JIMMY DRAKE STAKES (RG3)
By Michael Cusortelli
Just En King
Ronald Ulibarri’s Just En King opened his 4-year-old season with a track-record half-length win in the May 3, 350-yard Jimmy Drake Stakes (RG3) for New Mexico-bred Quarter Horses at SunRay Park.
Prepped by Omar Vargas and sent to post as the 7-2 second choice in the field of nine, Just En King stopped the timer in :16.898, breaking the previous track record of :16.925 set by Sea Ola Go in an allowance dash on June 26, 2011. Alfredo Sigala rode the homebred son of Eye Am King, who recorded a 109 speed index while banking the $42,000 winner’s share of a $69,475 purse.
Just En King was making his first start since November 26, when he scored a wire-to-wire, neck victory in the 440-yard, $200,000 Namehimastreaker New Mexico Classics Championship (RG1) for state-breds at Zia Park. The gelding’s sire, Eye Am King, is an unplaced 9-year-old New Mexico-bred son of 1994 AQHA champion 2-year-old Mr Jess Perry and the graded stakes winning Corona Cartel mare Eye For Corona.
A full brother to stakes winner Dr Jess and a half to stakes winner Ultimate Wave, Eye Am King has from three crops sired the earners of more than $5.4 million, including multiple graded stakes winners White Lightenin and Over Da Edge, and stakes winners Bella De Ball and Vintage Bourdeaux. The stallion is owned by and stands for a $6,000 fee at Mac and Janis Murray’s MJ Farms at Veguita, New Mexico.
Just En King is out of U R A Fury Lady, a homebred 15-year-old daughter of the Corona Cartel stallion Furyofthewind who won the 2010 New Mexico State Fair Senorita Futurity (RG3) for state-bred 2-year-old fillies at Albuquerque Downs. His second dam, Lady Thetis, was a winning Texas-bred daughter of ‘91 AQHA champion 3-year-old Takin On The Cash.
Just En King’s third dam, Storm N Lady, was a winning California-bred daughter of the Tiny’s Gay stallion Merridoc. The gelding traces back to his sixth dam, Miss Top Flame, a multiple stakes winning Oklahoma-bred daughter of Top Deck (TB) who won the 1965 Oklahoma Derby at La Mesa Park in Raton, New Mexico.
Just En King was winning for the fifth time in 12 outs and increasing his lifetime earnings to $297,073. The gelding was coming off of a sophomore campaign during which he banked $247,327 from seven starts and ran second, a nose behind winner Vintage Bourdeaux, in the 400-yard, $435,000 New Mexico State Fair Derby (RG3) at Albuquerque Downs.
RC Corona King, the 8-5 favorite, ran second and was followed by Cruzin For Chickz, EBW Dancnthemoonlite, Sampson Says, Forrest Effort, Jesses Wish, Diezs Daylight, and Doing Something Good.
A 4-year-old son of Eye Am King racing for Jose H. Rodriguez, RC Corona King was shortening in distance off of his neck victory against open stakes company in the March 31, $108,000 West Texas Maturity (G3) at Sunland Park. The sorrel gelding has won three of 14 races, and the $14,000 runner-up share of the Jimmy Drake Stakes purse pushed his earnings to $177,720, of which $113,446 has been pocketed from five outs this year.
Cruzin For Chickz was making his 3-year-old season debut for owners Curtis Crenwelge and Jim Laird. A homebred son of the Chicks A Blazin stallion Jess A Chicks, Cruzin For Chickz has won four of eight races — including last year’s 350-yard, $205,000 Mountain Top Derby (R) at Ruidoso Downs — and the $7,000 third-place share of the Jimmy Drake purse increased his bankroll to $188,458.