By Alan Carasso
One of the most progressive horses to race during this year's meet at Oaklawn Park, Red Lane Thoroughbreds' Skelly (Practical Joke) took Saturday's $500,000 GIII Count Fleet Sprint H. by the scruff of the neck and never gave any of his rivals a chance, as he led past every pole for an impressive first victory at the stakes and graded stakes level.
Having earned the right to contest a race of this caliber off big-figure allowance scores in the slop Feb. 25 and over a fast strip Mar. 17, the $250,000 Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearlings Showcase graduate was the fleetest of the fleet and took the field through an opening quarter-mile in :21.44 as he put several lengths on the chasers. Going great guns and maintaining the advantage for the run around the turn, the dark bay was by the half in a slick :44.46 and kicked home nicely to take it by a convincing margin. 'TDN Rising Star' Strobe (Into Mischief) raced three wide the trip and kept on bravely to be second in his stakes debut, while favored Tejano Twist (Practical Joke), last-out winner of the GIII Whitmore S. over the course and distance, was third.
It was the 100th Oaklawn stakes victory in the Hall of Fame career of trainer Steve Asmussen.
“That is exactly what happened [taking advantage of speed-favoring track],” the conditioner commented. “He's definitely the quickest half-mile of the [Asmussen trio] and showed it today. The racetrack's playing for that to be effective.”
Pedigree Notes:
Skelly becomes the 21st worldwide black-type winner and 14th group/graded winner for Practical Joke, whose California-based son Practical Move will be one of the top couple of choices for the GI Kentucky Derby in three weeks' time.
A $250,000 purchase out of the 2020 Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearlings Showcase, Skelly was led out unsold on a bid of $350,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Florida the following March. A May 14 foal, Skelly is out of a daughter of the three-times stakes-placed Game for More, whose own produce include the versatile MGSW & GISP Isotherm (Lonhro {Aus}); GI Acorn S. third Gio Game (Gio Ponti); Giant Game (Giant's Causeway), runner-up in the 2021 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile; and the promising Japanese-based 3-year-old colt Great Sand Sea (Into Mischief).
Adande is due to Silver State for her 2023 foal.
Saturday, Oaklawn
COUNT FLEET SPRINT H.-GIII, $500,000, Oaklawn, 4-15, 4yo/up, 6f, 1:09.20, ft.
1–SKELLY, 117, g, 4, by Practical Joke
1st Dam: Adande, by Bwana Charlie
2nd Dam: Game for More, by More Than Ready
3rd Dam: Ermelinda, by Sea Hero
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($250,000
Ylg '20 FTKSEL; $350,000 RNA 2yo '21 FTFMAR). O-Red Lane
Thoroughbreds LLC; B-H. Allen Poindexter (KY); T-Steven M.
Asmussen; J-Ricardo Santana, Jr. $295,750. Lifetime Record:
8-4-3-0, $549,400. Werk Nick Rating: A+.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the
free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Strobe, 119, c, 4, Into Mischief–Flashing, by A.P. Indy.
1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. 'TDN Rising Star'.
O/B-Godolphin (KY); T-Brad H. Cox. $91,000.
3–Tejano Twist, 124, g, 4, Practical Joke–Haley's Lolipop, by
Cuvee. O-JD Thoroughbreds LLC and Joey Keith Davis; B-Tom
Durant (KY); T-Chris A. Hartman. $45,500.
Margins: 2 1/4, 1, 3/4. Odds: 6.00, 2.50, 1.80.
Also Ran: Surveillance, Pirate Rick, Payne, Cogburn, Edge to Edge, Radical Right, Candy Man Rocket.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
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