Page 165 - October 2023

KJ Desperado is joined by his winning connections, including owners John and Kathy Lee and Ruben Mares, trainer Wesley Giles and jockey Adrian Ramos.
“He’s not going to let anybody get by him if he can help it,” John said. “They were coming at him and he was like, ‘You’re not going by me today.’ He likes that track.”
KJ Desparado did so well during the 2022 season that he was voted the year’s Champion 3 Year Old and Champion 3-Year-Old Gelding. He raced through the very end of the year for trainer Wesley Giles, and his connections decided that he deserved some down time.
“He needed rest,” John said. “He had 10 races as a 2-year-old and eight races as a 3-year-old and never had any time off. We took him home and turned him out. This horse has never had a problem, never had a chip. He’s been completely healthy. His joints are still round and clean. He just needed to go home, get on some grass, and be a horse for three months. They all need that.”
KJ Desperado thoroughly enjoyed his time off.
“Every morning at 5:30 he expected us to take him outside,” John said. “Every night at 4 o’clock he was waiting at the gate, waiting to come in and get his grain. He loved the time there, but he likes the track, too. He loves racing—he’s just a happy horse.”
As a gelding, KJ Desperado could continue racing for several more years, as John noted happened with World Champion Danjer.
“Dean Frey did such a great job with Danjer,” John said. “I respect what he did for Danjer, and I want to do that with my horse. You’ve got to take it easy—five or six races a year, pick and choose.”
The Lees would like to see KJ Desparado go over the $3 million mark. The All American Gold Cup pushed his lifetime earnings to $2,906,599. He will likely race later in the year at Lone Star Park, where he is undefeated in four starts, including the 2021 Texas Classic Futurity-G1 and 2022 Texas Classic Derby-G1.
The Lees also have several full siblings coming. They bred KJ Desparado in the name of L&L Land & Cattle from their homebred Tres Veses. The mare has produced six winners in eight starters, including stakes-placed Hardtookiss. John said that they have three weanling full sisters to KJ Desparado and two full siblings due next year.
Francisco Calderon rode Flash Bak (Moonin The Eagle-Checknbac) to second for trainer Santos Carrizales Jr. and owner Valeriano Racing Stables. Flash Bak won the 2022 Zia Park Championship-G1 and 2021 Los Alamitos Super Derby-G1 and Los Alamitos Winter Derby-G1.
Third-place Bomb Cyclone (Favorite Cartel- Remember Me Rose) was ridden by Eduardo Nicasio. The 4-year-old gelding, trained by Christopher O’Dell and owned by Rosenthal Ranch, won the 2021 Los Alamitos $2 Million Futurity-G1, 2022 Los Alamitos Super Derby-G1, and 2023 Mr Jet Moore Handicap-G2.
Rounding out the field were Lethal Avenger (Volcom-Lethal Class), A Tres Of Eagle (One Fabulous Eagle-A Tres Of Paint), and Good Reason Cartel (Corona Cartel-Jess Good Reason). High Flying Hero and Wildroses101 were scratched.
KJ Desparado and Adrian Ramos are led to the winner’s circle.
RACING NEWS
SPEEDHORSE October 2023 163
Susan Bachelor, Speedhorse Susan Bachelor, Speedhorse