Jesscuzican won the West Texas Maturity Sunday at Sunland Park Racetrack & Casino.

© Coady Photography

Q-RACING JOURNAL—MARCH 2, 2015— It was a tough field in the $108,300 West Texas Maturity (G3), and the blanket finish at the wire was proof of that. In the end, the photo showed that it was the champ on top – reigning champion aged stallion Jesscuzican, who was a nose the best of Jess Featureme Quick.

Jesscuzican last year won or placed in six of eight starts and earned $108,064 on his way to his championship nod. Now 6, the homebred races for Darian Burt of West Jordan, Utah. He is by Feature Mr Jess and out of the Stoli mare Covenant Confirmer.

Sire Feature Mr Jess had the exacta in this race, as he is also the sire of Jess Featureme Quick. Even six years after his death, Feature Mr Jess remains a force in the racing industry. Last year, he was the No. 8 sire of graded stakes winners, and the No. 27 sire by money earned.

Foaled in 1998, Feature Mr Jess was a near-black son of Mr Jess Perry out of the Truckle Feature mare Brenda Feature. He won or placed in 13 of 16 starts and earned $539,327, including two Grade 1s, before retiring. He has sired the earners of more than $24.3 million, lead by champions Heartswideopen ($1,885,283), Jess You And I ($1,851,691), Feature Mr Bojangles ($899,434) and Stylish Jess BR ($804,298). He is also the sire of champions Brenda Beautiful ($336,624) and Wahoo ($148,154).

The stallion was owned by a partnership of Jumonville Farms and Jim and Marilyn Helzer; JEH Equine Reproduction Services still offers the stallion’s semen via ICSI.

Jesscuzican’s dam won the 2007 Four Corners Futurity (G3) in her abbreviated race career. The mare, who like her son was trained by Wes Giles, won or placed in five of her seven career starts and earned $46,304. The mare, like her son, was bred by Bob and Darian Burt of West Jordan, Utah, who also bred and owned sire Dash Ta Fame.

Covenant Confirmer is represented by only two starters, with Jesscuzican being her first winner. She has a 2-year-old by Streakin La Jolla named Lajollas Covenant.

Her family is a very familiar one, though. Sire Stoli was a racing champion and has sired the earners of more than $13.6 million, including Stolis Winner ($2,235,161). Covenant Confirmer also happens to be the little sister of world champion Dashing Folly, the daughter of First Down Dash who ruled the sprint track in 1996. Besides Dashing Folly’s tremendous accomplishments on the track, she has contributed to the breed as the second dam of leading sire PYC Paint Your Wagon and Ivory James, as well as previous Pedigree Analysis subjects Mi Angela andEagles Magic.

Both mares are out of the Hempen (TB) mare Hempes Folly, herself a two-time stakes winner who also produced stakes winner Twoforthedough ($114,765) and stakes-placed runner Hezaspicymeatsaballa ($53,788) and world champion barrel racer Three Folly Six (by Tres Seis).

The 1962 stallion Hempen (TB), another great Thoroughbred helped into siring stardom by Walter Merrick, currently stands in the top 30 all-time broodmare sires, with more than $15.3 million accumulated, with his most accomplished being the top runner and, now, top sire Separatist.

Her dam was stakes winner Jets Runway, a daughter of Easy Jet and the Bob’s Folly mare War Folly. Read more about Bob’s Folly in the December 2014 issue of the Q-Racing Journal.

So as he proves again, Jesscuzican certainly can, and his family certainly has.

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