By Alan Carasso
In each of his four previous trips to the post, Practical Move (Practical Joke) had finished behind Bob Baffert-trained runners, but the bay colt–conditioned by former Baffert assistant Tim Yakteen–exacted his revenge in a big spot Saturday afternoon, outfinishing pacesetting Carmel Road (Quality Road) to upset the GII Los Alamitos Futurity as the 10-1 second-longest price on the board. Fort Bragg (Tapit), who was demoted from an apparent victory over Practical Move two starts back, completed the trifecta, while hot favorite 'TDN Rising Star' Arabian Lion (Justify) was a spent force three furlongs from home and trailed in.
Carmel Road hit the ground running and led them along early as Arabian Lion was no better than three wide rounding the first turn before rolling forward to prompt from second. Ramon Vasquez had Practical Move in the early vanguard, but was only too happy to see Arabian Lion go on and took the sit from third. Positions were unchanged through the middle fractions, but when Practical Move went for a run underneath the odds-on pick at the three-eighths, there was no response from Arabian Lion, and Carmel Road became the target. Sent inside of that one in upper stretch, Practical Move struck to the lead about a furlong and a half from the wire and was pushed out to a comfortable score.
A debut second to the Baffert-conditioned 'TDN Rising Star' Cave Rock (Arrogate) on Del Mar debut Aug. 13, Practical Move was third at the seaside oval the following month to National Treasure (Quality Road), who would go on to be second to Cave Rock in the GI American Pharoah S. and third in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile. Put up to the victory after Fort Bragg hampered him badly in the final stages of a one-mile Santa Anita maiden Oct. 10, Practical Move was a latest third to Baffert stablemates Havnameltdown (Uncaptured) and 'Rising Star' Newgate (Into Mischief) in the GIII Bob Hope S. down in San Diego County Nov. 20.
Baffert had won the Futurity 13 times going back to the Hollywood Park days and had unsaddled the winners in seven of the eight renewals at this Orange County facility.
“I'm surprised because we were going up against the king, but I'm not surprised because my horse was doing really well,” Yakteen admitted. “That it all worked out is just fantastic. We had a great trip and I'm just thrilled to death with the horse and his effort today. This one's really special because Bob is a good friend and we have a great relationship. I hate to take him down, but it ended up that I got the better of him today and he usually gets the better of me.”
Pedigree Notes:
Practical Move is the 18th worldwide black-type winner (11th in the U.S.) and 10th graded/group winner worldwide (fourth in the U.S.) for his young sire and was bred by Practical Joke's trainer in partnership with Head of Plains Partners.
Produced by a three-times stakes-placed half-sister to the multiple black-type winners So Lonesome (Awesome Again) and No Spin (Johannesburg) and from the family of Commissioner and Laugh Track, Practical Move has a weanling half-brother by Complexity and his dam most recently visited Upstart.
Saturday, Los Alamitos
LOS ALAMITOS FUTURITY-GII, $200,000, Los Alamitos, 12-17, 2yo, 1 1/16m, 1:41.65, ft.
1–PRACTICAL MOVE, 120, c, 2, by Practical Joke
1st Dam: Ack Naughty (MSP, $310,450), by Afleet Alex
2nd Dam: Dash for Money, by General Meeting
3rd Dam: Hot Lear, by Lear Fan
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($90,000
RNA Ylg '21 KEESEP; $230,000 2yo '22 OBSAPR). O-Pierre Jean
Amestoy, Jr., Leslie A. Amestoy & Roger K. Beasley; B-Chad
Brown & Head of Plains Partners (KY); T-Tim Yakteen; J-Ramon
Vazquez. $120,000. Lifetime Record: 5-2-1-2, $194,200.
Werk Nick Rating: B. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Carmel Road, 120, c, 2, Quality Road–Inspired, by Unbridled's
Song. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($650,000
Ylg '21 KEESEP). O-SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket
Stables LLC, Robert E. Masterson, Stonestreet Stables LLC, Jay
Schoenfarber, Waves Edge Capital LLC & Catherine
Donovan; B-Peter E. Blum Thoroughbreds, LLC (KY); T-Bob
Baffert. $40,000.
3–Fort Bragg, 120, c, 2, Tapit–March X Press, by Shanghai
Bobby. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($700,000
Ylg '21 FTKOCT). O-SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket
Stables LLC, Robert E. Masterson, Stonestreet Stables LLC, Jay
Schoenfarber, Waves Edge Capital LLC & Catherine
Donovan; B-SF Bloodstock LLC & Henry Field Bloodstock (KY);
T-Bob Baffert. $24,000.
Margins: 3 1/4, 4 1/4, 2. Odds: 10.60, 4.60, 4.20.
Also Ran: Tall Boy, Arabian Lion. Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
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