By Jill Williams
Much of the pre-race speculation about Saratoga's GIII Schuylerville S. for 2-year-old fillies going six furlongs on the dirt seemed to focus on which Hall of Famer–D. Wayne Lukas or Todd Pletcher–would be the first to win the traditional opening-day feature for the record seventh time, unless another Hall of Famer–Steve Asmussen–got in the way. Instead, that trio had to settle for filling out the superfecta as it was another veteran conditioner, Gary Contessa, who notched his first Schuylerville win with Becky's Joker (Practical Joke–Becky's Best, by Elusive Quality), the only filly in the field without a start under her belt. It was also Contessa's first black-type win at Saratoga since the Skidmore S. in 2019 and his first graded win anywhere since the 2018 GI Spinaway S. He had since quit training and then returned.
“This is the way to come back,” said Contessa. “I've tried the real world, but this side of the fence is the happier place for me. I like the other side of the fence, but I love this side of the fence.”
When the Schuylerville gates flew, Pletcher's $600,000 Keeneland September buy and June 18 Belmont debut winner Wine On Tap (Tapit) flew with them. She was quickly joined by Robert Reid trainee and June 18 Parx romper Camelina (Maximus Mischief) and Lukas's June 23 Ellis scorer Saratoga Secret (Arrogate). Becky's Joker had broken last in the scratched-down field of seven, but charged up the rail as that initial quarter sped by in :22.45. The eventual winner loomed on the turn to take advantage of a generous gap and joined the party made by the top three at the :46.03 half, but didn't stick around, pulling clear down the stretch despite running greenly and drifting significantly in the lane. She was 21-1.
What a debut for BECKY'S JOKER with a win under @jjcjockey in the Schuylerville (G3) for trainer Gary Contessa! #Saratoga pic.twitter.com/rIJsc7JeAJ
— NYRA (🎪) (@TheNYRA) July 13, 2023
“When she broke a little slow, I wasn't surprised because she's so big,” said Contessa. “She's 16.3 [hands], so I expected her to break slow and I was hoping she would engage immediately and she did. She got right behind the leaders and I loved her position. I felt we had a big chance turning for home.”
Saratoga Secret held for second, with Asmussen's June 11 Astoria S. winner Closing Act (Munnings) edging out Wine On Tap for third. Each of Becky's Joker's rivals was previously undefeated, all having broken their maiden at first asking with Closing Act the lone two-time starter and two-time winner coming into the race.
“I knew that physically she was as good as anything in this race,” said Contessa of Becky's Joker. “She trained like a stakes horse, but you don't know what's going to happen once the gate opens.
“With [owner] Lee Pokoik, it's easy because he always wants to run in stakes races. I didn't have to do much convincing to the owner and I would have to just eat a little crow if I was wrong.”
A $130,000 weanling at Keeneland November, Becky's Joker was a $50,000 RNA in her return to the ring in last year's Keeneland September sale. All nine of her published works have been at Saratoga. She signaled her readiness for her Schuylerville debut with a bullet three furlongs in :34 4/5 (1/19) July 7. Contessa indicated Becky's Joker would target the GI Spinaway S. Sept. 3.
“I bought her as a weanling right after she was born and with Lee, we always try to sell them as yearlings,” said Contessa. “If they don't sell as yearlings, we sell them as a 2-year-old. When she went to the yearling sale, everyone said she was too big. Then we took her to the March 2-year-old sale in Ocala this year and everyone that looked at her said she was too big. I'm thinking in the back of my mind, 'This is good, I may get to keep this one.' That's exactly what happened, and the same thing happened with Sippican Harbor [Orb], who won the Spinaway a few years ago. Nobody wanted her at the yearling sale or the 2-year-old sale and we got to win a Grade I with her, so hopefully we get to win a Grade I with this one.”
Pedigree Notes:
Becky's Joker is one of eight graded winners for Coolmore America's Practical Joke, who is also the sire of 15 black-type winners from his three Northern Hemisphere crops to race. The Schuylerville winner is the only one of the Into Mischief son's stakes winners out of an Elusive Quality mare, but Practical Joke does have stakes winners out of other sons of Gone West, including Speightstown and Proud Citizen. Elusive Quality has 159 stakes winners out of his daughters.
The winner's unraced dam was a $20,000 Keeneland January purchase in 2020 by Jay Goodwin and produced Becky's Joker the next year. Becky's Best, a half-sister to MGSW Vertical Oak (Giant Oak), also has a yearling colt by Caravaggio, who hammered for $90,000 to Becky's Farm at Keeneland November, and produced a colt by Silver State on Mar. 1.
Thursday, Saratoga
SCHUYLERVILLE S.-GIII, $175,000, Saratoga, 7-13, 2yo, f, 6f, 1:12.52, ft.
1–BECKY'S JOKER, 118, f, 2, by Practical Joke
1st Dam: Becky's Best, by Elusive Quality
2nd Dam: Vertical Vision, by Pollard's Vision
3rd Dam: Caney Creek, by Service Stripe
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($130,000
Wlg '21 KEENOV; $50,000 RNA Ylg '22 KEESEP). O-Lee Pokoik;
B-Warran J Harang (KY); T-Gary C. Contessa; J-Javier
Castellano. $96,250. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $96,250.
Werk Nick Rating: B.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Saratoga Secret, 120, f, 2, Arrogate–Sister, by Fort Larned.
1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($200,000 Ylg '22
FTSAUG). O-BC Stables, LLC; B-Mulholland Springs LLC & Roger
& Mary A. Pardieck (KY); T-D. Wayne Lukas. $35,000.
3–Closing Act, 122, f, 2, Munnings–Evening Show, by Master
Command. 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. O/B-Douglas Scharbauer
(TX); T-Steven M. Asmussen. $21,000.
Margins: 3 1/4, 3HF, HD. Odds: 21.20, 3.55, 5.00.
Also Ran: Wine On Tap, Carmelina, Sugar Treat, Kiss for Luck. Scratched: Dancing Diana, Mila Junes, Status Seeker, Union Suit.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
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