By Alan Carasso
Following in the hoofprints of his Klaravich-owned sire, who won the race back in 2017, Domestic Product (Practical Joke) came with a wide rally into the Saratoga stretch and outfinished favored 'TDN Rising Star' Prince of Monaco (Speightstown) and GI Woody Stephens Stakes hero Book'em Danno (Bucchero) to land Saturday's GI H. Allen Jerkens Memorial Stakes.
Drawn low in gate three, the homebred colt–a last-out winner of the one-mile GIII Dwyer Stakes at Aqueduct July 6–found himself near the back of the field through the opening exchanges as 'TDN Rising Star' World Record (Gun Runner) speared through at the fence to take up the running, going the opening quarter in :22.04 with longshot Vettriano (Liam's Map) doing his best to keep pace. The coast-to-coast winner of the GII Amsterdam Stakes continued to take pressure through a half-mile in a sharp :44.28 and the come-from-behinders would have been licking their chops as the field raced into the final couple of furlongs.
Woody Stephens runner-up Prince of Monaco, fourth and within shouting distance of the early fractions, got first run on World Record with a three-wide blitz into the stretch, but Domestic Product had gradually worked his way into contention for Flavien Prat and followed the favorite's move before angling out in upper stretch. Book'em Danno, also in a rearward position behind the hot pace, also weaved his way into contention, and Javier Castellano might otherwise have tried to take a gap between Prince of Monaco–who led three-sixteenths from home–and Domestic Product, only to have that hole disappear when Prince of Monaco came out slightly. Instead he dove down towards the inside and looked a final-sixteenth danger, but Domestic Product did the better work widest of all and was home a neck to the good. Book'em Danno finished a gallant third.
Not only was Domestic Product emulating the feat of his sire, but he has also been very similarly campaigned. Though Practical Joke failed to win a two-turn race prior to running fifth in the GI Kentucky Derby, Domestic Product took the GIII Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby before checking in 13th in Louisville. Practical Joke made his next start in the GIII Dwyer Stakes, saluting at odds-on, while Domestic Product was a well-beaten second in the June 15 Pegasus Stakes ahead of his towering last-out success in Dwyer July 6.
“Right after the Derby I started to work backward from this race and I told Seth [Klarman of owner Klaravich Stables], who unfortunately couldn't be here today, that we were going to try to do the same thing we did with his sire and cut him back on Travers Day, and it worked,” said winning trainer Chad Brown.
“He reminds me a lot of Practical Joke,” the conditioner continued. “I said I already had the blueprint to do it, I'm just going to work backwards and sort of use the Dwyer to do it, and it worked.”
Brown was non-committal about the path forward for Domestic Product. Practical Joke was fourth in the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile and third in the GI Cigar Mile Handicap following his Jerkens score.
Pedigree Notes:
Domestic Product is the second new Grade I winner of the meet for Practical Joke, who is also responsible for Klaravich's Test Stakes heroine Ways and Means, and the fourth Northern Hemisphere top-level winner for the Coolmore sire. He is the sire of seven Group 1 winners from his shuttle missions to Chile.
Domestic Product is one of two winners from two to the races for his unraced dam, a daughter of SW Indian Legend and a half-sister to SW Kenda (Bodemeister). Indian Legend is a full-sister to Grade III-winning turf distaffer Cherokee Queen.
Goods and Services was purchased by Railway Street for $37,000 in foal to Complexity at the 2021 Keeneland November Sale, and that produce–a filly named Naive Melody–sold to Wesley Ward for $220,000 at this year's OBS March Sale. Goods and Services sadly passed away in 2023.
What a finish by DOMESTIC PRODUCT! The 3YO son of @coolmoreamerica stallion Practical Joke wins the Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial Stakes with Flavien Prat aboard for trainer Chad Brown. pic.twitter.com/EwC0CgOpgQ
— NYRA (🎪) (@TheNYRA) August 24, 2024
Saturday, Saratoga
ALLEN JERKENS MEMORIAL S.-GI, $500,000, Saratoga, 8-24, 3yo, 7f, 1:21.71, ft.
1–DOMESTIC PRODUCT, 120, c, 3, by Practical Joke
1st Dam: Goods and Services, by Paynter
2nd Dam: Indian Legend, by Cherokee Run
3rd Dam: Virginia Bee, by Virginia Rapids
1ST GRADE I WIN. O/B-Klaravich Stables (KY); T-Chad C. Brown; J-Flavien Prat. $275,000. Lifetime Record: 9-4-2-0, $729,200. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Prince of Monaco, 122, c, 3, Speightstown–Rainier, by Medaglia d'Oro. 'TDN Rising Star'. ($950,000 Ylg '22 FTSAUG). O-SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Stonestreet Stables LLC, Dianne Bashor, Robert E. Masterson, Waves Edge Capital LLC, Catherine Donovan and Tom J. Ryan; B-Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings LLC (KY); T-Bob Baffert. $100,000.
3–Book'em Danno, 124, g, 3, Bucchero–Adorabella, by Ghostzapper. O-Atlantic Six Racing, LLC; B-Gregory J Kilka & Bright View Farm (NJ); T-Derek S. Ryan. $60,000.
Margins: NK, 1, 7. Odds: 4.50, 2.10, 3.80.
Also Ran: Timberlake, Reynolds Channel, World Record, Jefferson Street, Vettriano, Speak Easy, Otto the Conqueror, Little Ni.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
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