Page 151 - July_2023

Sent off as the heavy 1-5 favorite, Danjer, as usual, didn’t disappoint. Now a winner in 22 of 35 career starts, Danjer has placed in 10 others and captured the Leo Stakes-G1 at Remington Park in his prior outing, giving the multiple Champion two Grade 1 wins this season at the age of seven. The $164,034 winner’s share of
the Debbie Schauf Remington Park Invitational Championship purse increased his lifetime bankroll to $2,499,432 and he ranks third on the all-time American Quarter Horse Association lifetime earnings list, trailing only Ochoa ($2,779,265) and KJ Desperado ($2,772,603).
Danjer was crowned 2021 World Champion Racing American Quarter Horse, and he was also the 2020 Champion Aged Horse and Champion Aged Gelding. He was bred in Oklahoma by trainer and part owner Dean Frey, who owns Danjer in partnership with Downtime Enterprises LLC (Patrick Guthrie) and Billy Smith of Rancho Mirage, California.
“He honestly loves his job,” shared Dean Frey. “He loves what he does. He likes the camera. I actually think he is aware of what he has done when he goes back into the winner’s circle.
“I always expect a good effort from him,” Frey continued. “He’s humbled me a couple of times. Not really by getting outrun, just by bad luck that has humbled me. I always go in there with a lot of confidence. I have a lot of confidence in him.
“Everybody says he a is once-in-a-lifetime horse,” Frey added, ‘but I don’t even know if once-in-a-million is a right statement. He is definitely one of a kind, in my opinion.”
A son of FDD Dynasty, Danjer is produced from the graded stakes-winning Take Off Jess mare Shez Jess Toxic, an earner of $235,296 during her racing career. Owned and bred by Frey and trained by Monty Arrossa, Shez Jess Toxic won the 2011 AQHA Juvenile Challenge Championship-G2 and
finished second in a pair of Grade 1 events— the 2012 Southern California Derby-G1 and in the 2013 Mildred N. Vessels Memorial Handicap-G1, both at Los Alamitos.
Runner-up Nothin Like You (Favorite Cartel-Whos Kissin Carter), piloted by Stormy Smith, dueled early but was clearly second
best on the day for owner Bradbury Racing
and trainer John Hammes. A four-time stakes winner, Nothin Like You also finished second to Danjer in the Leo Stakes in their previous meeting in May. The eight-time winner from 17 lifetime starts was bred in Colorado by Thomas Bradbury in partnership with Lisa Beauprez.
A Tres Of Eagle (One Fabulous Eagle-A Tres Of Paint) and jockey Ruben Castro were bumped leaving the starting gate and battled
on gamely to finish in third place for owner Bella Vista Farms and trainer Eddie Willis. A two-time graded stakes winner in 2023, having annexed the Dee Raper Sooner State Stakes-G1 and the Mr Jet Moore Stakes-G2 at Remington Park, A Tres Of Eagle was bred in Oklahoma by The Mixer Ranch. He is out of Grade 3 winner A Tres Of Paint, by Tres Seis.
Apollitical Redflash (Apollitical Jess- Chalala), Delight Us All (Corona Cartel-Our Genuine Delight), Apollitical Gold (Apollitical Jess-SRC Gold), Head Patron (Zoomin for Bux-Dash Leader), Flash Bak (Moonin the Eagle-Checknbac), and Stone Cold Leader (Brookstone Bay-Sheza Classy Leader) completed the order of finish. Jess My Hocks was scratched.
Danjer’s fans crowd the winner’s circle to celebrate his 12th G1 stakes win.
Jockey Francisco Calderon and Dusti Frey with her dad Dean Frey, breeder,co-owner and trainer of Danjer.
RACING NEWS
SPEEDHORSE July 2023 149
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