EG High Desert Farms became only the second owner to win the prestigious Grade 1 Ed Burke Million Futurity three times after homebred Jess Im Worth It powered his way to a ¾ length victory from post number one in the $1,040,000 event on Sunday at Los Alamitos.
Ridden by Ricardo Ramirez and trained by Jesus Nunez, Jess Im Worth It was eighth at the start of the 350-yard Ed Burke, but began to make up ground right away, moving up to fifth place at the midway point and then to second with about 100 yards left in the race. From that point on, the sorrel colt by second year sire A Mere Felix dominated the Ed Burke, as he moved past Steve Burns’ razor-sharp filly French Valley on the way to scoring a ¾ length win in a time of :17.588.
In the process, Jess Im Worth It joined AQHA Champion filly Walk Thru Crystal, who won this race in 2015, and AQHA Champion colt Hawkish, who the Ed Burke Futurity in 2003, as the three outstanding juveniles who carried the green and yellow silks of EG High Desert Farms to the winner’s circle. The only other owner to win three or more runnings of the Ed Burke is Vessels Stallion Farm, sole winners of this race in 1967, 1973 and 1983 and as part-owners in 2000 and 2006.
Sent off at 8.70 to 1 odds, Jess Im Worth It came into this race after romping to a two-length victory in his trial on May 25. He had previously scored an easy maiden victory in his second start on May 3 and he’s now riding a three-race winning streak after earning $420,000 for this effort. Now a winner of three races from four starts, Jess Im Worth It has banked a total of $428,055.
“I liked his post position,” Ramirez said. “He broke in slightly; I corrected him and then he just kept on going. He started dominating from there.”
Jess Im Worth is also the second futurity winner from the cross of the outstanding young sire A Mere Felix with the One Sweet Jess mare Jess Hawk, a multiple stakes winner and $157,951 earner in her solid 22-race career at Los Alamitos. Jess Im Worth It’s older full brother is sophomore star Favorite Jesshawk, who won the Governor’s Cup Futurity and the Los Alamitos Two Million Juvenile Stakes. That’s two top futurity winners from his first two crops for A Mere Felix, a stakes winning son of Favorite Cartel. In his eight-race career, A Mere Felix won the Pat Hyland Handicap in 2019 and qualified to the Governor’s Cup Derby. Jess Hawk also won the Pat Hyland here, as she took the 2016 running.
For EG High Desert Farms, the AQHA Champion owner in 2003, this race equals its richest win ever, as Walk Thru Crystal’s 2015 Ed Burke also had a purse of $1,040,000. This is the richest stakes win for veteran conditioner Jesus Nunez, a leading Thoroughbred trainer at Los Alamitos in past years, who over the last few seasons has formed a strong working partnership with EG High Desert Farms, including training Favorite Jesshawk to his 2024 stakes success.
“I feel very blessed and very thankful for my team,” said Enrique Gonzalez of EG High Desert Farms. “The team works hard, our rider, the grooms, Nunez who is the trainer and Oscar who helps with our horses. Our farm does a great job. It’s not easy. They care for babies, keep them healthy and watch them around the clock. I didn’t expect this horse to be as good as Favorite Jesshawk but in his last race he started to demonstrate that he is a great horse. It’s hard to describe what it feels like to have this trophy again. I’m thankful to God and thankful to have the opportunity to race at this track. We are very lucky. We lose some and win some, but always thankful to race here. This means so much for A Mere Felix. He will have a lot broodmares and that’s what we need so that we can keep improving our stock to bring to the sale and race at Los Alamitos. We love this track.”
Nunez also played an important role in the success of Ricardo Ramirez, who in addition to winning futurities with Jess Im Worth It and Favorite Jesshawk, is also a leading rider here at 1,000 Yards and among the top riders in the nighttime Thoroughbred races.
“The horse was a little green in his first race,” Nunez said. “In his second race (maiden win) he did much better. He was more focused, and he’s just been improving and improving. He didn’t break that well in this race. He broke in but he started running soon after that and he was great from there. I’m very happy for Ricardo. He started with me not knowing much about the horses at Los Alamitos. He was a bull rider. He worked with me for a year before he started riding. He won his first race with a Thoroughbred that I trained. He’s just kept on winning.”
Ridden by Cesar Franco for trainer Mike Casselman, French Valley was on top for the first 250 yards of this race before Jess Im Worth It began to press for the lead. She continued strongly to the wire and held off fastest qualifier Shiny New for second place. A full sister to AQHA Champion Trane Station V, French Valley earned $170,000 for her runner-up finish. Owner Steve Burns bred the daughter of Favorite Cartel out of the stakes winning mare Attack The Cartel. French Valley was sent off at 8-1 odds.
M & G Farms and Steve Burns’ Shiny New earned $120,000 for running third. Sired by Mpshinning and out of the 2015 AQHA champion aged mare Quirky, Shiny New was third throughout the race as the 8-5 favorite.
Thompson Racing, Alexis Andrade and Paul Jones’ Doodah Cartel finished fourth and earned $70,000 for his effort. Sired by Favorite Cartel, the Thompson and Jones-bred runner moved up from sixth place to complete the superfecta.
Licon Farm and Ranch LLC’s Vyper was fifth and was followed by Newcomb Racing’s Cattail Coast, Gamaliel Garza Garcia’s Accelerated, Ed Allred’s Cheat Sheet, Bobby and Catherine Simmons’ Wake Up Lil Suze and Newcomb Racing’s Heavily Favored.
Sunday’s P6 payout for the one ticket with six out of six of $243,943 was a record for the Quarter Horse/nighttime meets at Los Alamitos Race Course. The previous record of $236,000 was set in August 1984. The total pool on Sunday was $370,087, which is among the highest ever at night at the Orange County oval.
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