Multiple Grade 1 Winner Favorite Jesshawk to Stand at Louisiana Center for Equine Reproduction in 2027

Multiple Grade 1 winner Favorite Jesshawk SI 96, a four-time stakes winner with career earnings of $493,939, will retire from racing following the 2026 season and begin his stallion career at Louisiana Center for Equine Reproduction in Opelousas, Louisiana, in 2027. His introductory breeding fee has been set at $3,500.

The 4-year-old chestnut son of multiple stakes sire A Mere Felix, out of the stakes-winning One Sweet Jess mare Jess Hawk, is owned by EG High Desert Farms LLC and will stand as a Louisiana-bred stallion.

“We're excited to welcome Favorite Jesshawk to our stallion roster for 2027,” said Stephen Deville, breeding manager at Louisiana Center for Equine Reproduction. “He's the kind of horse breeders are looking for—a multiple Grade 1 winner who proved himself at two, three, and four against some of the best horses in the country. His pedigree is equally impressive, especially with the success of his full brother Jess Im Worth It and the strength of the Favorite Cartel sire line.

We are extremely thankful to EG High Desert Farms for this opportunity to represent their outstanding stallion outside of California. We believe Favorite Jesshawk has all the credentials to become an exceptional sire, and we're looking forward to introducing him to Louisiana breeders,” he concluded.

Before beginning his breeding career, Favorite Jesshawk is expected to make one of his final racing appearances in the prestigious Grade 1, $700,000 Champion of Champions at Los Alamitos Race Course on Saturday, December 12. He earned his berth by winning the Grade 1 Brad McKinzie Winter Championship earlier this year.

A Proven Grade 1 Performer

Favorite Jesshawk has established himself among California's accomplished runners, compiling seven wins, seven seconds, and two thirds from 20 career starts while earning $493,939 through October 27.

His four stakes victories include the Grade 1 Governor's Cup Futurity, Grade 1 Brad McKinzie Winter Championship, Grade 2 Golden State Derby, and Los Alamitos Two Million Juvenile Stakes.

As a 2-year-old, Favorite Jesshawk won five of nine starts and earned $269,201, highlighted by his Governor's Cup Futurity victory. He also finished third in the Grade 1 Golden State Million Futurity.

At three, he added the Golden State Derby to his résumé and finished second in both the Grade 2 Governor's Cup Derby and Grade 2 Southern California Derby. His sophomore campaign produced $145,328 in earnings, and he earned California Hi-Point Three-Year-Old Colt honors.

Returning at four in 2026, Favorite Jesshawk captured the Grade 1 Brad McKinzie Winter Championship, defeating the newly crowned AQHA Racing Champion 2-Year-Old and 2-Year-Old Colt of 2024, Lethal Cowboy 123. He finished second in the Grade 1 Robert L. Boniface Los Alamitos Invitational Championship in his last start and has earned $79,410 from two starts this season.

His consistency against elite competition, including victories at two, three, and four, gives the young stallion a racing résumé that combines juvenile ability, durability, and success at the highest levels of Quarter Horse racing.

A Rising Sire Line Through Favorite Cartel

Favorite Jesshawk is a son of A Mere Felix SI 95, a stakes-winning and multiple Grade 1 stakes siring son of Favorite Cartel who has quickly established himself as a promising young sire.

From three crops of racing age, A Mere Felix has sired 19 winners and three stakes winners from 37 starters, with progeny earnings totaling $1,579,559.

His leading performers include Grade 1 Ed Burke Million Futurity winner Jess Im Worth It SI 95 ($665,234), Favorite Jesshawk ($493,939), and stakes-winning juvenile A Mere Andrea ($32,175).

Favorite Jesshawk is a paternal grandson of Favorite Cartel SI 104, one of the industry's most influential contemporary sires. Through October 27, Favorite Cartel has sired 1,008 winners, 158 stakes winners, and eight champions from 12 crops of racing age, with progeny earnings exceeding $67.5 million.

Among his outstanding runners are three-time champion Cyber Attack ($1,721,346), champion Trane Station V ($1,754,152), Cartel Jess Rockin ($849,101), Tell Cartel ($796,386) and Golden Boi ($721,647).

Favorite Cartel's influence is increasingly evident through his sons at stud, with three ranking among the leading young sires of 2026.

Golden Boi currently leads the nation's first-year sires with $1,709,334 in progeny earnings from 34 winners and two stakes winners. His leading earner is El Huracano V ($632,670).

Cyber Monday heads the second-year sire standings with $3,071,964 in progeny earnings, 81 winners, and three stakes winners. His leading earner is Fall Classic ($530,970).

Another Favorite Cartel son, Tell Cartel, ranks fourth among third-year sires with $1,324,578 in progeny earnings, 36 winners, and four stakes winners. His leading earner is the Dash For Cash Futurity (G2) winner JT Midlife Crisis ($292,222).

The success of these young stallions demonstrates Favorite Cartel's growing importance as a sire of sires and provides an encouraging foundation for Favorite Jesshawk as he enters the breeding industry through his sire, A Mere Felix.

Outstanding Female Family Producing Grade 1 Winners

Favorite Jesshawk's female family offers an equally compelling foundation for his breeding career.

His dam, Jess Hawk SI 99, a daughter of One Sweet Jess, won six races and earned $157,951 while competing against top California runners. Her stakes victories included the Grade 3 Miss Princess Handicap and Pat Hyland Memorial Handicap.

She also finished second in the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Winter Derby and third in the Grade 1 Brad McKinzie Winter Championship, earning California Hi-Point Aged Mare honors.

Jess Hawk has developed into an exceptional producer, with all five of her starters becoming winners.

In addition to Favorite Jesshawk, she produced his full brother Jess Im Worth It SI 95, winner of the Grade 1 Ed Burke Million Futurity and runner-up in the Grade 1 Golden State Million Futurity. Jess Im Worth It earned $665,234 during his juvenile campaign.

Another full sibling, A Mere Andrea SI 87, has emerged as a stakes-winning 2-year-old in 2026, capturing the Ed Burke Memorial Juvenile Stakes and California Juvenile Gold Rush Stakes while earning $32,175.

The three full siblings have combined earnings of $1,191,348, underscoring the strength and consistency of the A Mere Felix–Jess Hawk cross.

Jess Hawk is also the dam of stakes-placed Jess Luna SI 81 and winner Grover SI 96.

The family traces through Favorite Jesshawk's second dam, Merridoc Hawk SI 100, a multiple graded stakes winner by Hawkinson who earned $219,912.

Merridoc Hawk captured the Grade 1 Mildred N. Vessels Memorial Handicap, Grade 2 California Breeders' Matron Stakes, and Grade 3 Kaweah Bar Handicap. She was also a finalist in the prestigious Grade 1 Champion of Champions.

The presence of two successive generations of accomplished stakes-winning mares, combined with multiple Grade 1 performers among Jess Hawk's offspring, gives Favorite Jesshawk a strong maternal pedigree to complement his sire line.

Louisiana Breeding Opportunity for 2027

Favorite Jesshawk will enter stud at Louisiana Center for Equine Reproduction, located at 5124 Highway 182 in Opelousas, Louisiana.

The facility is owned by a partnership headed by veterinarian Dr. Eddie Cramer, with Stephen Deville serving as breeding manager.

His introductory 2027 breeding fee is $3,500, and he will stand as a Louisiana-bred stallion.

With Grade 1 victories at two and four, a Grade 2 derby victory at three, and a pedigree combining the emerging sire power of Favorite Cartel with a highly productive female family, Favorite Jesshawk offers breeders across the Southwest an opportunity to access a proven California stakes performer.

His anticipated appearance in the December 12 Champion of Champions will provide a final opportunity to add to his accomplishments before transitioning to the breeding shed.

For additional information or breeding contracts, contact Louisiana Center for Equine Reproduction at (337) 407-0708, or breeding manager Stephen Deville at (225) 202-2104.

Email inquiries may be directed to laceroffice@gmail.com, or visit www.laequine.com.

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