Elis was one of the first horses to be transported by horsebox and landed a major betting coup for his owners by winning the St Leger.

Elis was officially owned by Charles Greville for his first two starts and by Thomas Anson, 1st Earl of Lichfield for the remainder of his racing career.

[5] He made his racing debut at the July meeting at Newmarket Racecourse where he was one of fourteen two-year-olds to contest the Chesterfield Stakes over the last half of the Bunbury Mile course.

[8] Three days later, Elis sustained his only defeat of the season when he finished second by a length to the Duke of Grafton's colt Alumnus in the Prendergast Stakes.

[12] Two days later he was matched against older horses in the Goodwood Cup and finished second to the four-year-old Hornsea, with the St Leger winner Rockingham among the unplaced runners.

[14] From as early as the autumn 1835, Elis had been regarded as a leading contender for the St Leger at Doncaster Racecourse in late September, but when the horse was still in Goodwood a week before the race his chances appeared remote.

In the 1830s, the established way for a horse to travel to a racecourse was to walk there, usually at a very gentle pace to minimise the risk of injury, and the 250 mile journey from Goodwood to Doncaster could take up to three weeks.

Despite the fact that it appeared impossible for Elis to run in the St Leger he continued to be supported in the betting, which led to considerable confusion until Bentinck's plans were revealed.

A specially designed carriage or "caravan" had been constructed which could be drawn at high speed by a team of horses whose members could be replaced at regular intervals.

Elis and a travelling companion named The Drummer were loaded into the padded interior of the caravan and were transported to Doncaster in less than three days: there was even time to pause and give the horses an exercise gallop at Lichfield Racecourse.

[16] On 20 September, Elis started at odds of 7/2 for the St Leger, with the John Scott-trained Scroggins being made the 6/4 favourite in what was considered an unusually strong field.

The presence of the "extraordinary pair" of classic-winning colts in the Grand Duke Michael Stakes led to the other twenty-two horses being withdrawn by their owners.