“If he starts 2015 the way he finished last year, then we’re going to see some good things from him this season.”
Fresh off a qualifying victory at Mohawk Racetrack on June 30, E L Titan is gearing up to return for his four-year-old campaign. He cruised to the finish with ease, closing in :27.4 to win by three lengths in 1:56.4 with trainer/driver Riina Rekila.
While Father Patrick captured the Breeders Crown over E L Titan by a neck in a thrilling 1:51.4 finish, ‘Patrick’ wasn’t the only one on ‘Father’ duty during the off-season. The multiple stakes-winning son of champion Muscle Hill stood for $8,000 at Overseas Farm, Campbellville, Ontario, under the management of Southwind Farms, before returning to the track under the tutelage of Rekila. Bred to approximately 65 mares, his first crop will hit the ground in 2016.
Making waves as a two-year-old, E L Titan took his mark in the International Stallion Stakes at The Red Mile, holding off future Hambletonian winner Trixton. Rekila was patient with his development, training him under saddle or on the sand track at the farm. Breeder and owner Erkki Laakkonen was supportive of her decisions in the hopes that they will have a strong, long-term racehorse.
E L Titan made only eight starts in his sophomore campaign but posted a record of 3-3-0, bankrolling over $500,000. The season was highlighted with a victory in the Carl Erskine Trot at Hoosier Park over divisional champ Father Patrick. He rounded out his season with the Breeders Crown, finishing a strong second to Father Patrick despite getting parked the entire mile.
His trotting talent also made E L Titan Courtney Hall’s highest earning offspring. A $500,000 yearling purchase, his dam is a 100% producer with multiple stakes winners. She is a full sister to multiple Dan Patch winner Cameron Hall and Canland Hall, the dam of Cantab Hall. E L Titan's remarkable talent on the track is reflected on paper, hailing from an impressive trotting pedigree -- one of the best in harness racing.
“He was training really good all winter and coming back for this season,” said Rekila, who has the year stacked with many of the top stakes events for the remainder of 2015. "We paid him up to pretty much everything, including the Maple Leaf Trot and the Breeders Crown.”
The first acid test for E L Titan comes in Monday night's Preferred Trot at Mohawk Racetrack. Rekila will be at the controls as the four-year-old makes his 2015 debut. The task will not be an easy one, as E L Titan has drawn Post 10 and faces a solid group of older horses. Here's the field for Monday's $34,000 Preferred Trot.
1. Master Of Law - J. Takter - 4-1
2. Catch The Dream - D. McNair - 9-2
3. Murmur Hanover - S. Filion - 8-1
4. Riveting Rosie - P. MacDonell - 12-1
5. Bax Of Life- J. Campbell - 15-1
6. Flanagan Memory - C. Christoforou - 3-1
7. Charmed Life - J. Jamieson - 6-1
8. Windsun Revenge - R. Waples - 12-1
9. Etruscan Hanover - M. Baillargeon - 7-1
10. E L Titan - R. Rekila - 10-1
“He’s a good horse. He can leave, he can finish if he gets a nice trip and he’s very handy to drive. We have to get him back racing before we know what to expect but so far, I’m expecting good things.”
(A Trot Insider Exclusive by Hannah Beckett)