When H and E Ranch's homebred Desert Dawn missed the mark in the sales ring in 2020, Elena and Hollie Crim took matters into their own hands.
Buying back their filly for $32,000—in what Elena describes as a decision she initially thought was "foolish"—might have turned out to be one of the best she has ever made. The 3-year-old Arizona-bred daughter of Cupid will contest the May 6 Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) at Churchill Downs, the lone filly in the 14-horse field not bred in the state of Kentucky.
Growing up surrounded by horses, it felt natural to Elena to continue the profession. She says she married her late husband Hollis, a cowboy, when she was 20, and spent several years working on cattle farms.
"They've been my passion," Elena said. "My father's family and my family have been in horses all of our lives. Because we've been so dedicated to them, you just branch out... They're a magnificent animal and once you're addicted to them, you can't imagine doing anything else. It is what it is."
After Hollis died two years ago, Elena's daughter Hollie, who also works as a lawyer, stepped in to help support the family horse business.
Based out of Globe, Ariz., the mother-daughter pair foal out a few mares in their home state every year, with the majority of their horses staying in Kentucky and Florida.
"I just feel like I need to support (Arizona) because I've been in the business for so many years, so I try to have around three to four mares foaled here," Elena said. "Some horses stay in Kentucky permanently and the ones that I'm very attached to, like Desert Dawn's mother, come back and forth to me.
"The ones that I choose to stay there in Kentucky stay with Callan and Frankie O'Connor. Same as in Florida. They stay down there if I'm not emotionally attached to them."
The Crims are regulars at sales across the country, especially those in California and Florida, enjoying the chance to spend quality time together doing what they love.
"We used to try to go to all of them, but especially the ones that were easier to get to like the ones in California and there was a small sale in Arizona we used to do," Hollie said. "Truthfully, we're just excited to get to go back to Kentucky with Desert Dawn. It'll be nice to see our horses back there. It'll be a lovely trip.
"You know, it's just a true pleasure and a true honor to get to do this business in general with my mom. I'm really lucky I get to do what I love with someone I love. To get to have one of our own horses that's from a family line we've loved for years (run in the Kentucky Oaks); it's just incredible. It's surreal."
Hollie, who refers affectionally to Desert Dawn as "Ally," has been part of the filly's journey every step of the way. Elena recalls when her daughter foaled out the filly's dam Ashley's Glory, who is another homebred, at their farm.
"Desert Dawn has been so fun because my daughter delivered that baby here on my property... she did a great job and she named her too. She does a lot of hands-on stuff for being as intelligent as she is; she's a lot smarter than I am," Elena said.
"She's my baby, I'm so proud of her," Hollie said of Desert Dawn. "It took me quite a while to find (my) horse property so we just had (the mares) at my mom's house in Scottsdale. I would come and stay whenever we had horses that were due. That night, it was just my turn."
Trained by Phil D'Amato, Desert Dawn has earned $378,400 in seven starts, including an upset victory in the Santa Anita Oaks (G2). Before her Santa Anita Oaks win, she placed fourth in both the Starlet Stakes (G1) and Santa Isabel Stakes (G3). She also ran in the 2021 NetJets Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1), where she finished sixth.
"Phil has known all along that she has this talent; he put her in a couple races and he knew how capable she was," Elena said. "They kind of ignored her when she ran in the Breeders' Cup, and rightfully so; she hadn't accomplished as much, but she still had ability and she certainly has proven it."
Elena was ecstatic when she watched her filly cross the finish first April 9 at Santa Anita Park, turning back grade 3-winning favorite Adare Manor in the process by a hard-fought neck and paying $31.20 to win as the longest shot in the five-horse field.
"Good heavens, it was outrageous," she recalled. "We have a lot of dogs; I thought they were going to go bananas (because) I was jumping up and down. It was a very exciting race; it was very close. That's what Walt Disney talks about when dreams come true. It was just absolutely fantastic."
The Crims hope to repeat this success when Desert Dawn competes for the lilies this year, marking a milestone for their business.
"We've had a couple horses come close to $300,000 in earnings but she's certainly the one... I would say Desert Dawn has definitely been the cream of the crop... It's huge, it's wonderful," Elena said.
