Post Event Recovery Strategies

Rey de Manny was born on January 2, 2023, at Rancho Los Potrillos, located in Ciudad Cuauhtémoc, Chihuahua. The ranch is owned by Don Abelardo Gallegos, one of Mexico’s leading breeders of Quarter Horse racehorses.

At that time, four foals had already been produced from the pairing of Krash Cartel and the mare Jess Blazin Queen, but only the filly Krashing Queen was of racing age, so the potential of this genetic combination remained uncertain.

In chronological order, Jess Krashing, who was renamed Rey de Manny after being sold at auction, was the fifth of eight foals from this cross to date.

This report aims to provide the background of Rey de Manny’s Triple Crown win, the details of each race, and its significance to the Quarter Horse racing scene in Mexico.

Krash Cartel
Let’s start with Krash Cartel, who arrived at Rancho Los Potrillos as part of a strategic shift in breeding that soon began to yield positive results. He is a son of Corona Cartel and is out of Race Valentine, by Strawfly Special, foaled in Oklahoma on March 23, 2010, at Bollenbach Farms.

As a racehorse, he recorded 2 wins, 4 seconds, and 1 third from 10 starts and earned $208,797. He finished second in the Ruidoso Futurity-G1 and was a finalist in the All American Futurity-G1 and Rainbow Derby-G1, among other accomplishments. He raced for JNB Enterprises, LLC and was last trained by Judd S. Kearl. His riders included Cody Jensen, Jimmy Brooks, and Rodrigo Vallejo Sigala.

His debut was promising – he won his trial for the Ruidoso Futurity-G1 on May 25, 2012, and placed second in the final, just a neck behind Pj Chick In Black. He qualified for the All American Futurity-G1 with the third-fastest time but broke slowly in the final, bumped, veered out, and finished last. Incidentally, that race was won by the spectacular One Dashing Eagle, who amassed $2,079,065 in his only season on the track.

Krash Cartel’s last race was on October 18, 2013, during the Texas Classic Derby-G1 trials at Lone Star Park.

His sire, Corona Cartel, is one of the most influential stallions in the Quarter Horse racing industry, both as a sire of runners and emerging stallions and as a broodmare sire. His legacy includes 2,207 registered foals of racing age, with 1,263 winners, 94 of whom won graded stakes races, earning over $72,617,752. This makes him the third all-time leading sire by earnings, behind First Down Dash ($90.6M) and Apollitical Jess ($79.7M).

Corona Cartel’s daughters have produced over 5,145 racing-age foals, resulting in 2,205 winners and 558 black-type horses, with combined earnings of more than $103 million.

On his dam’s side, Krash Cartel is out of Race Valentine, a daughter of Strawfly Special (by Special Effort), foaled in Texas on February 14, 2000, and bred by Pheenix Shaw & Sylvia Pitman. She raced 15 times with a 1-2-3 record and $12,309 in earnings. She was owned by Molly B. Morris and trained by Roy L. Marcom Jr., with riders like Jerry Yoakum, Juan Vázquez, and Joe Badilla Jr. She placed second in her All American Futurity trial in 2002 with a time of :21.827 (SI 89).

Her last start came on June 14, 2003, in an Optional Claiming race at Ruidoso Downs. Seven years later, she produced Krash Cartel.

Genetically, Krash Cartel shares lines with elite sires like PYC Paint Your Wagon and Ivory James, both full brothers by Corona Cartel out of Dashin Follies, who is sired by Strawfly Special.

Krash Cartel’s Progeny in Mexico and Key Results
His first Mexican crop was born in 2019. Of them, 22 yearlings were cataloged in the Hipódromo de Las Américas Select Sale, which wasn’t held in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Previously, in the U.S., he had sired stakes winners like Krash Course (SI 104) and Krash Your Party (SI 101), and finalists like Elm Creek Khrome in both the All American Futurity and Derby-G1.

From the 2020 crop, 24 yearlings were listed in the sale catalog. Standouts include Blue Krash (Champion Three-Year-Old Colt), U S Chicks Cartel (SI 97, $107,880, winner of Garañones Futurity), and the filly Day Cartel ($102,065, winner of Francisco Pasquel Classic and placed in multiple stakes).

Seventeen yearlings from the 2021 crop went through the 2022 sale, including the chestnut filly Krashing Queen, the first offspring from the Krash Cartel x Jess Blazin Queen cross. She achieved a 2-6-2 record and earned $38,052, placing in finals of major Mexican futurities and derbies. 

Andy Cartel (SI 93) emerged as the standout, earning 2023 Mexican Horse of the Year and Champion Two-Year-Old Gelding honors. That year, another Krash Cartel runner, Space Ghost, won the Consolation of the México Futurity. Based on these performances, Krash Cartel was named Mexico’s Champion Sire for 2023.

Among the 34 yearlings presented from the 2022 crop, breeder Abelardo Gallegos offered three foals out of Jess Blazin Queen and one by Extremely Defining, named Gray Krash. The trio—Jessy Krash, Queen Krash, and Kin Krash—all showed promise, with Kin Krash earning $109,462 (winner of México Futurity-RG3, 2024) before his untimely death while still undefeated.

In 2023, 37 Krash Cartel foals were presented at the sale, many the result of embryo transfers, including Jess Krashing, now Rey de Manny. His dominance in 2025 has been undeniable: five Krash Cartel foals reached the México Futurity final, four in the Garañones Futurity, and four in the Subasta Selecta final. Rey de Manny led the qualifiers in all three and won each final.

Nineteen foals from the 2024 crop were presented at auction, including one colt and two fillies who are full siblings to Rey de Manny.

Jess Blazin Queen
Jess Blazin Queen was foaled in New Mexico on February 22, 2014, a daughter of Jesse James Jr out of Shes So Blazin (by Chicks A Blazin) and bred by Hubaldo Solís.

She debuted on April 8, 2016, in trials…

Pandorum has been honored with the AQHA Dam of Distinction award, one of the highest accolades in Quarter Horse racing, recognizing broodmares whose offspring have made a significant impact on the sport. She becomes just the 62nd mare to receive this prestigious recognition, which is awarded to producers of multiple Grade 1 winners, AQHA champions, or leading
money earners.

Bred by AQHA Hall of Fame member Joe Kirk Fulton and owned by Fulton Quien Sabe Ranch, Pandorum is a 2009 brown mare by Champion sire Tres Seis and out of Daring Diversion, a graded stakes-placed daughter of Strawfly Special. Daring Diversion is also the dam of Divory, winner of the Young Ford/Wyoming Downs Derby, making Pandorum a half-sister to the stakes winner. Pandorum herself was a talented racehorse, capturing the Grade 3 Sam Houston Juvenile Challenge, setting a 350-yard Track Record in :17.326 with a 109 speed index. Hitting the board in 6 of her 8 starts, Pandorum earned $70,437, and in addition to the Sam Houston Juvenile Challenge-G3 has also won the Ruidoso Derby Challenge.

As a broodmare, Pandorum has…

Muck bucket and rake in hand, each day’s cleanup gives you a measure to monitor your horse’s well-being based on the number and quality of the manure piles. You are probably highly aware of the amount collected in the bucket or wheelbarrow. Perhaps you notice that the manure is not completely normal-shaped “horse apples” but rather has a watery component along with formed fecal balls. And, then you investigate your horse’s hind end and find manure stains where there should be none. Is this a cause for concern? 

One cause of a horse showing tell-tale signs of manure soiling of rump and rear legs is due to free fecal water syndrome (FFWS). Diarrhea tends to be frequently passed loose or watery feces lacking in solid fecal matter. In contrast, a horse experiencing FFWS defecates a relatively solid pile of manure followed by wet feces or liquid. The liquid phase doesn’t always come just at the end, it may also pass at the beginning of or during defecation. 

What are the Consequences of FFWS?

Mostly, FFWS is a cosmetic issue that makes it difficult to keep the horse clean. The most likely significant effect is irritation or scalding of skin (dermatitis) from manure adhered to the hind limbs, tail, and perineal region around the anus. Some horses seem irritated while passing manure, likely due to fluid dripping on their legs.

Another concern is that liquid manure staining the legs and hind end may attract increasing numbers of flies, adding to the irritation. Mares with poor perineal conformation are at greater risk of fecal contamination of the vaginal vault. 

Horses with FFWS often show no other clinical signs, often having a good appetite, no difference in weight or body condition from their herd mates, and minimal discomfort aside from irritation/tail swishing when voiding fecal water. The amount of water lost does not appear to be substantial enough to cause clinical dehydration. 

There also doesn’t seem to be a strong association with development of colic and FFWS in the literature. However, one study (Kienzle) notes that about 25% of horses with FFWS had previous history of colic compared to the general population colic incidence of 3.5 – 10.6%. In horses recovering from colitis (colon inflammation) from a variety of causes, there may be a prolonged period of free fecal water during the recovery period, but this is secondary to the primary colon disease and not the cause of colon disease.

What are Possible Causes of FFWS?

Leaky Gut Syndrome? 

“Leaky gut” in horses results from altered intestinal permeability due to damage to tight junctions between intestinal cells that line the hindgut. Tight junctions act as gatekeepers between gastrointestinal contents and the systemic circulation. Such permeability allows the abnormal movement of ions, nutrients, inflammatory cytokines, and/or intestinal microbes to “leak” into the systemic circulation. 

When other causes of excess fecal water have been ruled out, another consideration may be damage to the tight junctions. This can result in increased water loss between these cells into the lumen (cavity) of the colon and cecum along with decreased water reabsorption through the hindgut.

Leaky gut syndrome occurs secondary to issues with intestinal immune function, disturbances in microbiota, acute or chronic inflammatory disease, and mechanical and functional intestinal obstructions. Any irritation to the bowel lining, such as from sand accumulation, long stem or coarse hay, non-steroidal or antimicrobial drugs, can also alter intestinal permeability. However, current studies in horses with FFWS have not shown evidence of leaky gut indicators, such as disturbances in hindgut fermentation, changes in microbiota composition or diversity, or evidence of hindgut acidosis. 

Dental Health? 

Dental health has been examined as another consideration for FFWS. Excessively long fiber length of forage – greater than 1” in length – is more difficult for hindgut microbes to ferment for appropriate digestion. Effective dentition is important for grinding fiber to digestible lengths less than 1-inch, and issues such as worn or missing teeth, sharp enamel points, or dental arcade imbalance potentially affect the grinding ability of the teeth. 

Although compromised forage grinding may affect microbial fermentation, studies on dental health and FFWS provide information: In a study (Kienzle et al), recent dental correction did not change the occurrence of FFWS according to owners of affected horses. Severe dental problems can alter fecal particle size, but another study (Zwirglmeier et al 2013) shows that moderate dental problems don’t affect particle size. Therefore, it is unlikely that dental abnormalities are a consistent cause of FFWS.

Intestinal Parasites?

In regards to a possible effect from infestation with internal parasites multiple studies have not shown any differences in fecal egg counts or deworming strategies between horses on the same farms with and without FFWS. However, diagnosis of certain equine intestinal parasites (particularly small strongyles and tapeworms) is challenging and therefore hard to rule out completely. Encysted cyathostomins (small strongyles) cause inflammation of the lining of the large colon and cecum to potentially alter manure consistency. In the majority of horses with FFWS it does not appear that parasites are the underlying cause, but it’s important to work with your veterinarian to ensure that internal parasites are not exacerbating the condition. 

Stress? 

Stress elicits a variety of health issues in horses. Stress, both physical and mental, affects the microbiome diversity of horses, and may also increase hindgut motility, with less time for processing of feed material and resorption of water. Stress arises from intense training, transport, excessive stall confinement, environmental stresses, heat stress, herd dynamics and hierarchy struggles in competition for feed and shelter. 

Owners of horses with FFWS describe that only 37% occupied a high position in the herd social hierarchy, compared to 58% without FFWS (Kienzle et al). The study authors suggest that a lower position in the hierarchy contributes to increased stress and consequential effects on gut motility. In studies in which gender is associated with FFWS, geldings were more likely to be affected than mares or stallions, it is possible that herd dynamics and social status explain this stress-related FFWS phenomenon.

Intestinal transit time increases with stress, with food and water moving faster through the intestines than they would normally. Consider the horse that produces small frequent amounts of somewhat watery feces from a stressful event like a visit to an unfamiliar environment. The hindgut (colon) of the horse is not only responsible for metabolism and digestion of food, but it also secretes and reabsorbs a lot of water – about 30 liters (~ 8 gallons) per day in a standard pony. Hence, only about 10% of the liquid that enters the equine hindgut makes it into the feces. If feed and liquid move more quickly through the colon, fecal water content may increase. This still doesn’t totally explain a mechanism for FFWS, however, since a study (Lindroth et al 2022) found that total fecal water content of horses with FFWS does not differ from horses without the condition; the difference is instead due to distribution of fluid within the feces.

Seasonal Component?

In the available literature, there is not a proven seasonal component, and many horses have FFWS year-round. It seems to appear most often in winter, and a study (Kienzle et al) reports that 31% of horses had FFWS only during the winter. Winter weather corresponds with increased hay feeding, weather extremes, and reduced turnout time. The stress of extreme weather can be a trigger in some horses while freezing temperatures complicate the ability to keep the horse clean.

Endocrine Effects? 

Horses with Cushing’s disease (PPID or pars pituitary intermedia dysfunction) frequently have FFWS that improves with treatment of PPID using medications such as pergolide.  

Dietary Influences

Long-stem roughage is often associated with the condition. Some horses have sensitivities to different hay types, with rich alfalfa most associated with the condition. However, individual horses do better on one type of hay verses another. It helps to try a different type of hay, preferably less stemmy than what the horse consumed when the condition developed. At least several weeks is necessary to determine if there is improvement or not, once gut flora adjust to new feed.

A case-controlled survey (Lindroth et al) questioned owners regarding…