Jessies First Down repeats as champ

Jessies First Down was honored as the 2017 World Champion Racing Quarter Horse for the second consecutive year in a ceremony at the Heritage Place sale company in Oklahoma City on Wednesday evening.

A 6-year-old in 2017, Jessies First Down won 5 of 7 starts and earned $468,757 through the year, winning major stakes at Sam Houston Race Park, Ruidoso Downs, The Downs at Albuquerque, and Zia Park for owner Ted Abrams of Houston.

Jessies First Down also was honored as overall champion aged horse and champion aged gelding. Jessies First Down is the first repeat World Champion winner since SLM Big Daddy in 1997-98 and the first two-time winner since Tailor Fit in 1999 and 2001.

In 2017, Jessies First Down was trained by Judd Kearl and Jimmy Padgett.

Kearl trained Jessies First Down through his first three starts before he was summarily suspended in the summer for medication violations found in other horses he trained in Texas in the spring. Kearl was later suspended for 19 years in a decision announced in October.

Padgett, Kearl’s former assistant, took over the training of Jessies First Down for his final four starts, including wins in the All American Gold Cup at Ruidoso Downs and Zia Park Championship.

Jessies First Down ended the year with a third in the Championship at Sunland Park on Dec. 31.

The 2-year-old J Fire Up and 3-year-old Hold Air Hostage were named overall champions in their age groups.

J Fire Up, the champion 2-year-old filly, won 7 of 9 starts and three futurities at Los Alamitos – the Governor’s Cup in July, Golden State Million in November, and Los Alamitos Two Million in December.

Hold Air Hostage, the champion 3-year-old gelding, won his final five starts, including the Heritage Place Derby at Remington Park in June, the Rainbow Futurity at Ruidoso Downs in July, and the All American Derby at Ruidoso Downs in September in his final start of 2017. He was trained by Kearl early in the year and later by Padgett.

As age group champions, J Fire Up and Hold Air Hostage also were finalists for World Champion.

Other divisional winners were KVN Corona, 2-year-old colt; Eagle Jazz, 2-year-old gelding; Duponte, 3-year-old colt; Running Dragon, 3-yearold filly; The Fiscal Cliff, aged stallion; Jess Good Reason, aged mare; and B and G Fast Dash, distance horse.

Among people, Bobby Cox was recognized as outstanding breeder, while Dan Darling’s Darling Farms was honored as outstanding owner. Kenny Roberts, based in Louisiana, was named champion trainer. Rodrigo Vallejo won his first title as champion jockey.

The champions were selected by a national committee chosen by the AQHA’s racing council and racing committee.