Jordan Bailey made her name known in a big way at the 2025 Run at the Rose, topping the Mike Miniat Memorial Slot Race aboard her homebred mare, Ima Girl Fame—better known as “Olive.”
Bailey and Olive posted a 15.410-second run on June 6, 2025, to lead the field of 75 and walk away with the biggest check of the first day of competition in Montrose: $6,394.
“We actually bred, raised and trained her ourselves,” Bailey said. “My mom ran her dam (Ima Girl Judge) and we loved Mulberry Fame, so we bred for her. I broke Olive out, trained her, and she’s been with us her whole life.”
The 7-year-old mare hasn’t had an easy road to the winner’s circle. Olive suffered a major knee injury as a 2-year-old that nearly ended her future as a performance horse.
“She hit her knee and it abscessed in four different places,” Bailey explained. “The vet said she’d never be performance sound—but we kept going. Then her 4-year-old year, she got EPM and it took a long time to get that figured out.”
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Despite the setbacks, Olive’s heart and work ethic have never wavered. Prior to Run at the Rose 2025, Olive boasted an impressive $155,534 in QData recorded earnings. See the full report.
“She loves having a job. She’s a businesswoman—she just wants to go run barrels,” Bailey said. “She wasn’t easy to start, but her style and grit have always been her own.”
The Mike Miniat Memorial Slot Race paid deep across three divisions. Timi Lickley and JL Acquired Taste claimed second place in the 1D with a 15.440 for $5,231, while Kaecee Knight and Kissa Goodbye rounded out the top three with a 15.498 and $3,875 in earnings.
In the 2D, Avery Iedesma took the win aboard Pirate Iron Eyes for $3,836. Maddie Thomas doubled down on solid performances, finishing second and third aboard sd jitterbugs burnin and laintdopnitsparky, collecting a combined $5,464.
Kristen Myers topped the 3D with MRI Nick it Kit Kat and earned $2,558 for her 16.440-second effort. Cody Adams and ZZ Razzle Dazzle earned second, while Sloan Thompson and Burrs Gotta Buzz picked up third-place money in the 3D.
As for Bailey, she’s continuing a busy June with futurity horses—including Olive’s three-quarter sibling—and keeping things rolling both in the arena and at her family-owned grocery store.
