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When Marguerite Eliasson greets visitors or clients outside the hacienda-style farm office and foaling barn of E.A. Ranches, the immediate feeling of class and competence is palpable. The 1,000-acre breeding, boarding, and training facility in the fertile hills above Ramona is a breathtakingly beautiful island of peace and tranquility. Every detail is centered around lightning-fast Thoroughbreds, the passion of the late Ernest Auerbach.
Shortly after the real estate developer founded E.A. Ranches in the late 1970s, he handed the reins over to Eliasson, whose 35-plus years of hard work, loyalty to the family, and unshakable belief in the stallions of the ranch are now culminating in a very special feat: Tis year not one but two offspring of E.A. Ranches’ stallions are scheduled to participate in the Breeders’ Cup.
Ashleyluvssugar, a 5-year old gelding by the late Game Plan (by Danzig), will contest the $4 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf (gr. IT). THe multiple graded stakes winner is already his sire’s top earner at $847,504 and has his sights set on entering racing’s “Millionaires Club” for owner/breeders Sharon Alesia, Bran Jam Stables, and Ciaglia Racing.