Page 135 - July 2016

JORGE HADDAD JR.
A 22-year-old senior at Trinity University who lives in San Antonio, Texas
by Tracy Gantz
Jorge Haddad Jr. thrives on creating options for his future. Born in Mexico but raised in Texas since he was 10, he speaks English and Spanish equally well. While he is very involved with his family’s Haddad Ranch, which serves clients in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada, he is studying finance and business in college, two subjects that he can use whether he remains in the family business or chooses a different career path.
His parents, Jorge Sr. and Kitty, instilled in him a love for racehorses. His father owned his first racehorse in Mexico at age 21, and when the family moved to Texas 11 years ago, they searched for the perfect piece of property to establish Haddad Ranch. There they stand Ragazzo and The Louisiana Cartel as part of a full-service facility.
Jorge Jr. is involved in every aspect of the ranch, especially during the summer when he helps his father every day.
“I love when we sit down and decide what
we are going to breed to which mares,” Jorge Jr. said. “I love everything from the sales prep and taking them to the sale to finally going to the races and seeing the babies that you’ve bred run.”
Jorge Jr. reads everything he can about the racing and breeding business. “I really enjoy it, and I think that the more informed you are, the better you are able to make decisions,” he said. “I like to know how horses are bred, how they run.”
“I love everything from the sales prep and taking them to the sale to finally going to the races and seeing the babies that you’ve bred run.”
Often, when people tell Jorge Jr. the name of their horses, he is able to rattle off the sire and dam, as well as the horse’s race record.
The family breeds about 20 foals annually, selling many at auction and racing about seven
on their own. This year, Jorge’s father allowed him to choose an embryo out of any one of their mares. He selected Perfection, a full sister to Champion FDD Dynasty, and he decided on Dominyun as the sire.
“I always liked Perfection because of the way she’s bred and her conformation,” said Jorge Jr. “Her babies are always really correct. I thought it would be a really good cross. I saw Dominyun race, and I think his babies are going to keep running.”
Jorge Jr. plans to raise the 2017 foal and take it to a sale. With the proceeds, he hopes to continue breeding horses and raise money to pursue an MBA.
The Haddads have proved that they can raise a good horse. Their stallion Ragazzo, bred, trained, and co-owned by Jorge Sr., won the 2009 Heritage Place Futurity-G1 and 2010 Manor Downs Derby-G3. Another homebred, Potenzza, finished third in the 2013 Rainbow Futurity-G1. A half-sister to Ragazzo, she qualified for the All American Futurity-G1, but injured herself and couldn’t run in the final.
Jorge Jr. is also proud of the start that The Louisiana Cartel has made at stud. “He’s the number two sophomore sire in the nation and a top 20 sire,” he said. “That’s been our dream and why we bought him at the Ruidoso sale.”
As much as Jorge Jr. enjoys Quarter Horse racing—“It is my main hobby,” he said—it wouldn’t be a surprise if he decides to fol- low the family business. But he believes in being prepared for anything, which is why
he is pursuing the difficult double major of finance and business management at Trinity University.
“I think education is very important,” he said, “especially nowadays because everything is really competitive.”
That is why Jorge Jr. wants to go beyond a four-year degree and get an MBA. “I think to stand out, you have to go a little farther,” he said. Jorge Haddad Jr. is certainly demonstrat- ing his ability to take that extra step in every aspect of his life.
Jorge Jr. (right) with his parents, Kitty and Jorge Sr., and siblings Emiliano and Giuliana
SPEEDHORSE, July 2016 133
YOUTH INDUSTRY PROFILE