Empressum named 2022 Quarter Horse World Champion

Empressum won arguably the toughest running of the Champion of Champions last month at Los Alamitos in the 50th running of the historic Quarter Horse race.

That win, combined with two other major stakes wins in July and August at the California track, were enough for Empressum to secure the honor as the 2022 Quarter Horse World Champion in a ceremony at the Heritage Place sales pavilion in Oklahoma City on Wednesday.

Empressum, a 4-year-old in 2022, also was honored as the outstanding aged gelding. Owned by Steve Holt and Jeff Jones and trained by Heath Taylor, Empressum won 4 of 6 starts and earned $587,896 in 2022 in a campaign based largely at Los Alamitos.

Empressum has won 17 of 23 starts and $1,620,025 in a three-year career. Empressum was the overall champion 3-year-old and champion 3-year-old gelding in 2021.

The 2022 aged gelding category was the toughest division among older runners. Empressum outpolled Danjer, the 2021 world champion who won five stakes in 2022 at Canterbury Park, the Downs at Albuquerque, Horseshoe Indianapolis, Remington Park, and Sunland Park and was second in the Champion of Champions.

Quarter Horse champions are determined by a 21-person panel of racing participants appointed by the AQHA’s racing council and the wider racing committee.

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Among other older horse categories, Kiss Thru Fire was named champion aged mare for the second consecutive year on the strength of a California campaign that included four stakes wins at Los Alamitos, while Shockingly Famous, the winner of two 870-yard stakes at Sam Houston and Will Rogers Downs, was champion aged stallion.

Taylor was named champion trainer, while Jones and Holt were recognized as outstanding owners, all for the first time. Steve Burns of Menifee, Calif., was named champion breeder, an honor he first received in 2019. Oklahoma-based James Flores was named champion jockey for the third time in his career. He was champion jockey in 2019 and 2020.

Among 2-year-olds, Hes Judgeandjury, owned by Holt and Jones and trained by Taylor, was named the overall champion and champion gelding on the strength of his win in the $3 million All American Futurity at Ruidoso Downs in September.

Cyber Attack, winner of the Los Alamitos Two Million Futurity in December, was named champion colt. Jes An Angel, who won futurities at Delta Downs, Will Rogers Downs, and Zia Park in an 11-race campaign that includes seven wins, was honored as champion filly.

KJ Desparado, winner of the Ruidoso Derby and Texas Classic Derby at Lone Star Park, was honored as overall champion 3-year-old and top gelding. Political Rose, who won the Heritage Place Oaks at Remington Park and All American Oaks at Ruidoso Downs, was named champion 3-year-old filly, while Golden Boi was champion 3-year-old colt. The champion 2-year-old colt of 2021, Golden Boi’s top win in 2022 occurred in the El Primero Del Ano Derby at Los Alamitos in March.

Wascallywittlewabbit was named champion distance horse for winning three stakes at 870 yards at Remington Park and Ruidoso Downs.

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