Practical Joke

Already a stakes winner in her fledgling career, Corsia Veloce (Practical Joke) stayed undefeated in three races as she took the GI Natalma Stakes at Woodbine for trainer Josie Carroll. The Ontario-bred filly was on home turf in Canada Saturday, having broken her maiden on the Tapeta July 6 before stealing a win in the Catch A Glimpse Stakes at 11-1 odds in her first try on the grass Aug. 16. Given only 12-1 odds despite having several familiar rivals behind her in that prior win, Corsia Veloce broke well...

When Practical Joke and Life Is Good--both by Into Mischief and out of Distorted Humor mares--each racked up multiple Grade I victories and retired to major stallion farms in Central Kentucky, the cross they share surely earned a second look. After three 3-year-olds of 2025--Eclipse champion Citizen Bull, Patch Adams, and Tappan Street--added another five combined Grade I victories to that same cross in the last 11 months, anyone savvy enough to have a yearling on offer at Keeneland's September sale on the 'Midas Touch' nick looks positively inspired. Three...

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-bred horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Wednesday's Observations features a Godolphin newcomer. 19.00 Kempton, £11,000, Mdn, 2yo, 7f (AWT) Godolphin's €650,000 Arqana May Breeze-Up purchase DEVON ISLAND (Practical Joke), from the family of G1 Middle Park and G1 Dewhurst runner-up Green Perfume (Naevus), encounters 11 rivals in this debut for the Charlie Appleby stable. They...

The GI Spendthrift Farm Hopeful Stakes is carded as the anchor for Monday's Labor Day festivities, which marks the last set of races for the season upstate. A scan through the past winners of the top-level affair over the past 25 years include a strong list of future sires. How about for starters Sky Mesa (2002), First Samurai (2005), Shanghai Bobby (2012) and Competitive Edge (2014)? More recently Practical Joke (2016), Mind Control (2018), Basin (2019), Jackie's Warrior (2020), Gunite (2021) and Forte (2022) got their picture taken before heading...

Some of the most highly anticipated races during the summer season are the 'baby' races during the boutique meetings at Saratoga and Del Mar and at Ellis Park, which attract its fair share of high-priced juveniles from a variety of top national outfits. Summer Breezes, sponsored by OBS Sales, highlights debuting and stakes-entered 2-year-olds at those meetings that have been sourced at the breeze-up sales earlier in the year, including links to their under-tack previews. Here are the horses entered for Thursday at Saratoga. Thursday, August 28, 2025 Saratoga 1,...

A week on from the blockbuster Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale, more records fell at the Humphrey S. Finney Pavilion Monday when the Fasig-Tipton New York-Bred Yearling Sale concluded with highwater marks for gross, average and a record-tying median. During two sessions, 199 New York-bred yearlings sold for a $23,870,000. The average was $119,950--up 15.1% from a year ago, while the median remained constant at $85,000. With 55 horses reported not sold, the buy-back rate was 21.7%. It was 26.3% a year ago. "This sale hit the quinella," Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY - The buzz from last week's select sale clearly carried into the new week, with the Fasig-Tipton New York-Bred Yearlings Sale powering through its opening session Sunday night in Saratoga. During the session, 64 yearlings grossed $8,338,000 for an average of $130,281 and a median of $105,000. Those figures were well ahead of last year's opening session, when 66 head sold for $6,860,000 for an average of $103,939 and a median of $89,000. They were also ahead of last year's cumulative average of $104,178 and median of...

'TDN Rising Star' Himika proved that her impressive first-out victory at Santa Anita in June was no fluke, followed up with an equally effortless victory when taking Del Mar's GIII Sorrento Stakes Sunday. Of a touch slow from her inside draw, the bay bullied her way through the tightly-knit pack heading through an honest :22.11 quarter. Edging past longshot My Kat (Gato Del Oro) approaching the home turn, she fired all boosters late, drawing off to score by a geared-down 4 1/4-length margin over Mo' Em Down, clear of Thank...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Through 14 days of Saratoga's season, Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher's 2-year-olds are getting the job done. Pletcher picked up his fifth victory in the top-level $100,000 maiden special weight races Sunday when Tapit's Legacy (Tapit) cruised to a five-length victory in the third race under Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez. Pletcher has a 5-2-2 record from 15 starters in the open $100,000 races, a win percentage of 33 with a 60 percent finish in the top three. Last season, Pletcher won four of...

Having been nothing less than spectacular in two prior starts, 'TDN Rising Star' Verifire (Authentic) took his step up to stakes company with aplomb, taking Sunday's closing day Maxfield Stakes at Churchill Downs. A $1-million OBS March purchase for Resolute Racing after selling for $260,000 at Keeneland the previous September, the son of Authentic debuted with a TDN Rising Star-earning 6 1/4-length victory at Colonial Mar. 15. Pounded down to 1-20 favoritism in his return, he rolled home a 6 1/2-length winner over next out winner Saxton (Mosler) in a...

9th-Monmouth, $51,975, Msw, 6-22, 3yo/up, 6f, 1:10.93, ft, 6 1/2 lengths. DRAGONITE (c, 3, Practical Joke--Snapdragon, by Super Saver), sent off the 7-5 choice for this unveiling, prompted 2-1 second chance Soar Richard (Omaha Beach) through an initial quarter in :22.24. Overtaking that rival approaching the quarter pole, the homebred drew off late to score by 6 1/2 lengths over Ripton's Music (Maclean's Music). Soar Richard was third. Snapdragon, who sold in foal to Oxbow at KEENOV in 2022, produced that colt in 2023 followed by a filly by the...

Now a winner from six furlongs to 1 3/16 miles, Awesome Aaron continued his positive trend for trainer Norm Casse with an off-the-pace upset in the GIII Pimlico Special Stakes. After a career spent at nearly every level of racing, the 6-year-old gelded son of Practical Joke proved his 5 3/4-length roll in an allowance/optional claimer at Oaklawn last time out was no fluke (nor was the 104 Beyer Speed Figure that accompanied it). That win on Apple Blossom day Apr. 12, his first since getting claimed for $40,000 at...