Chella continues to reward owner-trainer

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – A 7-year-old Thoroughbred with 26 career wins is not all that rare. But when it takes just 41 starts to get those 26 wins, well, that’s something else.

Chella, an Ontario-bred mare with an uncanny knack for winning, brought her North American victory tour to Gulfstream Park last Saturday. After she won the $50,000 Lady Bird, fighting off Arcelor and Starship Reina in a three-way battle, her owner-trainer, Elliot Sullivan, was nearly in tears when talking about her in the Gulfstream winner’s circle.

“I’ll never have another one like her,” said Sullivan, 29.

Since Sullivan claimed Chella at Mahoning Valley in Ohio for $10,000 on April 1, 2015, she has won an amazing 20 of 23 starts. Cherry-picking his spots while often taking advantage of her eligibility for starter conditions, Sullivan has raced her at 10 different tracks, resulting in several win streaks, including one of eight and another of six.

“You can put her in a trailer and take her anywhere and she shows up,” he said. “She’s a special horse.”

Before Sullivan claimed her, Chella had gone 3 for 14 for her first trainer, Steve Attard, then 3 for 4 for Paula Loescher. Her latest triumph was particularly compelling, and not just because it came on a Saturday at a high-profile track such as Gulfstream. Her jockey, Samy Camacho, was outfitted in the light blue and black silks formerly used by Sullivan’s late uncle, Joe Winick, who died in 2016. Winick and his widow, Edith, mentored Sullivan from a young age in Ohio, both in racing and in life.

“I’d be nowhere without them,” Sullivan said. “I owe everything to them. They’ve been a big part of this mare doing as well as she has. I wanted to dedicate this one to my uncle.”

Chella’s latest win was part of an unforgettable 45-minute span for Sullivan, whose mid-sized stable is currently split between Tampa Bay Downs and Mahoning Valley. Shortly after the Lady Bird, which went at 1:06 Eastern, he won maiden-claiming races at Mahoning Valley as the owner and breeder of Hot Pink (at 1:14) and at Tampa as the trainer of Tap Speed (at 1:48).