Pictured above: Gimme in the lead at E P Taylor G.1

By Meg Mullery

When Gimme a Nother enters the starting gate to compete at the upcoming Breeders’ Cup races in Kentucky, it will be another stop in the horse’s remarkable journey that began in South Africa and includes a flight across the Atlantic Ocean, enduring a long layover in New York, a second home in Virginia, and a shout-out to New Jersey.

The six-year-old mare bred in South Africa, Gimme a Nother arrived in the U.S. in late 2024 after an unbeaten seven-race career and being named South Africa’s Equus Champion three-year-old filly. Owner/breeder, Jessica Jell, and her husband, Stevie, determined the next logical step was to prove the mare could do it on the international stage.

Gimme a Nother’s arrival in the United States required a 60-day quarantine period; the norm for all horses coming from South Africa. It meant two months standing in a stall at a special facility at JFK International. All super athletes of any species faced with that amount of time with no exercise or training require months of work to return to a competitive fitness level. Clearly, Gimme a Nother got her mojo back.

She has earned more than $1.13 million with 11 wins in 15 starts, including the Grade 2 Beverly D. Stakes at Virginia’s Colonial Downs and, most recently, the Grade 1 E.P. Taylor Stakes in Canada. Her E.P. Taylor victory secured her a spot in the prestigious Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf at Keeneland on October 31st.

Jessica belongs to one of South Africa’s legendary Thoroughbred racing families. Her loyalty and love for “Gimme” have history. Mother Russia was an elite South African champion who tragically died at a young age. She produced one foal, Nother Russia, who continued the champion tradition and passed the genes on to her foal, Gimme a Nother.

Jessica determined it was time to add a North American base to complement her South Africa breeding/racing operation. The horse and hunt country of Northern Virginia appealed for obvious, and not so obvious, reasons. Virginia’s location, beauty and history of horses played a major role in decision making. But perhaps the most important was availability of Graham Motion, a top-tier Thoroughbred horse trainer who trained Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom and multiple other high-profile stakes winners.

The shout-out to New Jersey part of the journey? The preferred Virginia location kept Jessica in close proximity to New Jersey where she still enjoys fond memories of visiting extended family many times during her childhood. When Newstead Farm, an established horse farm in Upperville, became available in 2020, it checked more than all of the boxes.

Successful Thoroughbreds often have attitude and some quirks. Secretariat’s handlers observed he knew he was a superstar and acted accordingly–not always in a charming way.

“Gimme” exhibits coyness and demands privacy away from people and horses when time for saddling up prior to a race. It’s clearly an act. Once on the track, the shyness disappears and changes to a “let the competition begin” demeanor.

Jessica is thinking about what the future holds for Gimme a Nother and considering expanding her North American operation by bringing more horses to the U.S. from South Africa.

“Gimme,” according to Jessica, “has worked and trained brilliantly and given it her all during her racing career. The time will come for her to retire the saddle, at which point she’ll don a new hat as a stay-at-home mom and transition to life as a brood mare.”

But first Gimme a Nother will join her peers, an elite group of international horses holding numerous titles and winning records, at the Breeders’ Cup where it is almost certain she will give us another.

About the Author: Meg Mullery is a contributing writer and Blue Ridge distribution “assistant” to the OTC and just a great all–around person. She is a Middleburg resident and spends some of her valuable time volunteering at Sprout – a therapeutic riding program in Aldie – and has been known to place a modest wager or two on the ponies.