by Kimberly French, USTA Web Newsroom Senior Correspondent

Kimberly French

Louisville, KY — From the moment she was born, Just Jess’ connections were excited about her future and are still pinching themselves that their filly is an Indiana champion.

“We bought her dam Glide Sally Glide and she is such a nice mare,” said Alan White, Just Jess’ co-owner and breeder. “She made over a $100,000 for us and we had a couple Swan For Alls from her before this filly came along. They were nice looking horses, but they were a little big so we thought maybe he was not a good fit for her. That’s when we chose Jailhouse Jesse and when this filly came along, right from day one she was just perfect. She has a beautiful conformation and always had an excellent attitude.”

Just Jess is owned by White and Julie Rideout. She is conditioned and steered by Julie’s husband Doug, who is also Just Jess’ co-breeder. In 15 trips to the gate last year as a 2-year-old, she collected eight victories, two seconds, one third and just over $250,000. She established her lifetime mark of 1:57 when she captured the $220,000 Indiana Sire Stakes championship on Oct. 10 at Hoosier Park and completed her freshman campaign with three consecutive triumphs.

Linscott Photography

Indiana champion Just Jess banked $252,208 as a freshman in 2015.

Although the filly competed primarily in the Hoosier State’s Sire Stakes, she also annexed her $37,200 division of the Standardbred Grand Circuit stake at the Delaware County Fairgrounds by a neck and her $39,250 division of the Madison County Stake with a powerful performance.

“Unfortunately, she was battling sickness over the summer,” Doug Rideout said. “She had some allergies, but we just treated that and allowed the illness to run its course. When she started feeling better she really came right along. I think she was 100 percent for the first time at Delaware and since then all she has done is improve. We never had to do anything with her because she really is the entire package.”

Just Jess broke her maiden in her first start, a $3,000 event at the Converse Fair on June 4. Rideout then qualified her twice at Hoosier Park before she came home fifth in a $20,000 Indiana Sire Stakes elimination on June 23. She rebounded the following week with a triumph in the $75,000 final at odds of 25-1. From her next six starts she collected three wins, two seconds and a third.

At the end of August, the filly began to show she was not at the top of her game and Rideout realized she was battling some type of health condition.

“She was just full of mucus,” he said. “We knew it was allergies and even when she still wasn’t at her best, she went out there and tried her heart out. Even when she was sick, she still did not perform badly. She really is such a nice horse. She was only a 2-year-old, but she took everything in stride. She is so well-gaited and has such a good mind. She really is a pleasure and is two fingers to drive. I can’t say enough good things about her, because you want all of them to be like she is.”

In her first three races in September, Just Jess was fourth twice in sire stakes completion and then sixth in another $75,000 final. Just three days later, the filly came storming down the Delaware stretch to claim her first win in a month and since then she has been a force to be reckoned with.

“We were not sure how she would like the half-mile track at Delaware,” White said. “But we felt she would handle it nicely being that she is built so well. She really seemed to love it and it was so special to win a race there with her. That is one of the greatest venues in harness racing and to have one of your horses be in the winner’s circle there is something so exciting. When I saw that she was going to win that race, I was beside myself and was so overjoyed I was confused about how to get down to the winner’s circle.”

Just Jess followed that performance with her triumph in the $220,000 Super final on Oct. 10. Sent off at odds of 6-1, the filly went to the top, relinquished the lead to Naughty III at the half-mile marker and trotted in second until kicking in down the lane to pass that rival in a sprint to the wire. Although her last quarter was in :29.3, the filly was well within herself and it appeared she could have trotted over the Anderson oval all over again.

Her connections were absolutely beaming as the filly was positioned for her photograph, but Rideout was swift to give the horse all the credit.

“She just really came around and we allowed her to develop at her own pace,” he said that evening. “We knew she had talent, but how easy she traveled tonight still has me kind of shocked. She was just so strong and had more to give if I needed to ask her for it. She is so easy on herself and I think that helps her tremendously when she is racing.”

Just Jess terminated her season with another facile victory in her division of the Madison County Stake on Oct. 24. She assumed command at the half-mile marker and trotted smoothly home. The filly stopped the timer in 1:59.3 on a blustery evening in what appeared to be merely a training session.

“She is just so good right now,” Rideout said that evening. “What else can you say? I leave it all up to her and she has exceeded all our expectations. My wife has always believed in her and Alan and I have too. It’s even more special for us because we did breed her. It definitely holds more meaning when you raise them from a baby and you have a nice horse.”

Just Jess will continue to compete at Hoosier Park for her sophomore campaign, but the Rideouts and White may have different plans for several of her 2016 appearances.

“We have discussed it,” White said. “She will definitely stay in Indiana for the Sire Stakes program. It’s just such a good system based on not only the money, but how the races are scheduled. You really don’t want to leave to race somewhere else and miss out on a Sire Stakes leg.

“We are going to stake her to several other races though and she will definitely race at Delaware again. She has been such a blessing for us and we are just fortunate to have a filly that is as nice as her. All we needed to do was just have a little patience with her and she has rewarded us in more ways than we ever could have imagined.”