Page 184 - Speedhorse, December 2018

Los Alamitos Super Derby-G1
JESSTACARTEL
by Tracy Gantz
The Nov. 11 Los Alamitos Super Derby-G1 really lived up to its name. It attracted a stel- lar field that included winners from just about every major stakes at Los Alamitos for 3 year olds. Two of the most consistent in the field were Champion KVN Corona and Jesstacartel. They went off as the top two choices, with Jesstacartel posting a mild upset.
KVN Corona brought a perfect nine-for- nine Los Alamitos record into the Super Derby. Jesstacartel has never raced anywhere but Los Alamitos, and his record was six wins—three of them in stakes—and two seconds in nine starts. His only off-the-board finish came in his racing debut at two.
Jesstacartel put together that record while not getting out of the gate as quickly as his rivals. That changed in the Super Derby.
“He doesn’t break super fast, but tonight he broke incredibly,” said owner Lesley Joyner, who bred the gelding in Utah.
With regular rider Cruz Mendez aboard, Jesstacartel broke third and immediately flew to the front. KVN Corona, bumped early from the outside post, raced in second, but he never could catch Jesstacartel. At the
wire, Jesstacartel finished 1 1/4-lengths ahead of KVN Corona, stopping the timer in :19.578 and posting a 97 speed index.
“The most exciting part was the middle of the race, when he started pulling away,” said Joyner.
“He’s been just a great
horse to watch,” added Wally
Joyner, Lesley’s husband
and a former Major League
Baseball All-Star. “Mark and Holly Skeen have done an incredible job. He had a little trouble his first race. He figured it out and has been really good ever since. I think he likes his job.”
Mark Skeen trains Jesstacartel, and his wife, Holly, serves as Mark’s assistant. They have been around the gelding since he was a baby.
“When he was first born, he didn’t want you to touch him,” said Holly. “At first, when we would to try to handle him, he would just scream. We just started working with him a lot. He eventually came around, but he was not a
people horse at the begin- ning. Now he loves you. He’s changed a lot.”
Mark had patience with Jesstacartel at the racetrack as well.
“I remember Mark telling the gallop people to take their time with him,” Holly said. “He told them that we had no deadlines and just get on him and walk him around. Mark would say, ‘You don’t
even have to gallop him at first; just get him to like his job.’ We didn’t have to rush him, and I think that was the best thing.”
Jesstacartel began racing in July of his 2 year old season. Toward the end of last year, he won the Autumn Handicap and the Corona Chick Handicap. He ran a fever and missed the Los Alamitos Winter Derby-G1 in January, so the Skeens turned him out at their Utah ranch. Jesstacartel returned to win the Golden State Derby-G2.
Lesley Joyner bought her first racehorse in 1998 with one of her first horses being
Los Alamitos $925,100 • 400 yards :19.578 • si 97
Mr Jess Perry
One Sweet Jess
One Sweet Dash
JESSTACARTEL, ‘15-g.
Stoli
Stolmeacartel
Buena Cartel
182 SPEEDHORSE, December 2018
Jesstacartel & Cruz Mendez score an easy 1 1/4-length win in the $925,100 Los Alamitos Super Derby-G1.
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