Flamboro Downs today announced the creation of a new major stakes event named in honour of a Canadian racing legend, the great Ellamony

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The $130,000 (est.) Ellamony Stakes will become the crown jewel of the track’s ‘Spring Into Summer’ event, a promotion launched last year to kick off the summer racing season at Flamboro Downs. Open to aged pacing mares, The Ellamony Stakes will become the track’s second most significant event, behind only the Confederation Cup.

“No pacing mare is more significant to Canadians than Ellamony. And, no man is more significant to Flamboro Downs than her owner and breeder, Charles Juravinski. This exciting event allows us to honour both,” said Bruce Barbour, executive director, Racing Operations for Flamboro Downs.

When she died in 1996, no mare in Canadian history had matched the achievements of Ellamony. A multiple stakes champion with titles in the Breeders Crown, Roses Are Red and Mistletoe Shalee, just to name a few, Ellamony ended her career with 53 wins and nearly $1.5-million in earnings. She was a two-time Dan Patch Award winner south of the border, a three-time O’Brien Award champion at home and the 1995 Canadian Horse Of The Year. She was bred and owned by the founder and former owner of Flamboro Downs, Charles Juravinski.

“To be part of a story like hers, happens only once in a lifetime – if you’re lucky,” said Juravinski, who will preside over a trackside ceremony prior to the stakes final. “Finally, after all these years, the ultimate tribute will be paid to this incredible champion. I will personally preside over the burial of Ellamony’s ashes where she belongs, inside the Winner’s Circle at Flamboro Downs. It will be an emotional moment and I’m looking forward to it.”

Targeted at pacing mares, the $130,000 Ellamony Stakes final will take place on Friday, June 19. Eliminations will be staged one week earlier.

“She was able to do things that simply boggle the mind,” said Barbour. “She paced her first charted mile at Flamboro Downs and, considering her connections, she’s part of the Flamboro family. It will be a special day for all of us.”

(GCGC)