by Kimberly French, USTA Web Newsroom Senior Correspondent

Kimberly French

Louisville, KY — He doesn’t have a barn full of horses, but you only need one and Deshawn Minor is pretty pleased the one he has is Smilin Eli.

The son of Muscles Yankee and the multiple stakes victress Gerri’s Joy was bred by owner Nicholas Cimino and was unraced last year at age two, but made quite an impression in his debut in a $34,000 division of the New Jersey Sire Stakes at the Meadowlands on May 17. The colt came home in 1:54.4 with a last quarter in :26.4.

He is the second foal from his dam (Enjoy Lavec-C C Jennifer P, 3,1:54, $641,905) whom Cimino also bred and owns. Gerri’s Joy annexed the $537,000 Merrie Annabelle final in 2006 and was second in the $410,000 final of that year’s Goldsmith Maid.

Her first foal, 4-year-old Gerris Glide, has earned $18,765 with a mark of 2:03.1f from a qualifiying race.

Lisa photo

Smilin Eli was a 1:54.4 winner in his career debut.

Already more accomplished than his older sister, Smilin Eli will look to add to his win total when he leaves from post five on Friday (May 24) in the $33,000 second leg of the New Jersey Sire Stakes. He is the 6-5 morning line favorite for driver Tim Tetrick.

“I’ve known Nick for about seven or eight years from Pompano as he lives there,” said Minor, who shared last year’s William Popfinger Award for his work with Seven Arias. “I knew (Smilin Eli’s) mother and my brother actually trained her for a trip. She was a really nice filly, so when they called to tell me he was training good and this guy couldn’t take him to New Jersey, I told them taking him would be no problem.”

Smilin Eli did not race last year because he needed some time to mature and learn how to use his long legs.

“They trained him down in something like 2:15 and then shut him down,” Minor said. “He’s a big, strong colt and he looks more like Muscles, but his mother wasn’t a small horse either. He just was growthy and started to sore up.”

Although he hasn’t been under Minor’s watchful eye for very long, the conditioner already has a strong sense of Smilin Eli’s ability.

“In his first start it was hard to get too high on him,” he said. “It’s early yet, but the colt does have a lot of talent. I think that’s why they shut him down early last year because they knew what he had and he was just growing. You would rather have a nice 3-year-old than nothing at all. I haven’t had him for very long but I’m happy with him and how he is progressing.”

Friday’s engagement is merely one step in what could be quite a long season for Smilin Eli.

“He’s staked out,” Minor said. “We’ll see how he goes this week with a short field and if he can do a good job. It’s about keeping him educated and continuing to move forward and letting him get better on his own. He has the natural talent to do anything a good horse should do. The speed is definitely there.”