Golden State Series Snow Chief Stakes

BY EMILY SHIELDS

California-bred Jimmy Blue Jeans shipped from Golden Gate Fields down to Santa Anita Park to spring a 15-1 upset over favored None Above the Law in the $152,000 Snow Chief Stakes June 19. Te son of James Street— Blue Blizzard, by Marino Marini, had previously fnished seventh in his stakes debut in the north.

Bred by Perry Bruno and John Gezon, and now campaigned by that pair and partner Robert Jones, Jimmy Blue Jeans always showed talent. He did not debut until January of this year, when he fnished ffth while sprinting on Golden Gate’s synthetic track. Going two turns for the frst time, Jimmy Blue Jeans won Feb. 5 for his breeders and trainer Andy Mathis. He was third in allowance optional claiming company before his poor run in the $77,250 Silky Sullivan Stakes. Te winner that day? None Above the Law.

Switched to the turf for the frst time, Jimmy Blue Jeans responded by winning an allowance optional claiming race by 13⁄4 lengths. Tat efort was enough to send him to the Snow Chief Stakes, a nine-furlong contest on the grass, but his inconsistency left him as the sixth choice in a feld of nine.

Under jockey Kent Desormeaux, Jimmy Blue Jeans sat just behind pacesetter Found My Ball before swooping to the lead. None Above the Law, the even-money favorite, rallied hard from seventh position but ended up short by a neck, with Ferrariano a nose back in third. Jimmy Blue Jeans, a gray gelding, paid $33.40 for the win.

After the race, Desormeaux said, “Tis ride started two or three days ago. I was a tour guide for the owners, I had to show them where to get licensed and everything, so this is a nice omen.”

Bruno, Gezon, and Jones are all based in Utah.

Jimmy Blue Jeans is the frst stakes winner for James Street, who stands at Blue Diamond Horseshoe in Aguanga. Te son of El Prado—Alleynedale, by Unbridled, was a multiple graded stakes winner in Canada and has sired 42% winners from starters to date. His average earnings per starter of $27,597 is more than 21⁄2 times his stud fee.

Te dam of Jimmy Blue Jeans, the Marino Marini mare Blue Blizzard, was a fve-time winner in 32 starts, racing primarily at Golden Gate. Jimmy Blue Jeans is her only foal. Te mare is currently being retrained as an eventer. Te pedigree has some back class. Fabulous Notion, the ffth dam of Jimmy Blue Jeans, was a two-time Cal-bred champion and a grade 1 winner who produced grade 1 winner Fabulously Fast.

With the win, Jimmy Blue Jeans has a record of three wins in six starts and earnings of $143,646. He provided 42-year-old trainer Mathis, who is based in Northern California, with his frst career stakes win at Santa Anita. Nine of the trainer’s top 10 runners in 2021 are California-breds.

© BENOIT PHOTO

Jimmy Blue Jeans travels from Golden Gate to land the Snow Chief, his frst stakes race