Chriselliam, Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner, euthanized

Chriselliam, the champion 2-year-old filly of Europe in 2013 and the winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Santa Anita last November, was euthanized on Friday from complications of a foot infection.

Chriselliam had been transferred from a veterinary clinic near trainer Charlie Hills’s base west of London to a clinic in Newmarket, England, on Wednesday for continued supervision. It was determined on Friday that she could not recover, and the decision was made to euthanize her.

Hills told the British press that Chriselliam’s infection had spread into the coffin bone, or pedal bone. He said that Chriselliam had failed to respond to antibiotics. The filly was in veterinary care for nearly a month.

On Twitter, Hills wrote that Chriselliam “was an amazing talent who has left us far too early.”

By Iffraaj, the Irish-bred Chriselliam won 3 of 6 starts and earned $729,684 for former champion jockey Willie Carson, Emily Asprey and Chris Wright. She won the Group 1 Fillies’ Mile at Newmarket last September before traveling to California for the BC Juvenile Fillies Turf.

Ridden by Richard Hughes in the BC Juvenile Fillies Turf, Chriselliam closed from eighth in a field of 14 to win by 2 1/2 lengths over fellow European Testa Rossi. The win made Chriselliam one of the leading contenders with British bookmakers for the English 1000 Guineas at Newmarket in May.