving of such a fine retirement.”
Our Mims typically provides a safe, happy place for Thoroughbred mares to live out their final days, but they couldn’t resist adding Elmhurst, the grandson of their namesake Our Mims, to their barn. Elmhurst joined “the ladies” of the Haven on October 3, 2011.
Elmhurst lived at Our Mims for ten more years, bringing joy and countless laughs to everyone who visited. As Our Mims’ website playfully described, “Elmhurst loves the ladies. He is known to pop bra straps. If he sees cleavage, he will pull the shirt out and look down. He rubs bottoms and is a genuine cad! He will probably be our first sexual harassment lawsuit... But he will always be The King of Hearts here at Our Mims.”
Even into his thirties, Elmhurst remained as bright and beautiful as ever, a fan-favorite among visitors to the Haven.
On January 4, 2021, Elmhurst, “The King of Hearts,” passed away from heart failure at the old age of 31—a testament to the exceptional care given to him by Our Mims Retirement Haven.
His story—a tale of triumph against the odds, of patience, resilience, and love—will be retold for years to come. Stories like Elmhurst’s remind us why we love horse racing: they reveal not only the glory of victory but the warmth and devotion these remarkable animals inspire. Though Elmhurst is no longer with us, his spirit and the love he left behind will live on at the Haven and in horse racing history forever.
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