Page 178 - Speedhorse October 2018

Golden State Derby-G2
JESSTACARTEL
by Tracy Gantz
On the day of entries for the Los Alamitos Winter Derby-G1 last January, Jesstacartel spiked a fever, which might have
been a blessing in disguise. With plenty of time to recover, he returned to capture the $221,300 Golden State Derby-G2 on Aug. 19.
“We didn’t have him paid into anything, so we took him home,” said trainer Mark Skeen. “We took him to our ranch. He had already won a few nice races and he wasn’t in the El Primero Del Ano Derby, so we just took him home and we let him rest and grow up for a while. We took him out to a paddock for a couple of months and just let him loose to enjoy his time off.”
Bred and owned by Lesley Joyner, Jesstacartel had demonstrated his talent last year at two when he captured the Autumn Handicap and Corona Chick Handicap. But he had never won a graded race, and he needed to be supplemented to the Golden State Derby. The gamble paid off.
“We made the right choice,” said Joyner. “But we knew that on the night that we supple- mented him.”
Jesstacartel won his Aug. 5 trial with the fast- est qualifying time, and he went into the finals as the 9-10 favorite. Ridden by regular pilot Cruz
Mendez, Jesstacartel broke
eighth, but he quickly forged to the front. Midway through the 400 yards, he had just a neck margin, and he stretched that
to 1/2-length at the wire, stop- ping the clock in :19.640. The $92,946 winner’s share boosted the gelding’s earnings to $139,571.
“The whole thing was amazing,” said Joyner. “It was so much fun to see with Mark and Holly (Skeen) and their entire team with Jesstacartel. He responds to them. He was quiet and calm.”
Mark Skeen noted that Jesstacartel is, “get- ting better every time. He didn’t run many times last year, but we knew he was a nice horse when we were working him.”
Joyner attended the race with her hus- band, Wally, who knows a thing or two about athletic endeavors. Wally Joyner was a star of the nearby California Angels Major League Baseball team from 1986-91. Yet Wally Joyner admitted he was “a nervous wreck” watching the Golden State Derby.
“He’s been racing great and to be in this group of horses and race as well as he did, it’s exciting,” Wally said. “We know how he can finish. Give him a shot and we like our
chances. He broke free and really extended himself in
the last 100 yards. What an amazing horse. We are excited about his future.”
Lesley Joyner bred Jesstacartel out of lightly raced Stolmeacartel. Jesstacartel is
the mare’s first foal.
“We’ll breed her again to One Sweet Jess,
and we’ll find one other stallion for her,” said Lesley.
Apollitical Stone (Apollitical Jess-La Fantacia Sone) finished second under jockey Jairo Rangel. Jose Flores trains the gelding and co-owns him with Steve Mickaelian.
Lisa Anderson’s homebred Moonie Blues (Freighttrain B-Stuckonafeeling) and Jose Nicasio ran third for trainer Jaime Gomez.
Jess My Kiss (One Sweet Jess-Dreaming Of Kisses), A Political Lady (Apollitical Jess-Another Wise Lady), Perfect Louisiana (Jess Louisiana Blue-Corona Perfection), SC Vapor Trail (Corona Cartel-Spit Curl Diva), Yashira Vista (One Famous Eagle-Strawberry Cartel), Twenty One Gunz (First Moonflash-Jess Charming) and Devil In A Blue Suit (Tempting Dash-Blues Girl Too) completed the order of finish.
Los Alamitos $221,300 • 400 yards :19.640 • si 96
Mr Jess Perry
One Sweet Jess
One Sweet Dash
JESSTACARTEL, ‘15-g.
Stoli
Stolmeacartel
Buena Cartel
176 SPEEDHORSE, October 2018
Jesstacartel & Cruz Mendez score a 1/2-length victory in the $221,300 Golden State Derby-G2
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