Girl With a Dream

There's a lot that can be gleaned from the freshman sires and leading sires of 2-year-olds lists. Last year, Coolmore America's Practical Joke (Into Mischief) was second to Gun Runner (Candy Ride {Arg}) on the freshman sire list by progeny earnings, $2,339,717 to $4,315,980. Those numbers were good enough to make Gun Runner the leading sire of 2-year-olds and Practical Joke third, with leading sire Into Mischief splitting the newcomers with $2,971,018. That Practical Joke tied Gun Runner by number of black-type winners with six, tops among all freshman sires,...

A field of seven, including a pair of promising unbeaten 3-year-old fillies, will line up in Saturday's GII Davona Dale S. going a one-turn mile at Gulfstream. The rail-drawn Kathleen O. (Upstart) could be any kind after delivering impressively in her first two attempts. The dark bay rallied from the back to post a head-turning 8 1/2-length victory after an eventful start in the track-and-trip Cash Run S. last time Jan. 1. "You never know they're going to be this kind," Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey said. "She had...

What to do with the Bob Baffert-trained horses? Up until now, we have been including them in the TDN Kentucky Oaks rankings, believing that they'd find a way into the race. Either their owners would move them to another trainer or Baffert would find a way through the courts that would allow them to enter. But when the story broke last week that Baffert had not nominated a single horse to the GI Kentucky Oaks we decided to drop them from the rankings and won't include them again until there...

Girl With a Dream (Practical Joke) made it three straight victories with a front-running decision in Saturday's GIII Forward Gal S. at Gulfstream. She was sent to the lead and showed the way through an opening quarter in :22.85. The chestnut let it out a notch rounding the far turn as unbeaten 'TDN Rising Star' Radio Days (Gun Runner) launched her bid from the back to set her sights on the leader. Girl With a Dream still had plenty left for the stretch, however, and held the heavily favored Radio...

Girl With a Dream broke sharply and made all to win the Letellier Memorial S. and become the fifth stakes winner for her freshman sire Practical Joke (Into Mischief) Monday at Fair Grounds. The 3-5 favorite, adding Lasix for this effort, grabbed the lead and was pressed through an opening quarter in :22.49. She was joined by stablemate Com' on Sweet Luv at the top of the lane after a half in :46.42 and determinedly held that rival at bay to the wire. Girl With a Dream graduated by 6...

Owner Jim Bakke's experience in horse racing has been fairly typical. He started off with a small stable, didn't have much success and waited for his day to come. It looks like he's not going to have to wait any longer. Along with Gerald Isbister, Bakke is the co-owner of 'TDN Rising Star' Jack Christopher (Munnings), a Chad Brown-trained colt who brought down the house Saturday with an 8 3/4-length maiden win at Saratoga. Jack Christopher, who is named for Bakke's six-month-old grandson, will head to the GI Champagne S.,...

6th-Ellis, $45,968, Msw, 7-24, 2yo, f, 5f, :57.06, ft, 6 3/4 lengths. GIRL WITH A DREAM (f, 2, Practical Joke--Henley, by Corinthian) was sent off the 6-5 chalk to open her account at first asking and turned it on through the Ellis stretch to graduate by an imposing margin Saturday afternoon. The $115,000 Keeneland September yearling graduate jumped alertly from an outside gate and pressed the pace through an opening quarter-mile in :22.24. Allowed to stride into the lead with about 2 1/2 furlongs to travel, the chestnut was shaken...