Page 56 - June_2023

Hes Judgeandjury wins the 2022 All American Futurity-G1, Sept. 5, 2022, at Ruidoso Downs,
New Mexico.
Myriam Maynard, Speedhorse
In the subsequent Go Man Go Handicap-G1 at Los Alamitos, Empressum simply ran away and hid from six rivals, scoring as he pleased by 2 1/2-lengths in a powerful front-running victory, running the fastest final eighth in more than a decade. The chart comment read simply: “In a different league.”
Empressum brought the curtain down on his championship season with a facile defeat of 2021 World Champion Danjer in the prestigious Champion of Champions-G1.
In yet another sparkling gate-to-wire victory, Empressum scored by 1 1/4-lengths, clocking 440 yards in a blazing fast :21.089, good for a speed index of 111.
All told in his career thus far, Empressum boasts a record of 25-18-3-0 with earnings of $1,650,167. His list of Grade 1 accomplishments is a long one, having annexed the Champion of Champions -G1, Rainbow Derby-G1, Ruidoso Derby-G1,
Texas Classic Derby-G1, Vessels Maturity-G1, and Go Man Go Handicap-G1. He also ran fast, setting a New Track Record at Ruidoso Downs for 400 yards in :19.149, and setting a New Track Record at Lone Star Park for 440 yards in :21.030.
Empressum’s half-brother Hes Judgeandjury also played a key role in Crazy Down Corona’s Broodmare of the Year title. The sorrel gelding by Hes Relentless enjoyed a standout 2022 racing season, winning the All American Futurity-G1 and finishing third in both the Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity-G1 and the Ruidoso Futurity-G1. At season’s end, he was honored as the
2022 AQHA Champion Two Year Old and Champion Two-Year-Old Gelding, with the highest earnings of the season.
Like Empressum, Hes Judgeandjury was bred and owned by Jones and Holt and is trained by Taylor. He won five of eight starts in his championship season, putting an
exclamation point on his 2022 campaign with a determined victory in the $3 million All American Futurity. Ridden by James Flores, Hes Judgeandjury battled throughout the 440- yard test, defeating race favorite Sicario V by
a neck at the finish. He returned to action in November and took down his trial heat for the Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity and then finished a close third behind Cyber Attack in the final, missing the place spot by just a nose.
The competition for the 11th annual Speedhorse Broodmare of the Year was steep. The award is dedicated to highlighting the contribution of the mare to the racehorse industry by bringing together the top mares from four AQHA racing categories: Dams of 2022 Champions; Top Five Dams of 2022 Money Earners; Top Five Dans of 2022 Stakes Winners; and Top Five Dams of 2022 Stakes Wins.
Nominees for 2022 Broodmare of the Year included the likes of Remember Me Rose, the
54 SPEEDHORSE June 2022