Page 172 - January 2019

The Championship at Sunland Park-G1
JESSIES FIRST DOWN
by Michael Compton
Jessies First Down, one of the top Quarter Horses in history and the AQHA World Champion two years running, exerted his superiority in the $350,000 Championship at Sunland Park-G1 on Dec. 30 and extended his current win streak to 4, which were all Grade 1 events, with a smart victory in the 440-yard test.
Ridden by regular rider Rodrigo Vallejo, Jessies First Down, who was second in this race last year and won the race in 2016, broke alertly from the 9-hole. He sped to the front shortly after the break, dueled with Major Bites and Jess Bein The Hero through the lane before edging clear late to prove much the best with a measured 1-length score as the odds-on favorite.
He stopped the timer in :21.156, earning a 103 speed index for trainer James Padgett II.
A Texas homebred for Ted G. Abrams, Jessies First Down increased his impressive record to 38-19(14)-12(7)-1 and the $157,000 winner’s share of the purse padded his bankroll to $1,624,002.
Beside Championship at Sunland Park, his additional Grade 1 victories in 2018 came in
the Leo Stakes-G1 and the Remington Park Invitational Championship-G1 at Remington Park, and
the Albuquerque Fall Championship-G1 at Albuquerque Downs.
“This was a tougher field than many people gave it credit for,” Abrams said of the race. “That was a quality field. Major Bites and Jess Bein The Hero are going to be heard from.
“Jessie was training good going into the race,” Abrams added. “We caused a little bump, ourselves, but it didn’t have any impact on the outcome and he got going like he always does. He accelerates like no other horse I’ve ever seen.”
Jessies First Down’s place in history is already cemented, but if he were to be named a World Champion for a third straight year he would join Go Man Go, Shue Fly and Woven Web TB as the only other horses to earn the rare feat. Jessies First Down’s accomplishments
include being named World Champion Racing American QH in 2017 and 2016; AQHA Racing Champion Aged Horse in 2017 and 2016; AQHA Racing Champion Aged Gelding in 2017 and 2016; and AQHA Supreme Race Horse in 2016. He has also set two track records in his stellar career.
For Abrams and his fam- ily, Jessies First Down is the
horse of a lifetime. “Our entire family revels
in what Jessie has done for us,” Abrams said. “Every night before I go to sleep, I watch one of his race replays on my iPad and it immediately makes me happy and calms me.
“He’s just so special. The biggest compli- ment for us is when people ask to come by
the barn and stand next to him to have their picture taken. He has an enormous number of fans, and he is such a class act. He’s friendly and loving and we just couldn’t ask for any- thing more. We can’t express just how special he is. He has a heart as big as Dallas.”
Sunland Park $350,000 • 440 yards :21.156 • si 103
First Down Dash
FDD Dynasty
Dinastia Toll
JESSIES FIRST DOWN, ‘11-g.
Mr Jess Perry
Jess A Classy Lassy
Mighty Classy Lassy
168 SPEEDHORSE, January 2019
Jessies First Down wins the Grade 1 Championship at Sunland Park by a length
RACING NEWS
Coady Photography