Jess's Dream Retired, to Stand at Ocala Stud

Jess's Dream, a winning 4-year-old son of Horses of the Year Curlin   and Rachel Alexandra, has been retired to J. Michael O'Farrell's Ocala Stud in Ocala, Fla., where he'll stand in 2017 for a fee of $5,000 (stands and nurses).

"Jess's Dream is a special horse and the epitome of the Stonestreet brand and breeding program," said Stonestreet owner Barbara Banke. "He's by Horse of the Year and top sire Curlin, out of Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra, whose only other foal is our grade I winner Rachel's Valentina. Jess's Dream's maiden victory at Saratoga was one of the most-talked-about performances that year. He was tremendously talented, and we expected him to be a grade I winner like everything else in the family.

"Ocala Stud does a fantastic job of developing top sires in Florida, and we are committed to giving Jess's Dream the support needed to make him a successful sire," she added.

Jess's Dream has been in the spotlight since long before he was born. The dark bay colt was fittingly named after late owner Jess Jackson and his dream of breeding Stonestreet's Horses of the Year Curlin and Rachel Alexandra to each other. 

Curlin was Stonestreet's first champion, winning Horse of the Year honors in back-to-back years in 2007 and 2008 as a 3-year-old and 4-year-old, respectively. Rachel Alexandra gave Stonestreet three straight Horse of the Year honorees in 2009, becoming the first 3-year-old filly to do so since the creation of the Eclipse Awards in 1971. Curlin and Rachel Alexandra won 12 grade I races combined, and both captured the Preakness Stakes (gr. I) at 3.

Trained by Kiaran McLaughlin, Jess's Dream won his maiden impressively on debut at Saratoga Race Course, earning a 90 Beyer Speed Figure in what would prove to be his lone career start.