Page 161 - July 2022

Ramos, who has ridden KJ Desparado in all but one of his 12 lifetime starts, all for trainer Wesley Giles, said that the gelding has improved over his two year old season.
“He was alone in front,” said Ramos, “but I kept him to the task—there were plenty of nice horses behind us.”
One who wasn’t there was Jess Savin Candy, who won his Ruidoso Derby trial but didn’t qualify for the final. KJ Desparado was the second- fastest qualifier in what was his first start at three. Last year following the All American, he added wins in his trial and the final of the Texas Classic Futurity-G1. He has now earned $2,390,751 and has a six-race winning streak going.
“I thought his performance was awesome,” said Giles, “especially coming back so quick from the trials and the strong headwind he qualified in. His race today was exceptional.”
KJ Desparado’s connections gave him some time off between his juvenile season and this year.
“We laid him up at Wes’s,” said John. “When he came back, he was happy. We didn’t have to do any surgery. We had him X-rayed and he was perfect. He’s kind of a freak of nature. He doesn’t come back sore from a race. He’s just one of those loose, easy-moving horses. They don’t make them like him.”
If all goes well, KJ Desparado will go for the next two big races in the Ruidoso Downs series, the Rainbow Derby-G1 and the All American Derby-G1. He qualified for and ran in the finals of all three of those futurities last year, but he
got bumped hard at the start of the Ruidoso Futurity-G1 and Rainbow Futurity-G1, losing all chance of victory in both.
The Lees bred KJ Desparado in Arizona
out of their homebred Tres Veses. The mare has produced five winners in eight starters, including Hardtookiss, who finished second in the 2017
New Mexico State Fair Breeders’ Derby. Giles, who has trained for the Lees since 2001, trained Tres Veses and Hardtookiss.
Sergio Becerra Jr. rode Muy Peligrosito (One Fabulous Eagle-Peligrosita) to second for owner Super Champion Inc. and trainer Eric Valenzuela. Bred in Mexico, Muy Peligrosito won the 2021 Southwest Juvenile Invitational Championship-G2 and All American Juvenile. This year he finished third in the West Texas Derby-G3.
Kiss The Cartel (Kiss My Hocks-A Snowy Cartel) finished third under jockey
Ricky Ramirez for owners Lonnie and Kody Horwood and trainer Trey Wood. In six previous starts, the filly won twice, ran second twice, and ran third once.
Rounding out the field were Mperativ (Apollitical Jess-Miss Aguilar), Mr Apollo Jess (Apollitical Jess-A Delightful Legacy), Double Duty (A Revenant-Brickyard Lane-TB), Lethal Avenger (Volcom-Lethal Class), Tommie Eagle (One Famous Eagle-Runaway Renata), The Big Favorite (Favorite Cartel- Classic Sassy Chic), and Six Shaker (Tres Seis-Stoli Angel).
RACING NEWS
KJ Desparado is joined in the winner’s circle by owners John & Kathy Lee and Ruben Mares, trainer Wesley Giles and jockey Adrian Ramos.
Jockey Adrian Ramos and co-owner Ruben Mares celebrate their victory.
SPEEDHORSE July 2022 159
Susan Bachelor, Speedhorse Susan Bachelor, Speedhorse