by Kimberly French, USTA Web Newsroom Senior Correspondent

Kimberly French

Louisville, KY — She expected her husband to call, as JK She’salady was slated to arrive at the Johansson barn that day, but what Marcus said to Nancy about the full sister to North America Cup victor JK Endofanara certainly was not a compliment on the filly’s physical appearance.

“When she first came from the farm, she was so fat she looked like a broodmare,” said Nancy Johansson. “When Marcus called me he asked me, ‘Do you know when this mare is going to foal?’

“I had already seen her out at Heritage Farm and loved her from the get go, but she came from right out of the field. She had not been handled much and was never sales prepped, but she’s in shape and fit now.”

By Art Major and out of the Presidential Ball mare Presidential Lady, JK She’slady races as a homebred for 3 Brothers Stables and is also a full sister to JK Fine Art p,4,1:50.2f ($374,102).

The fourth pari-mutuel engagement of her young career will be this Saturday (Aug. 16) at Mohawk Raceway in the second of three divisions of the Eternal Camnation. JK She’salady will leave from post seven in the third race on the card with Yannick Gingras in the bike. She is the 8-5 morning line favorite.

USTA/Ken Weingartner photo

Trainer Nancy Johansson will start JK She’salady in the Eternal Camnation stakes on Saturday at Mohawk.

“She didn’t draw very well, but I don’t like having 2-year-olds leave from the gate,” Johansson said. “I don’t want them to get grabby or hot and when that happens you open up a whole different can of worms. We have raced her from behind in all of her starts and will do that for this race as well.

“The concern you always have when you ship a horse over the border is how they will travel, as her last race at Tioga was the farthest she had gone before. She handled that trip well and seems to be handling this one well, too. She’s eaten everything up since she arrived and has acclimated to her surroundings, including variables like the different temperatures. I think she will give a good account of herself.”

JK She’salady broke her maiden in her first attempt on July 5, in a $15,000 2-year-old filly pace at the Meadowlands. Her contest under the same conditions and at the same oval on July 19 came with the same result. Her most recent performance was another victory at Tioga Downs in a $31,607 division of the Tompkins-Geers and she showed the same ability as her older full siblings with a strong first over move from far back to win at the wire by three-quarters of a length.

“She was nearly last at the half and I didn’t think she would get there because that (Ross) Croghan filly (Single Me) was on the front end,” Johansson said. “She is a good filly. But JK She’salady paced under :54 the second half and when we got back to the winner’s circle, Yannick said, ‘That was easy and she still had her plugs in.’

“Timmy (Tetrick) did everything right with that other filly (Single Me) and she did everything right, including pacing her last half in just over :55. She really did deserve to win, but our filly is so determined. That’s what I like about her. She wants to get there.”

Johansson also feels the filly’s personality definitely reflects her name.

“She is in the third or fourth stall from the door in our barn,” she said. “It doesn’t matter who comes in, they always stop by to pet her. My kids’ babysitter came in and she knows nothing about horses but she had to pet her. She is sweet like that with novices, but she’s not like that with us. She will back up and cow kick and bite us whenever she can. Her caretaker has some bruises from her, but there isn’t a mean bone in her body. She’s just letting us know who the lady is around the barn and that she is in charge. I like that kind of attitude in fillies and mares though. That kind of toughness.”

After her appearance in Canada, it’s highly possible JK She’salady will begin receiving her own accolades rather than being JK Endofanera’s little sister.

“She was barely handled when she came to us and hardly even halter broke,” Johansson said. “Within six days she was jogging all on her own. All we did was put the equipment on her, line drove her, did that all again and she was ready to go. She is such a professional out there and loves her work. And she is so determined. When I was watching her at Tioga Downs come to the outside, you could just see it in her. She wants to move right on by. She is definitely a gem to be around and she is one of my favorites.”