STYLISH JESS BR REPEATS AS MERIAL CALIFORNIA WINNER

CYPRESS, CA… AUGUST 20, 2010 - Step one is done for reigning distaff champion. Benny Rosset’s Stylish Jess Br successfully defended her Merial California Distaff Challenge title on Friday night at Los Alamitos, surely the first goal towards defending her title as AQHA Champion Aged mare.

With her victory in the $25,200 California regional race, Stylish Jess Br earned a berth to compete in the Grade 1 Merial Distaff Challenge to be held as part of AQHA Bank of America Challenge Night at the Fair Grounds in Louisiana on November 20. Stylish Jess Br also won the Grade 1 Merial last year and that triumph was one of her key moments towards becoming the nation’s champion distaffer. Surely if Stylish Jess Br now repeats her win in the Grade 1 Merial, she will be tough to dethrone as the champion mare, especially since she’s also already won the Grade 1 Charger Bar Handicap at Los Alamitos on January 2.

Ridden by Cesar De Alba for trainer Paul Jones, Stylish Jess Br was outstanding in her California title defense. Leaving the gate from post seven, the daughter of Feature Mr Jess flew out of the gate and was never seriously challenged on the way to a 1 ¼ length win. She earned $12,096 for the win to take her career earnings over the $700,000 mark. Now a winner of $703,692, Stylish Jess Br was also picking up her 10th win in 24 career starts.

“No rust at all,” said De Alba, referring to this being Stylish Jess Br’s first start since running in the trials to the Los Alamitos Winter Championship on January 30. “I worked her about two to three weeks ago and she broke like a rocket that day. Paul told me that morning to push for about 100 yards and then take it easy from there. That’s what I did but she wanted to run that morning. Today, again she took off right from the start and got away from the other horses in this race. She ran an awesome race. I would love to go to Louisiana and have a chance to ride her there.”

Stylish Jess Br’s next start could come at Los Alamitos in the Grade 1 Mildred Vessels Memorial Handicap on Saturday, September 18. The winner of that race will earn an automatic berth to the $750,000 Champion of Champions, so a lot will be on the line in the months to come for Stylish Jess Br.

James Markum’s Splendifferous finished a solid second from post number one. Also trained by Jones, the daughter of Mr Jess Perry was sixth at the start but then flew during the second half of the race to finish second. She earned $5,166 in the process. Sizzling PJ and Shescheckinumout finished in a dead-heat for third, while Terrific Energy ran fifth. The latter won the Charger Bar and the Mildred Vessels last year. She also ran second to Stylish Jess Br in the Grade 1 Merial Distaff Challenge before an injury kept her out of the Champion of Champions. This was her first start since that runner-up effort back on Halloween Night of last year. Hope To See Ya Zoom, Totally Hawkinson, and Whata Eye Opener completed the field.

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