A sharp break from his rail post helped favorite Jess Dellaree earn a half-length win in Sunday’s 400-yard, $50,000 La Plata Stakes (G3) at SunRay Park.

Ridden by Alejandro Medellin for owner Maria G. Gonzalez of Edgewood, New Mexico, and trainer Ramon Gonzalez, Jess Dellaree made his trip in :19.214, breaking by 3/100ths of a second the previous stakes record set last year by Arturo Orozco’s Texas Version. The clocking was also good for a 103 speed index, and it propelled the 5-year-old gelding to his second career stakes victory.

Jess Dellaree was bred by Ted G. Abrams of Vinton, Louisiana, and he is one of 39 stakes winners from six crops sired by Feature Mr Jess, a Louisiana-bred son of champion Mr Jess Perry who won the 2000 Rainbow Futurity (G1) and ’01 Rainbow Derby (G1). To date, Feature Mr Jess has sired the earners of more than $12.1 million from 439 starters, including two-time champion Heartswideopen. He died in 2009 due to complications from laminitis.

Jess Dellaree is also one of four winners from eight starters produced by the winning 15-year-old Leaving Memories mare Dellaree. The gelding’s third dam, Etta Quest, was a winning daughter of the Deep Sun (TB) stallion Ettabo who ran third in the 1976 Rocky Mountain Quarter Horse Association Futurity at old Centennial Racetrack near Denver.

A 1974 foal, Etta Quest was a half sister to the late Wheatland, a gelding by Rocket Bar (TB) who won seven 870-yard stakes at Los Alamitos and Bay Meadows from 1975-77.

Campaigned exclusively in New Mexico, Jess Dellaree has earned $117,504 from four wins in seven starts, and his stakes resume includes a victory in the March 6, $86,854 West Texas Maturity (G2) at Sunland Park. The La Plata marked the gelding’s first out since April 11, when he ran second, a head behind Rylees Boy, in the 440-yard, $112,410 Bank of America New Mexico Challenge Championship (G1) at Sunland.

Louisianafeature One ran second, a head in front of Strike It Quick. Special Celebrate, A Regal Secret, Go Southern Special, Kool Cade, and Jess Sporty completed the order of finish.

A 4-year-old stallion by champion Jess Louisiana Blue and half brother to Feature Mr Jess, Louisianafeature One earned $10,500 for his owner, Mark Allen’s Double Eagle Ranch at Roswell, New Mexico. Louisianafeature One has won four of 17 races and has banked $92,518, and he was a finalist in last year’s Grade 1, $625,130 All American Derby at Ruidoso Downs.

Strike It Quick is a gray 4-year-old gelding racing for Rosa M. Guevara. Strike It Quick won a pair of 400-yard allowance-optional claiming sprints during the 2009-10 Sunland Park meet, and the one-time $25,000 claimer earned $5,000 from the La Plata purse to increase his earnings to $120,692.