Page 50 - December 2020

“My goal was to have 10 champion broodmares, and we did get up to seven” - J.E. Jumonville
Indigo Illusion
Marketina
Leading Star
The first broodmare J.E. acquired was Champion Queen For Cash, purchased for $1,125,000. She remains the highest-selling female Quarter Horse
BUILDING THE BROODMARE BAND
J.E. and Bunny began devouring the contents of racing magazines and by 1970,
attended the B.F. Phillips dispersal sale.
“I did something outrageous,” says J.E. “I
bought Queen For Cash [Dash For Cash-
Little Blue Sheep
Queen For Cash
to sell at public auction.
they felt ready to step up into futurities.
They attended the Ruidoso Yearling Sale
with $1,500. “Everything I bid on went for more than I could pay,” J.E. says. But he
took a gamble that paid off. “We bought Go Far Wonder for $2,900 — I paid them the $1,500 cash and gave them a $900 check with instructions not to cash it until I got home and could make it good. Little did I know that Bubba Cascio had told the sale company that my word was good.”
Trained by Curtis Bordelon, the Sugar Bars grandson out of Wonder Baby, who was by
the Joe Moore son Big Booger, went on to win the richest race in Louisiana history in 1971. “We bought the land behind us,” J.E. says of the first of 18 different land transactions that took Jumonville Farms from two acres to 1,000 and opened up opportunities in the gas and oil business for J.E. “We just kept moving along.”
From 1976-1992, J.E. served as a Louisiana state senator, during which time he championed legislative efforts to increase purses and breeders’ awards in the state. “I always felt that he did a lot for the horsemen while he was a senator,” says J.E.’s friend and trainer, Ken Roberts of Vinton, Louisiana.
During those early years, some of their horses panned out and some didn’t. By 1976 or ‘77, things had improved financially, and in July 1982, J.E. made a purchase that set Jumonville Farms on a new trajectory when he
Dancers Queen, by Texas Dancer TB who was a son of Native Dancer TB] for $1,125,000. She’s still the highest-selling female Quarter Horse to sell at public auction.”
He also bought 3-year-old Justanold Love [by Dash For Cash and out of Callmecutie, by Mr Bruce] for $875,000.
“People were saying it was crazy but Mr. Phillips’ terms were 25% down and three annual payments to pay it out,” J.E. says. “Back then, you could depreciate a horse over three years and I was paying over four years. And within six weeks those horses had made over $500,000 in race earnings so it worked out fine.”
But without Bunny’s support, J.E. probably would never have bought those two mares. “Before the sale, we were lying in bed and the tension was unreal,” J.E. says. “I said, ‘I don’t know what the horses are going to cost,’ and so on, and Bunny said, ‘If you think you can make it work, do it.’ Dutch and I do a lot of talking about the business, but Bunny’s the root of the operation. I’m a lucky, lucky guy — blessed, really.”
By the end of her 4-year-old year, multiple stakes winner and Champion Queen For Cash had earned $482,932. She ran second in the Kindergarten Futurity, then won the Lassie Handicap, ran second in the All American Derby and fifth in the Champion of Champions at 3. At 4, she won the Miss Princess Handicap, ran fourth in the Go Man Go Handicap and third in the All American Gold Cup.
48 SPEEDHORSE December 2020