Domestic Product Follows Sire to Ashford

Ashford Stud's Practical Joke has enjoyed perhaps his strongest season yet with seven graded stakes winners so far this year. Only four stallions in North America can claim more, while both Quality Road and Not This Time also have seven graded stakes winners to their credit in 2024.

Practical Joke, a three-time Grade I winner in his own right, retired to Ashford in 2018 and has produced four Grade I winners from his first four crops. In 2025, the son of Into Mischief's stud fee will increase from $45,000 to $75,000.

Coolmore's Adrian Wallace said he believes Practical Joke's upward trajectory is just getting started.

“He has always covered great books of mares in terms of numbers and in terms of quality,” he said. “He's got a huge future ahead of him. I wouldn't be surprised if he's a horse that not only maintains this level of stud fee going forward, but if it doesn't grow to $100,000 or more in the coming years.”

Practical Joke's first North American Grade I win came from Chocolate Gelato, a member of his second crop, in the 2022 GI Frizette Stakes. The next year his son Practical Move claimed the GI Santa Anita Derby. This year, Ways and Means delivered in the GI Test Stakes and a few weeks later in Saratoga, Domestic Product emulated his sire when got his Grade I score the H. Allen Jerkens Memorial Stakes.

In 2025, this latest Grade I winner for Practical Joke will join his sire at Ashford Stud. Domestic Product will stand for a fee of $30,000 in his debut season.

A homebred for Klaravich Stables, Domestic Product came onto Coolmore's radar when he broke his maiden by over four lengths in October of his juvenile season. Around that same time, the fellow Chad Brown-trained Sierra Leona (Gun Runner) was getting ready to make his debut for the Coolmore partnership, Peter Brant and Brook Smith.

Domestic Product joins his sire Practical Joke at Ashford Stud | Sara Gordon

“We were obviously in constant contact with Chad for Sierra Leone and the other horses that we have with Chad and he was always speaking about how highly he thought of Domestic Product,” recalled Wallace. “He always rated him very highly and then once we saw him a few times, we were absolutely blown away by his physique. He's 16'2, almost black, a wonderful-looking horse and a great mover.”

After battling to win the GIII Tampa Bay Derby, Domestic Product lost a shoe in the Kentucky Derby and was never in contention, but he bounced back when turned back to a mile for the GIII Dwyer Stakes, dominating by over seven lengths. From there he put in his career-best performance in the Allen Jerkens, earning a 106 Beyer Speed Figure as he prevailed over fellow Grade I winners Prince of Monaco (Speighstown) and Book'em Danno (Bucchero).

“He beat a well-credentialed field in a very good time,” said Wallace. “The best thing about him was his speed. I think he was tactical in the way he could do it. He could put himself in any position in the race and he was dangerous from any position on the racetrack.”

Domestic Product retired to Ashford after finishing third in his career finale in the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile.

“He should be a very easy horse to breed to because, as Practical Joke does himself, he will suit the vast majority of American bloodlines,” said Wallace. “If you look at Practical Joke's graded stakes winners, he works with pretty much every single bloodline going in America. Domestic Product himself is out of a mare by Paynter, so that's the Awesome Again line.”

Among Practical Joke's other Grade I winners, Chocolate Gelato's broodmare sire is Candy Ride (Arg), Practical Move's dam is by Afleet Alex and Ways and Means is out of a Warrior's Reward mare.

“It's always very gratifying when you stand a stallion and then you're able to bring one of his own sons to stud,” said Wallace. “It's rare that happens. Domestic Product is a horse that has something for everyone. He's got the look. He's got the speed. He's got the balance. He's got a great pedigree behind him and he's one who should be very popular here on the stallion roster.”

Sierra Leone at Ashford Stud | Sara Gordon

Some of the breeders who have stopped in at Ashford Stud in the weeks since the Breeders' Cup to inspect Domestic Product may have also gotten a peak at one of Domestic Product's former stablemates. Sierra Leona has spent the past few weeks at Ashford enjoying some 'R & R' after his GI Breeders' Cup Classic victory. The 'TDN Rising Star' and dual Grade I winner is scheduled to return to the racetrack in 2025 for a 4-year-old campaign.

“We are so proud of Sierra Leone,” said Wallace.” He's taken the ownership group on such a wonderful ride throughout this last year and a half and really put it all together on arguably the biggest day in the calendar when he took on older horses and beat a stellar field in the Breeders' Cup Classic. We're delighted to have him here for the moment and then hopefully we'll be able to take him on a world tour next year.”