Page 100 - September 2023

KJ Desparado winning the August 5 allowance race at Ruidoso Downs.
Bailey Ivey, Ruidoso Downs
Owners Ruben Mares and Kathy and John Lee
Susan Bachelor, Speedhorse
KJ Desparado
Becomes All-Time Leading Money Earning Quarter Horse
by John Moorehouse
Move over, partner. There’s a new finished second), the gelding has made 19 total said. “But not like this. He’s all business, too.
all-time top earner in the world of
Quarter Horse racing.
KJ Desparado achieved that feat on Aug. 5 at
Ruidoso Downs, with his victory in a $39,600 allowance that also marked his 2023 debut.
That result, and the $23,760 payday that came with it, swelled KJ Desparado’s career bankroll to an astonishing $2,796,363. What makes this feat all the more impressive is that KJ Desparado is still a four year old – the same age as Ochoa, the previous earnings record holder, when he stopped racing.
John Lee home-bred KJ Desparado with his wife, Kathy in the name of their L&L Land & Cattle, and they own the gelding with Ruben Mares.
“It’s overwhelming,” John Lee said. “What he’s accomplished, it’s more than you could ever expect out of any horse. To come around like this and do it as a four year old, it’s hard to explain. Every time he runs, it’s unbelievable what he does and how easy he does it.”
KJ Desparado has been incredibly consistent. Since making his maiden out in a trial for the 2021 AQRA Turf Paradise Open Futurity (he
starts and reached the winner’s circle 13 times with three runner-up finishes. He reeled off seven straight victories at one point, a streak that included the 2021 versions of the All American Futurity-G1 and Texas Classic Futurity-G1,
as well as last year’s running of the Ruidoso Derby-G1. He also won last year’s Texas Classic Derby-G1. KJ Desparado was the top earning Quarter Horse in the country in 2021. In 2022 the AQHA honored him as a Supreme Race Horse, given only to those select few horses that produce at least $500,000 in winnings, have 10 or more total victories, and have won at least two open Grade 1 stakes events.
What makes KJ Desparado so successful?
“His heart,” Lee said, “and just his conformation. The soundness. This horse has been extremely sound. That’s probably most of it. He doesn’t get sore. He’s ready to run all the time and he loves it.”
The Lees bred KJ Desparado out of Tres Veses, a lightly-raced 2008 mare who went winless in her own career, which consisted of seven outs.
“They’ve all run out of that family. Out of that mare, just about everything has run,” Lee
He’s not a goofball. This horse is all business when it comes to running.”
The benefits of KJ Desparado’s success go beyond just the prize money, although that helps. It has also brought attention to the Lees’ breeding operation, L&L Land & Cattle.
“He’s done really good. He’s helped the horse operation and put our name out there. Everybody knows who our horses are now and a lot of it is because of him.”
Wes Giles trains KJ Desparado. Lee credited Giles and his wife, Jill, for their shrewd management of the gelding.
“He’s not going to get overrun. He doesn’t have to run trials anymore; he’s only going to run five or six races a year,” Lee said. “We’re going to try to let him run until he tells us he doesn’t want to run anymore. Then he can come home and retire in his own pasture.”
Ochoa accumulated $2,781,365 in 16 lifetime starts. The gelding retired from the track in December of 2022. The rest of the top five on the all-time earnings list includes Danjer ($2,499,432) in third, Apocalyptical Jess ($2,251,556) in fourth, and Stolis Winner ($2,242,661) in fifth.
“What he’s accomplished, it’s more than you could ever expect out of any horse. To come around like this and do it as a four year old, it’s hard to explain.” – John Lee
98 SPEEDHORSE September 2023