Page 73 - 31 August 2012

John Deere Retama Juvenile challenge
aDoRInG Jess
by Tracy Gantz
adoring Jess has thrived upon switching to trainer Bobby Martinez’s barn. Martinez has sent out the filly twice, for her trial and the final of the Aug. 11 John Deere Retama Juvenile Challenge, and came away with victories in both. The trial marked Adoring Jess’ first lifetime win, and the final earned her a berth in the Oct. 27 John Deere Juvenile Challenge Championship-G2 at Prairie Meadows in Iowa.
Breaking second from post one, Adoring Jess
took a quick lead under jockey David Alvarez,
who also piloted her in
her trial for Martinez. Sheaintcrynrealtears from the outside made a late run at Adoring Jess, who held her off to win by a neck in a time of :17.736.
Francisco Garza owns Adoring Jess and first ran her
at Sam Houston Race Park in March, where she finished sixth. In June the filly took third in a trial at Retama Park before Garza moved her to the Martinez stable.
Grant Farms LLC bred Adoring Jess in Louisiana by crossing the First Down Dash mare First To Adore with Mr Jess Perry. Adoring Jess is the first winner from two start- ers for the mare, who finished third in the 2006
Governor’s Cup Futurity-RG1 and 2007 Denim N Diamonds Handicap, both at Los Alamitos.
Marcy Darling, Adoring Jess’ second dam, won
the 1992 Bandera Downs Derby-G2 and set a new track record at the Gillespie County Fairgrounds for 350 yards. Marcy Darling’s foals include Champion First To Flash and stakes winners First To Shine and GW Chick.
Tawn and Alan Perkins’ homebred Sheaintcrynrealtears (Jet Cartel-Tear Drop Six) qualified the fastest for the Retama Juvenlie Challenge. Jerry Yoakum rode her in her trial and final for trainer Jesse Yoakum.
Runaway Bye RR (Dashin Bye-Runaway Deb) finished third for jockey Eleazar Hernandez and trainer Joe Rangel. Yadira Ramos owns the colt, who broke his maiden at Sam Houston and won his trial.
Completing the field were Down For A Fortune (Down N Dash-Separatist Fortune), Nothin But Fortune (Tres Fortunes-Keep Takin The Cash), Ottyes Valentine Gal (Mr Ottyes-Lovely Legs), Gone Too Soon T (Game Patriot-Bugs Groovy), Evil Monkey (Indy Speed Meter-Fashion Runaway), and Boots On Fly (Dashs Last Episode-Zings Kiss). My Te Fast Cat was scratched.
Retama Park $52,200 • 350 yards :17.736 • si 101
Streakin La Jolla
Mr Jess Perry
Scoopie Fein
ADORING JESS, ’10-f.
First Down Dash
First To Adore
Marcy Darling
racing news
adequan Retama Derby challenge
Jess a coMMenT
by Tracy Gantz
Retama Park agrees with Jess A Comment. The 3-year-old gelding has won four races throughout his career, all of them at the
Selma, Texas, track. His most recent vic-
tory came in the Aug. 11 Adequan Retama Derby Challenge, earning him a berth in the Adequan Derby Challenge Championship-G1 on Oct. 27 at Prairie Meadows.
Jess A Comment won his Derby Challenge trial, qualifying the fastest.
Jockey Luis Ramirez got him
away from the gate in good
order in the final, and he matched strides with Jumpn Beau Chick to his inside and Im The Key immediately to his outside. Those three vied together to the wire, with Jess A Comment bravely surging forward to win by a head. He completed the 400 yards in :19.714 for a speed index of 107. Jumpn Beau
Chick finished second, a nose in front of show finisher Im The Key.
The Retama Derby Challenge was Jess
A Comment’s initial stakes victory, though
he had qualified for several finals. His best previous stakes finish was a fourth in the 2011 Sam Houston Juvenile Challenge-G3. Guy Hopkins trains Jess A Comment for owner Michael Amburn.
Raymond Loup bred
Jess A Comment in Texas
out of Jess Quick Fun, who set a new track record for 400 yards when she won the 2005 Gillespie County Fair Texas-bred Stakes. From nine starters, Jess Quick Fun has five winners.
Mario Trujillo piloted Jumpn Beau Chick (Jumpn Chic-Beaukas) to her second- place finish. Bobby Martinez trains the filly for Francisco
Garza. Jumpn Beau Chick won the TQHA Sires Cup Derby-RG3 earlier this season at Retama, and she finished second in last year’s TQHA Sires Cup Futurity-RG2 at the track.
Third-place Im The Key (Shazoom-Royal Classic Chick) races for Espinoza Stone Inc. Fructuoso Huitron trains the gelding, who was ridden in the Retama Derby Challenge by Raul Ramirez Jr. Im The Key won two races last year at Ruidoso Downs.
Rounding out the field in the Adequan Retama Derby Challenge were Country Chick Moons (Country Chicks Man-Say Six Moons), Acorn In The Grove (Oak Tree Special-Sixes Ms Perry), Streakin The Edge (Streakin La Jolla-Power Edge), Executive Miss Dash (Executive Menace-Miss Ryon Dash), and Jess Tee Off (Tres Seis-Jess Linda Tee). Jess A Lil Spoon and Skyy High Perry were scratched.
Retama Park $38,880 • 400 yards :19.714 • si 107
First Place Dash
First Comment
PW Comment
JESS A COMMENT, ’09-g.
Mr Jess Perry
Jess Quick Fun
Quick Fun
SPEEDHORSE, August 31, 2012 71
coady Photography coady Photography