Page 43 - Speedhorse February 2018

Downs at Albuquerque Fall Championship
Sam Houston Championship Challenge-G2
takes extremely good care of him. When Jessies First Down went to Dr. Tommy Hays’ Elgin Veterinary Hospital in Elgin, Texas, for a routine checkup—where they found him in perfect health—Gonzalez couldn’t stand the separation.
“He dotes over the horse,” said Abrams. “Every day he’d go to Jimmy Padgett and say, ‘Can we go get the horse?’ When Jimmy said no, Javier said, ‘I want to go over there. I’ll sleep in the stall or get a motel room.’ ”
After Jessies First Down’s first World Championship season ended on the final day of 2016 with a victory in The Championship at Sunland Park-G1, he got a break until the Sam Houston season.
He debuted in his trial for the Sam Houston Championship Challenge-G2, winning easily by 1 3/4-lengths and qualifying the third fastest. In the 440-yard finals, Jessies First Down collared TLC Dale in a furious drive to the wire, winning by a neck and setting a New Track Record of :21.214.
Zia Park Championship-G1
Jessies First Down finished second to Zoomin Effortlessly in the Remington Park Invitational Championship-G1, but got the chance to avenge that defeat in the All American Gold Cup-G1, a race he had lost to Zoomin Effortlessly in 2016.
“The Gold Cup was the best race he ran all year, I thought,” said Abrams.
In the Gold Cup, Jessies First Down came away from the gate quickly to grab the lead and completely dominate the field. As the finish line approached, he kept increasing his advantage, beating second-place Zoomin Effortlessly by 2 1/2-lengths in :21.134 for 440 yards.
Padgett had an incredible weekend at Ruidoso. Two races following the Gold Cup,
he won the All American Derby-G1 with Hold Air Hostage, who completed his 440 yards in :21.231. The next day Padgett added the All American Futurity-G1 with Fly Baby Fly, as well as the All American Juvenile with Jesse Lane.
Initially, Padgett planned to point Jessies First Down to the Bank of America Challenge Championship-G1 at Prairie Meadows in mid-October.
“But after his Gold Cup win, he went back to the barn acting like he hadn’t even raced,” Padgett said.
Instead, the team entered Jessies First Down in the Downs at Albuquerque Fall Championship just three weeks after the Gold Cup. The gelding responded with a resounding 3/4-length triumph.
The World Champion next successfully defended his 2016 title in the Zia Park Championship Stakes-G1. He had won that race by a head in 2016 and this time increased that margin to 1 3/4-lengths. The victory also made him a millionaire, a bankroll he padded with his final start of the year, a third in the Championship at Sunland Park-G1.
Abrams plans to run Jessies First Down in 2018, where the gelding might be able to add a third World Championship and make many more new fans.
“Everybody who has the opportunity to meet Jessie likes him,” said Abrams. “He’s not a hyper horse; he’s not a mean horse. He loves to play with zippers on people’s clothes. He’s very even-tempered. He’s just a good horse.”
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SPEEDHORSE, February 2018 41
Linda Earley Coady Photography
Coady Photography
Coady Photography