Favorite Jesshawk, ridden by Martin Arriaga, surges in the final strides to defeat Lethal Cowboy 123 by a nose in the Grade 1 Brad McKinzie Winter Championship Sunday night.

© William Zuazo

By Orlando Gutierrez

CYPRESS, CA–MARCH 9, 2026– EG High Desert Farms’ homebred Favorite Jesshawk proved once again that he knows how to deliver big moments in big races at Los Alamitos. The 4-year-old horse by Mere Felix surged in the final yards of the Grade 1, $135,500 Brad McKinzie Los Alamitos Winter Championship to deny the heavily favored Lethal Cowboy 123 by a nose on Sunday night.

Ridden by Martin Arriaga for trainer Jesus Nunez, Favorite Jesshawk won the first "Golden Ticket" of the year—a presumptive berth into the Grade 1, $700,000 Champion of Champions to be held here on December 12.

The winning connections of Favorite Jesshawk accept the $150,000 Brad McKinzie Los Alamitos Winter Championship (G1) trophy at Los Alamitos on Sunday. © William Zuazo

The race lived up to its Grade 1 billing from the moment the gates opened, as the Paul Jones-trainees Kevins Wise Corona and Edberg Verde both left sharply to lead during the early going. Kevins Wise Corona took sole possession of the lead after the first 40 yards and remained on top until Lethal Cowboy 123, the 6-5 favorite and a two-time Grade 1 winner, came flying from the outside post nine. It appeared the millionaire was well on his way to adding another trophy to his resume, but "The Cowboy" was not surging alone; Favorite Jesshawk was matching him stride-for-stride from the inside at post eight.

Sent off as the 3-1 second choice, Favorite Jesshawk refused to let Lethal Cowboy 123 escape with the victory. Instead, he shadowed the favorite’s every move, and it wasn’t until the final 50 yards that he pulled even with the millionaire before thrusting his nose in front just as the photo finish camera flashed.

For winning jockey Martin Arriaga, the victory was a testament to Favorite Jesshawk’s stamina and closing power.

“I had a lot of horse,” Arriaga said. “He was competing head-to-head with Lethal Cowboy 123. They were going back and forth, but he took the big stride and the lead in the last couple of yards and got the win. We broke well. We were close. We were right there. Lethal Cowboy 123 took off, but we came on in the last few yards and just caught him."

Arriaga, who has now won four Grade 1 stakes races at Los Alamitos since last July, expressed his gratitude for the mount.

“They gave me the opportunity to ride this horse and he’s an amazing horse to ride. I’m thankful to ride these kinds of horses. I’ve been having a great year... I’m thankful to the owners and trainers. They’re giving me opportunities. We are here and doing our best every time.”

Last year, Arriaga won the Grade 1 Mildred Vessels Memorial Handicap with the sophomore filly Hott Temptation, the Restricted Grade 1 Governor’s Cup Futurity with Mayor Humdinger, and the Restricted Grade 1 Spencer Childers California Breeders Championship Handicap with the venerable Cattail Cove. Arriaga is currently tied for first in the Quarter Horse jockey standings.

Favorite Jesshawk has now won a major graded stakes race in three consecutive years—as a 2-year-old, a 3-year-old, and now as a 4-year-old. He won the Grade 1 Ed Burke Million Futurity as a juvenile and the Grade 2 Golden State Derby as a sophomore last year before tonight's Brad McKinzie triumph. Covering the 400 yards in :19.718, Favorite Jesshawk earned $56,910 to take his career earnings to $471,439. He now boasts seven wins in 19 starts and has hit the board in 14 of those outings.

Winning owner Enrique Gonzalez of EG High Desert Farms was moved by the performance, acknowledging the difficulty of defeating a horse of Lethal Cowboy 123's caliber.

“I feel blessed and thankful because it was a win that I did not expect,” Gonzalez said. “It was a difficult race. To have a runner that can face a horse of the class of Lethal Cowboy 123, who is a standout, who is fast, who has earned a lot of money—there are no words to describe how fortunate I feel."

By punching his ticket to the Champion of Champions in early March, the EG High Desert Farms team now has the luxury of choosing their spots for the remainder of the 2026 campaign, knowing they have a presumptive “golden ticket” for the sport’s most prestigious race for older horses.

Gonzalez, a longtime supporter of Los Alamitos racing, appreciates having another opportunity to be part of the Champion of Champions. His recognizable green and yellow silks emblazoned with “EG” on the front have been a part of the event before with standouts like Hawkinson, Jess Ravin, and Merridoc Hawk.

“It’s a dream to be in the Champion of Champions,” said Gonzalez, whose EG High Desert Farms has now enjoyed 637 Quarter Horse wins. “This is what we love. This is why we do it, because we love our horses and hope to see them in races like the Champion of Champions. I feel so grateful for what the horses have given me and continue to give me. They give us the hope, desire, and strength to keep doing what we enjoy.”

While Lethal Cowboy 123 was dealt a rare local defeat, his performance was gallant, missing another Grade 1 win by the smallest possible margin. With Edwin Escobedo up for trainer Marc Jungers, the son of Flying Cowboy 123 earned $23,035 for finishing second. He has now earned $1,449,162 in his 15-race career.

Parsons Ranch’s Kevins Wise Corona led for most of the race before settling for third place. Eduardo Nicasio rode the KVN Corona horse, who earned $16,290. Zane Kiehne’s Holy Pete, a two-time Grade 1 derby finalist in 2025, finished fourth in his Los Alamitos debut. Edberg Verde, Show N Tell Cartel, Rlh Fouronthefloor, Defending Champ, and Special Batch completed the field.

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