Practical Joke
We're inside the 13-week mark to the GI Kentucky Derby with no seismic changes to the running order at this early stage of the season. The rankings are fairly evenly distributed among contenders based on both coasts and in Kentucky, Arkansas and Louisiana. 1) FIRST RESORT (c, Uncle Mo-Fair Maiden, by Street Boss). O/B-Godolphin (KY); T-Eoin G. Harty. Lifetime record GSW, 4-2-1-0, $338,671. Last start: WON Nov. 30 GII Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes. First Resort's 6-1 win in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes Nov. 30 rated as the most visually...
St. Elias Stable's Captain Cook (Practical Joke), winner of Saturday's Withers Stakes at the Big A, is expected to make his next start in the GII Wood Memorial Apr. 5, according to trainer Rick Dutrow Jr. Sunday. The Wood awards the top-five finishers 100-50-25-15-10 Kentucky Derby points, respectively. "He's got a big step forward next time when we run him back in the Wood, but he's got plenty of time and we love that--so does he," Dutrow, Jr. said. "He'll be running back over a track he's won two races...
'TDN Rising Star' Captain Cook (Practical Joke), a 9 1/4-length maiden winner going seven furlongs in the Aqueduct slop Dec. 28, delivered as the 7-5 favorite stretching to 1 1/8 miles in Saturday's downgraded Withers Stakes at the Big A, good for 20 points on the road to the GI Kentucky Derby. Longshot Surfside Moon (Malibu Moon) was second. Omaha Omaha (Audible) was third. The 7-5 favorite sat a tracking trip in an outside third, revved up three deep on the far turn and took care of business from there...
Multiple stakes-placed Dream Concert (Jess's Dream), a 5-year-old mare with earnings of over $200,000, secured a final bid of $110,000 from Tiger Racing to top the OBSOnline January Sale. The digital auction for 2-year-olds and horses of racing age was conducted from Jan. 23-30 and marks the third auction held under the OBSOnline banner. Bred by James Michael Chicklo, Dream Concert is nominated to the GIII Endeavour Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs Feb. 1. She most recently finished third in the $100,000 Wayward Lass Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs Jan....
24 horses, featuring 2-year-olds and horses of racing age, have been catalogued for the OBSOnline January auction which will take place Jan. 23-30. The catalogue is currently available for viewing on the OBSOnline website. Bidding will begin Jan. 23 at noon ET and will close at noon ET Jan. 30. The OBSOnline January sale will be held in conjunction with the live January Winter Mixed Sale taking place Jan. 28. A total of 20 sale entrants participated in the optional under tack show held at OBS on Jan. 17. Consignors...
3rd-GP, 94K, Msw, 3yo, 6f, 1:18 p.m. POP ART (Medaglia d'Oro) sold to Glen Hill Farm for $750,000 as a Keeneland September yearling last year. She is the first foal out of GSW Painting (Distorted Humor) while second dam Handpainted is a full-sister to Canadian champion older mare Serenading. This is also the family of GI Toyota Blue Grass Stakes winner Brilliant Speed (Dynaformer) and MSW/GI Arkansas runner up Conquest Mo Money (Uncle Mo). TJCIS PPS 6th-GP, 94K, Msw, 3yo, 1m, 2:49 p.m. A $700,000 OBS April buy for 30...
Obviously this is too wide a category, at $60,000 and upwards, to be always comparing like with like. And really those at the very apex have earned their monster fees by excellence too blatant for contention. Most of that will instead be reserved for those sires that remain somewhat more accessible, relatively speaking--especially given the Uncle Mo-sized hole that has tragically appeared in this sector. La creme de la creme is divided between a trio in the evening of their careers--Into Mischief, Curlin, Tapit--and those aiming to supplant them, led...
Chilean import Richi (Chi) (Practical Joke), second while making her North American debut in the Desert Stormer Stakes June 2, went one better off the bench to upset 1-5 favorite and her Bob Baffert-trained stablemate Pleasant (Munnings) in Saturday's GIII Las Flores Stakes at Santa Anita. Off at odds of 3-1 with the blinkers coming off here, Richi sat a tracking trip in an inside third, shot through an opening along the rail at the top of the stretch and blasted off from there to defeat the GI Breeders' Cup...
In this continuing series, TDN's Senior Racing Editor Steve Sherack catches up with the connections of promising maidens to keep on your radar. Father Ted (Practical Joke) split a pair of highly regarded Bob Baffert-trained runners to finish a strong second in his 2-year-old unveiling on Santa Anita's opening day program Dec. 26. A bit chilly on the board at 8-1 for trainer Mark Glatt, Father Ted broke like a shot, but was quickly outfooted to race in fifth as three of them lined up--led narrowly by a three-deep San...
Billed as a showdown between the classy Mufasa (Chi) (Practical Joke) and the 2023 GI Breeders' Cup Classic winner White Abarrio (Race Day), Gulfstream Park's Saturday feature, the GIII Mr. Prospector Stakes at seven furlongs, didn't disappoint. Mufasa got a perfect stalking trip which turned into a resounding win, while White Abarrio was slow out of the gate and trailed early before making a late run that couldn't quite catch Mufasa in the stretch. Little Vic (Practical Joke), the 2023 GIII Tom Fool Handicap winner, was third. Winner of the...
Captain Cook (c, 2, Practical Joke--Pow Wow Wow, by Indian Charlie), an eventful sixth on debut for owner/breeder Marylou Whitney Stables and trainer Norm Casse at Churchill Downs Oct. 27, brought $410,000 from bloodstock agent Steve Young on behalf of St Elias Stable at the Keeneland November Horses of Racing Age Sale (second-most expensive lot of the sale) and ran to the money as the 1-2 favorite for his new connections with a 'TDN Rising Star' performance in the slop at the Big A Saturday. Captain Cook chased the early...
Drawn in the 10-hole for this next stop on his comeback tour, MGISW White Abarrio (Race Day) will tackle 11 others in Saturday's GIII Mr. Prospector Stakes at Gulfstream Park all while keeping an eye on the GI Pegasus World Cup in January. The class of the field with the numbers and earnings to match in this seven-furlong contest, White Abarrio was given 3-5 morning line favoritism to work with despite likely being lower when the gates open. After his 10 1/4-length romp last out Nov. 22 against local optional...