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, suggested he was passing on some real quality to his 2-year-olds. This year, that's been confirmed: Practical Joke is sixth on the 2-year-old list with earnings of $2,197,908 through Tuesday, and he's the sire of three juvenile black-type winners, including Grade l winner Chocolate Gelato–his first in the Northern Hemisphere–and Grade ll winner Practical Move.

Practical Move won the Gll Los Alamitos Futurity Dec. 17, a race that was expected to be a cakewalk for the Justify (Scat Daddy) colt Arabian Lion. Had the latter won, Justify, who also stands at Coolmore America, would have significantly tightened the race for champion first-crop sire and given the Triple Crown winner a leading seven black-type winners for the year. As it now stands, Justify is third on the freshman list with earnings of $2,398,040 behind Hill 'n' Dale's Good Magic with $2,473,517 and leader Spendthrift's Bolt d'Oro with $2,641,366 (all statistics are through Tuesday and for the Northern Hemisphere only).

On the leading 2-year-old sire list, Into Mischief is on top, followed by Bolt d'Oro (Medaglia d'Oro), Hill 'n' Dale's Violence (Medaglia d'Oro), Good Magic (Curlin), Justify, and Practical Joke.

This puts Practical Joke, who will stand for $25,000 live foal next year, in heady company and makes him a bargain at that. His sire Into Mischief's fee is $250,000. Bolt d'Oro's advertised fee for 2023 is $35,000, but he can't be had for that anymore. He's booked full at the farm price and only a couple of NG seasons are available, with one offered the other day for $42,000–the equivalent of close to $55,000 live foal if converted with insurance. Violence and Good Magic are both advertised at $50,000 and selling fast, and Justify, who was initially advertised at $100,000 for 2023, is now at $150,000 live foal as he closes in on a full book.

Three Chimneys's Gun Runner is listed as private but his fee is in the neighborhood of $300,000.

Gun Runner's first crop has now yielded a surreal total of six Grade l winners, which justifiably makes him the most expensive sire in North America. But so far he has no 2-year-old black-type winners from his second crop, which has earned $1,385,921–good for number 21 on the 2-year-old list that he led last year. In a head-to-head comparison of second-crop juveniles, Practical Joke beats Gun Runner across the board, including by winners (24 to 17), black-type winners, black-type runners (seven to four) and Grade l winners.

As a general rule, second crops don't perform as well as first crops, but Practical Joke has admirably held his form with his second crop by progeny earnings, $2,197,908 versus $2,339,717 from last year.

Practical Joke's performance is also notable compared to the eight stallions who finished behind him on the first-crop Top 10 list last year, listed here by progeny earnings from last year versus this year's figures for their current juveniles: Connect ($2,106,071 vs. $1,235,808 ), Classic Empire ($1,645,824 vs. $818,616), Cupid ($1,303,652 vs. $98,947), Klimt ($1,276,592 vs. $728,861 and exported), Caravaggio ($1,275,118 vs. $191,481 and exported), Gormley ($1,126,007 vs. $553,091), Mohaymen ($1,074,109 vs. $169,044), and deceased Arrogate ($1,069,239 vs. $1,795,218). Only Arrogate's second-crop juveniles outperformed his first.

Stallions frequently cover a lower number of mares in their second year at stud, and these mares are generally of lesser quality than those from their first year, which mostly accounts for this paradigm. Cupid, who also stands at Coolmore America, is a particularly stark example. Last year, he was represented by 123 named 2-year-olds, of which 75 started and 23 won. This year, he has 29 juveniles, eight starters, and two winners.

Expect similar results next year for some of the leading freshman sires of 2022, and pay attention to those like Practical Joke whose numbers don't fall off a cliff with their second crop of 2-year-olds.

Practical Joke's Second Career

Practical Joke, an outstanding physical specimen who stands 16.2 hands, is bred like Life Is Good, one of Into Mischief's most talented racing sons and another physical standout who will cover mares for $100,000 at WinStar next year. Both are out of Distorted Humor mares–Practical Joke's dam is Halo Humor, a black type-placed sprinter–and neither was suited for Classic distances, but both had plenty of talent over shorter trips.

Life Is Good won only a maiden special at two. Practical Joke, trained by Chad Brown for Klaravich Stables and William H. Lawrence, won three of his four starts as a juvenile, including the Gl Hopeful S. and the Gl Champagne S. His only loss was a third-place finish in the Gl Breeders' Cup Juvenile to Classic Empire and Not This Time.

At three, Practical Joke was put on the Classics trail and performed well enough, even running fifth of 20 in the Gl Kentucky Derby, but he didn't win again until he was cut back in distance. His most notable score that year came in the Gl H. Allen Jerkens S. over seven furlongs.

He was retired to stud in 2018 with a record of five wins from 12 starts and earnings of close to $1.8 million, and he stood for $30,000 his first year. He's been well patronized since.

Like many Coolmore horses, he was also shuttled, in his case to Haras Paso Nevado in Chile, and he's been Gun Runner-like over there with four first-crop Group 1 winners to date. Perhaps the more appropriate comparison is “Scat Daddy-like,” because Paso Nevado also shuttled Coolmore's Scat Daddy, who sired busloads of South American Group 1 winners before he got rolling in the Northern Hemisphere. Two of the four top-level Practical Joke winners in Chile are from Scat Daddy mares, and the other two are from mares by Lookin At Lucky and Powerscourt (GB), two other Coolmore sires that shuttled to Paso Nevado at one time or another.

Meanwhile in the Northern Hemisphere Practical Joke is the sire of 11 black-type winners so far, meaning that some of his stakes-winning 2-year-olds from last year have trained on at three. One of them is Wit, who won the Glll Sanford S., was second in the Hopeful and third in the Champagne. Wit won the Glll Bay Shore S. over seven furlongs earlier this year but has recently transitioned to the turf, on which he won a listed race at Saratoga before placing in the Gl Hollywood Derby at Del Mar over nine furlongs on Dec. 3. The favorite in the race, Wit was beaten by three-quarters of a length for everything.

Another is Girl With a Dream, a listed winner last year who won the Glll Forward Gal S. this year. Practical Joke also has had some first-time 3-year-old stakes winners, like Little Vic, who won the Listed $100,000 City of Laurel S. on Nov. 26.

But horses like Gl Frizette S. winner Chocolate Gelato and Grade ll winner Practical Move, plus the four Group 1 winners in Chile, suggest that Practical Joke has more in the tank, and that's a tantalizing thought, especially at a fee that's below those of the notable young sires he's running with.

Sid Fernando is president and CEO of Werk Thoroughbred Consultants, Inc., originator of the Werk Nick Rating and eNicks.

The post Taking Stock: Practical Joke Is Value appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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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 trained good. I was hoping she would run good in her first start, but the way she won her first start… I'm not one to run one back in a stake, but there wasn't anything else to run in. She was spectacular.”

Unbeaten New York-bred Classy Edition (Classic Empire) tries graded company for the first time in her first start of the season. The 'TDN Rising Star' made it three-for-three for Todd Pletcher in the six-furlong Key Cents S. versus state-breds at Aqueduct last time Nov. 21.

Girl With a Dream (Practical Joke) puts a three-race winning streak on the line following a sharp wire-to-wire tally in Gulfstream's GIII Forward Gal S. Feb. 5. Outfoxed (Valiant Minister), winner of Tampa's Gasparilla S. Jan. 15, also enters seeking a fourth straight tally.

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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 is more concrete news on their status for the Oaks.

The big story last week was, of course, the win by Secret Oath in the GIII Honeybee S. at Oaklawn. It will be a busy weekend for the 3-year-old fillies as Gulfstream offers the GII Davona Dale S. on Saturday and Santa Anita's Sunday card includes the GIII Santa Ysabel S. The weekend's racing action also features the Busher Invitational S. at Aqueduct.

Here's a look at the top 3-year-old fillies who are aiming for the May 6 Oaks:

1) SECRET OATH (Arrogate–Absinthe Minded, by Quiet American) O-Briland Farm; B-Briland Farm, Robert & Stacy Mitchell (KY); T-D. Wayne Lukas. Lifetime Record: GSW, 5-3-0-1, $285,167. Last Start: 1st GIII Honeybee S. Next Start: Likely for GIII Fantasy S., OP, Apr. 2. KY Oaks Points: 60.

You can question who she beat, but not the way she did it. The Wayne Lukas/Secret Oath story rolls on. Winning her second consecutive stakes and her first graded stakes, she beat up on her competition in the Honeybee, moving her 86-year-old trainer one step closer to a possible win in the Kentucky Oaks. After showing little in her first three starts, she's turned into a monster at Oaklawn, taking her three starts there by a combined 23 lengths.

In the Honeybee, which she won by 7 1/2 lengths, she covered the 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.74. Later on in the card, the GII Rebel S. for 3-year-old males went in 1:45.69. Lukas won the GI Arkansas Derby in 1984 with the filly Althea but, so far, is saying that it's likely Secret Oath will stay with the fillies. That decision was made easier when the Lukas-trained Ethereal Road (Quality Road) emerged as a Derby contender with a second-place finish in the Rebel.

Thirty-two years after he last won the Oaks, with Seaside Attraction in 1990, Lukas could return to the winner's circle in what would be among the more remarkable stories in the sport in some time. Or might he be tempted to point her for the Kentucky Derby, a race he won with a filly in Winning Colors in 1988? It should be interesting.

Secret Oath is also carrying the banner for her sire, Arrogate, who died in 2020 and will have a limited amount of offspring make it to the races. Secret Oath is his first graded stakes winner in North America.

2) NEST (Curlin–Marion Ravenwood, by A.P. Indy) O-Repole Stable, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners & Michael House; B-Ashview Farm & Colts Neck Stables (KY); T-Todd Pletcher. Sales History: $350,000 ylg '20 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: GSW, 4-3-0-1, $265,000. Last Start: 1st Suncoast S. Next Start: GI Central Bank Ashland S., KEE, Apr. 8. KY Oaks Points: 20.

Speaking of Lukas, his protégé Todd Pletcher could stand in the way of his winning the Kentucky Oaks. Pletcher has a number of potential Oaks candidates, but the best of the bunch is Nest.

Like Secret Oath, Nest didn't beat much in her last start, the Suncoast S. at Tampa Bay Downs, but she did it with authority, romping by six lengths. Coming off a layoff after winning the Dec. 4 GII Demoiselle S. at Aqueduct, Nest got exactly the type of prep that should move her forward on the road to the GI Ashland S. and the Kentucky Oaks. Pletcher will be after his fifth Oaks victory, which would tie him with Woody Stephens for most wins in the race by a trainer. Nest is a full sister to 2021 GI Santa Anita H. winner Idol (Curlin), who is working toward his 2022 debut at San Luis Rey Downs.

3) KATHLEEN O. (Upstart–Quaver, by Blame) O-Winngate Stables, LLC; B-Gainesway Thoroughbreds Ltd. & Bridlewood Farm (KY); T-Shug McGaughey. Sales History: $8,000 wlg '19 KEENOV; $50,000 ylg '20 OBSOCT; $275,000 2yo '21 OBSAPR. Lifetime Record: SW, 2-2-0-0, $104,760. Last Start: 1st Cash Run S. Next Start: GII Davona Dale. S, GP, Mar. 5. KY Oaks Points: 0.

She has won only a maiden race and a non-graded stakes, so Kathleen O. has plenty to prove. And she'll get the chance Saturday in the GII Davona Dale S. She's 9-2 on the morning line, which is probably a reflection of her speed figures more so than how impressive she's been visually. With a best Beyer number of 78, she's not that fast. But her last race, a win in the Cash Run S., is better than it looks on paper. She hesitated at the start and then had some traffic problems, but still won by 8 1/2 lengths. Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey always takes his time with young horses, so this one should only get better. The Davona Dale will certainly be a major test for this filly.

4) ECHO ZULU (Gun Runner–Letgomyecho, by Menifee) 'TDN Rising Star' O-L and N Racing LLC & Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC; B-Betz/J. Betz/Burns/CHNNHK/Magers/CoCo Equine/ Ramsby (KY); T-Steve Asmussen. Sales History: $300,000 ylg '20 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: Ch. 2yo Filly, MGISW, 4-4-0-0, $1,480,000. Last Start: 1st GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies S. Next Start: TBA. KY Oaks Points: 30.

She's getting there. Last year's 2-year-old filly champ had her fourth workout this year when breezing five furlongs in 1:01.80 on Monday at the Fair Grounds for trainer Steve Asmussen. “Looks good,” Asmussen wrote in a text. The Hall of Fame trainer has yet to announce where Echo Zulu will run next, but the GII Fair Grounds Oaks on March 26 seems like a logical spot. If that's the case, she will probably have only one prep for the Oaks. That may not be ideal, but Asmussen obviously knows what he's doing and his filly, after going undefeated at two, probably doesn't need to do a lot to get ready. Because she's been idle, she's flown under the radar this year, but let's not forget how dominant she was last season.

5) HAPPY SOUL (Runhappy–Cowgirl Lucky, by Stephen Got Even) O-Gayla Rankin; B-Harris Training Center, LLC (KY); T-Wesley Ward. Sales History: $50,000 ylg '20 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: MSW, 4-3-1-0, $238,500. Last Start: 1st Dixie Belle S. Next Start: TBA. KY Oaks Points: 0.

This is the wild card in the race toward the Kentucky Oaks. The daughter of Runhappy is as fast as they get. She broke her maiden by 11 3/4 lengths and then won the Astoria S. by 11 1/2 lengths. Coming off a layoff of eight-plus months, she made her 3-year-old debut against a tough group of opponents in the Feb. 19 Dixie Belle at Oaklawn, which she won by three lengths. The problem is she's never run beyond six furlongs. She's trained by Wesley Ward, who does his best work with sprinters, so it came as somewhat of a surprise when he said the Oaks is a possibility. Either the Ashland or the GIII Beaumont S. will be next. She's good enough to win a Grade I, but can she win a Grade I at nine furlongs?

6) GIRL WITH A DREAM (Practical Joke–Henley, by Corinthian) O-Jim Bakke & Gerald Isbister; B-Machmer Hall & D + J Racing Stable LLC; T-Brad Cox. Sales History: $115,000 ylg '20 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: GSW, 6-4-1-0, $231,480. Last Start: 1st GIII Forward Gal S. Next Start: GII Davona Dale S., GP, Mar. 5. KY Oaks Points: 10.

This Saturday's Davona Dale should determine whether or not Girl With a Dream belongs in the Oaks. Trained by Brad Cox, she has won three straight, including the GIII Forward Gal S. in her most recent start. But like Happy Soul, she's been sprinting and has never gone beyond seven furlongs. It looks like Cox is using the one-mile Davona Dale as a test to see if she can handle longer races. She is the 3-1 morning line favorite, is the clear speed in the race and figures to open up to an easy lead with Luis Saez aboard.

7) TURNERLOOSE (Nyquist–Goaltending, by A.P. Indy) O-Ike & Dawn Thrash; B-William Humphries & Altair Farms LLC (KY); T-Brad Cox. Sales History: $32,000 RNA wlg '19 KEENOV; $50,000 ylg '20 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: GSW, 5-3-0-1, $531,300. Last Start: 1st GII Rachel Alexandra S. Presented by Fasig-Tipton. Next Start: TBA. KY Oaks Points: 50.

Another Cox trainee, it's hard to know what to make of her. Going into the GII Rachel Alexandra S. Presented by Fasig-Tipton, she looked like she had the makings of a good grass horse. The winner of the Juvenile Fillies S. at Kentucky Downs and the third-place finisher in the GII Jessamine S., she made her dirt debut in the Rachel Alexandra and was dismissed at 17-1–huge odds for a Cox horse. With Florent Geroux aboard, she came through and won by a half-length and is obviously a contender for the Kentucky Oaks. But the Rachel Alexandra was a strange race. The 2-1 favorite, Hidden Connection (Connect), was a non-threatening fourth; and third choice La Crete (Medaglia d'Oro) was pulled up with a career-ending injury. We'll know more about this filly when she makes her next start, which Cox said will either be in the GI Ashland or the GII Fair Grounds Oaks.

8) MAGIC CIRCLE (Kantharos–Magic Humor, by Distorted Humor) O-J.W. Singer LLC; B-Manitou Farm, LLC (KY); T-Rudy Rodriguez. Sales History: $50,000 ylg '20 KEEJAN; $110,000 2yo '21 OBSAPR. Lifetime Record: SW & GSP, 5-2-1-1, $194,000. Last Start: 1st Busanda S. Next Start: Busher Invitational S., AQU, Mar. 5. KY Oaks Points: 13.

Unraced since a Jan. 23 win in the Busanda S., Magic Circle will look to return to the winner's circle Saturday at Aqueduct in the Busher Invitational. Normally stakes races in the winter at Aqueduct don't come up that tough, but the Busher is not an easy spot. The field will include the Shug McGaughey-trained Radio Days (Gun Runner), who was second in the Forward Gal; and Ruthless S. winner Shotgun Hottie (Gun Runner). The winner of this race will be legit. For Magic Circle, after winning the Busher at nine furlongs, she will be turning back to a one-turn mile. Magic Circle is a steady, blue-collar type, and a good fit for the winter at the Big A. It remains to be seen if she can step up and win against tougher.

Ain't Easy | Benoit Photo

9) AIN'T EASY (Into Mischief–Ameristralia {Aus}, by Fastnet Rock {Aus}) 'TDN Rising Star' O-Old Bones Racing Stable LLC, Michael V. Lombardi & Joey Platts; B-Spendthrift Farm LLC (KY); T-Phil D'Amato. Sales History: $400,000 ylg '20 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: GSW, 2-2-0-0. Last Start: 1st GII Chandelier S. Next Start: GIII Santa Ysabel, SA, Mar. 6. KY Oaks Points: 10.

Remember this one? After winning the GII Chandelier S. last fall at Santa Anita by 4 3/4 lengths, she was ready to take on all challengers in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile until it was discovered that she had a small chip in her left front ankle. She's been working her way back with a series of breezes at Santa Anita and is set to make her 3-year-old debut Sunday in the Santa Ysabel. Coming off a six-furlong gate work in 1:14,60, it looks like trainer Phil D'Amato has her ready to go. A $400,000 yearling buy by Into Mischief, she could be the real deal.

10) SHAHAMA (Munnings–Private Feeling, by Belong to Me) 'TDN Rising Star' O-KHK Racing; B-SF Bloodstock LLC (KY); T-Fawzi Abdulla Nass/Todd Pletcher. Sales History: $425,000 2yo '21 OBSAPR. Lifetime Record: GSW-UAE, $223,670. Last Start: 1st G3 UAE Oaks. Next Start: TBA. KY Oaks Points: 50.

The news broke Saturday that 'TDN Rising Star' Shahama (Munnings) was being transferred to the Todd Pletcher barn with an eye on making the Kentucky Oaks. A half-sister to two-time Eclipse Award winner Lookin At Lucky (Smart Strike) and to MGSW Kensei (Mr. Greeley), she is 4-for-4 with her most recent win coming in the GIII UAE Oaks at Meydan on Feb. 18. She's never run anywhere but Dubai, so it's hard to tell how her form will transfer to U.S. racing, but she has been impressive in her wins. An interesting new face on the trail to the Kentucky Oaks.

The post TDN Kentucky Oaks Top 10 for Mar. 3 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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The seven-furlong, Grade 3 Swale was the first graded stakes of the day with Saez in the irons for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher on My Prankster. Off as the even-money favorite in the field of six and breaking from the rail, My Prankster raced near the back of the field. On the backside, Saez angled My Prankster to the outside and challenged the leaders at the top stretch. My Prankster gained command from Dean Delivers down the lane and posted a one-half length win in 1:23.13.

“He got a good break today,” said Saez. “We knew they had a lot of speed in the race so the plan was to get him in the clear and go from there…he always tries, he tried pretty hard today and he got the job done so it was a good race for him.”

Riding for trainer Brad Cox, Saez was aboard Louisiana invader Girl With a Dream in the filly counterpart to the Swale, the G3 Forward Gal. Breaking from post position six in the field of seven, Saez and Girl With a Dream lead throughout the seven furlongs while holding off the favorite Radio Days to post a one-length victory in 1:23.42.

“She broke from there pretty sharp,” said Saez. “She went and she was pretty comfortable all the way. We came to the top of the stretch and I felt like I had a lot of horse. She kept battling, and she beat them. I felt like every step, when the other filly (Radio Days) came close, she responded more.”

Trainer Roderick Rodriguez gave a leg up to Saez on Opelina in the G3 Sweetest Chant at one mile and one-sixteenth on the turf. Off as the co-second choice in the field of nine, Saez and Opelina settled in fourth. Leaving the backstretch, Saez gave Opelina her cue swinging three wide to quickly pass the leaders and holding on to win by three-quarters of a length in 1:41.56.

“When she took the lead in the stretch, she kind of waited for the other ones, but when she got on the left (lead) she gave me another gear,” said Saez.

Saez's weekly statistics were 43-7-9-7 with total purse earnings of $396,620.

Other nominees for Jockey of the Week were Jose L. Ortiz with two graded stakes wins at Aqueduct, Flavien Prat with a stakes win at Santa Anita, Jaime Rodriguez who tied for number of wins for the week with nine and Tim Thornton who also posted nine wins for the week.

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One week after the Cox-trained Knicks Go was denied a repeat victory by Life Is Good in the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) at Gulfstream, Girl With a Dream led throughout the seven furlongs of the $100,000 Forward Gal (G3) to notch her first graded-stakes success by a length.

“There just aren't a lot of graded stakes opportunities where we run, at Fair Grounds and Oaklawn, so we had targeted this race after her last start. She was doing good and came out of her last race strong, so we shipped her over Tuesday,” Cox said from Fair Grounds. “We thought we'd let her do her thing and go to the front and try and make them catch us and it worked out great.”

The Forward Gal was among five graded stakes for 3-year-olds on Saturday's program that was headlined by the $250,000 Holy Bull (G3), the first graded stakes on the Road to the Curlin Florida Derby (G1).

Girl With a Dream ($12.80) went right to the lead under Luis Saez to show the way along the backstretch as favored Radio Days dropped well off the pace. The Cox trainee set fractions of 22.85 and 45.73 seconds for the first half mile with graded stakes-placed Diamond Wow in close pursuit entering the turn into the homestretch. Radio Days launched a wide sweep into contention entering the stretch but was unable to catch the loose-on-the-lead daughter of Practical Joke.

“She broke from there pretty sharp. She went and she was pretty comfortable all the way,” Saez said. “We came to the top of the stretch and I felt like I had a lot of horse. She kept battling, and she beat them. She felt pretty big in front. I felt like every step when the other filly came close to her, she responded more. I was pretty happy to be on top of her.”

Girl With a Dream ran seven furlongs in 1:23.42. Radio Days, who entered the Forward Gal 2-for-2, finished second under Dylan Davis, 6 ¼ lengths ahead of Last Leaf and jockey Miguel Vasquez.

Girl With a Dream won her debut at Ellis Park in July before finishing far back in the Spinaway at Saratoga in September. The Kentucky-bred filly rebounded to finish second at Keeneland next time out before winning her last two starts of 2021 at Churchill Downs and Fair Grounds.

“She was really impressive in her Ellis win and I liked her in the Spinaway but she was inside and she didn't get away great and then didn't run her race,” Cox said.

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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 Days, who was making her first start since a runaway optional claiming victory at Aqueduct Dec. 2, safe by a length for a career high.

A runaway debut winner at Ellis last summer, Girl With a Dream wasn't quite ready for the big leagues yet, and reported home a distant eighth after a troubled trip in Saratoga's GI Spinaway S. Second in an optional claimer at Keeneland Oct. 21, she's been perfect in three subsequent starts, including a front-running score in the Letellier Memorial S. last time at Fair Grounds Dec. 27.

“There just aren't a lot of graded stakes opportunities where we run, at Fair Grounds and Oaklawn, so we had targeted this race after her last start,” trainer Brad Cox said. “She was doing good and came out of her last race strong, so we shipped her over Tuesday. We thought we'd let her do her thing and go to the front and try and make them catch us and it worked out great.”

Winning owners Jim Bakke and Gerald Isbister also campaign unbeaten 'TDN Rising Star' Jack Christopher (Munnings) in partnership.

Pedigree Notes:

Girl With a Dream became the second graded winner for Coolmore America sire Practical Joke, who has been firing on all cylinders with his initial crop and ranks second only to sensation Gun Runner on the first-crop sire list. Practical Joke has also sired last year's GSW and MGISP Wit, as well as four other black-type winners. Girl With a Dream is also in on the ground floor with her damsire, Corinthian, as she's just the seventh stakes winner out of one of the Pulpit stallion's daughters.

A $115,000 Keeneland September purchase, Girl With a Dream is out of a half-sister to MGSW & MGISP Mr. Commons (Artie Schiller). Machmer Hall and D + J Racing Stable bred Girl With a Dream out of Machmer Hall's 2016 Keeneland November broodmare purchase Henley ($31,000). The mare has a 2-year-old filly by Twirling Candy and was bred back to a Twirling Candy son, the Machmer Hall-bred Gift Box, for this spring. Like last week's GI Pegasus World Cup winner Life Is Good, who is by Practical Joke's sire Into Mischief, Henley traces directly to French and American blue hen Frizette (Hamburg), her 10th dam.

Saturday, Gulfstream Park
FORWARD GAL S.-GIII, $100,000, Gulfstream, 2-5, 3yo, f, 7f, 1:23.42, ft.
1–GIRL WITH A DREAM, 120, f, 3, by Practical Joke
                1st Dam: Henley, by Corinthian
                2nd Dam: Joustabout, by Apalachee
                3rd Dam: Fleetside Review, by Quadratic
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($115,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP).
O-Bakke, Jim and Isbister, Gerald; B-Machmer Hall & D + J
Racing Stable LLC (KY); T-Brad H. Cox; J-Luis Saez. $60,760.
Lifetime Record: 6-4-1-0, $231,480. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click
for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Radio Days, 120, f, 3, Gun Runner–Remembered, by Sky
Mesa. 'TDN Rising Star' 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK
TYPE. ($750,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP). O-Allen Stable, Inc.; B-Hinkle
Farms (KY); T-Claude R. McGaughey III. $19,600.
3–Last Leaf, 120, f, 3, Not This Time–My Miss Kallie, by Paddy
O'Prado. 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ($7,000 Wlg '19 KEENOV;
$10,000 Ylg '20 OBSWIN; $23,500 Ylg '20 OBSOCT). O-Monarch
Stables, Inc.; B-Khalid Mishref Alkahtani (KY); T-Ronald B.
Spatz. $9,800.
Margins: 1, 6 1/4, 3/4. Odds: 5.40, 0.60, 60.10.
Also Ran: Diamond Wow, Greatitude, She's So Beautiful, Disco Ebo. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Girl With a Dream graduated by 6 3/4 lengths in her five-furlong bow at Ellis Park July 24. A well-beaten eighth after a troubled trip in the Sept. 5 GI Spinaway S., she was second in a Keeneland optional claimer Oct. 21 before winning a six-furlong Churchill allowance last time out Nov. 13.

Henley, a half-sister to multiple graded stakes winner and multiple Grade I placed Mr. Commons (Artie Schiller), produced a filly by Twirling Candy last year and was bred to Gift Box for 2022. Her yearling filly sold for $110,000 at this year's Keeneland September sale. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

LETELLIER MEMORIAL S., $75,000, Fair Grounds, 12-27, 2yo, f, 6f, 1:10.84, ft.
1–GIRL WITH A DREAM, 122, f, 2, by Practical Joke
                1st Dam: Henley, by Corinthian
                2nd Dam: Joustabout, by Apalachee
                3rd Dam: Fleetside Review, by Quadratic
($115,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP). 1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. O-Jim Bakke
& Gerald Isbister; B-Machmer Hall & D + J Racing Stable LLC
(KY); T-Brad H. Cox; J-Florent Geroux. $47,250. Lifetime
Record: 5-3-1-0, $170,720. *Fifth stakes winner for freshman
sire (by Into Mischief).
2–Com' On Sweet Luv, 118, f, 2, Jimmy Creed–Like a Charm, by
Quality Road. 1ST BLACK TYPE. O-James Paliafito, JoAnn
Adams & Anna Marie Carrico; B-James Paliafito (KY); T-Brad H.
Cox. $15,000.
3–Mystique Saboteur, 116, f, 2, Gun Runner–Jemima's Pearl,
by Distorted Humor. ($50,000 Ylg '20 KEEJAN; $27,000 RNA Ylg
'20 KEESEP). 1ST BLACK TYPE. O-Rebel Thoroughbreds, LLC;
B-Gulf Coast Stables LLC (LA); T-Steve Margolis. $7,500.
Margins: 1, 6, 3/4. Odds: 0.70, 2.00, 17.70.
Also Ran: Implosion, Runnin Happy, Red Hot Moon, Julesforyou. Scratched: Microbiome.

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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., which could be a springboard to the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile. Bakke is also the owner of Girl With a Dream (Practical Joke). She broke her maiden impressively on July 24 at Ellis Park and will make her next start in Sunday's GI Spinaway S. for trainer Brad Cox. The hope is that she will earn her way to the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies.

Jack Christopher earned a 92 Beyer figure, just one point less than the leader among 2-year-olds, Big City Lights (Mr. Big).

Bakke is the president and CEO of Sub-Zero, a luxury refrigeration company based in Madison, Wisconsin that has been in the Bakke family since 1945. A longtime racing fan who attended many a running of the GI Kentucky Derby, he decided to get involved in ownership in the late nineties, but did so on a small scale.

“I started out really small with my brother-in-law, Fred Schwartz,” Bakke explained. “He's the one who introduced me to ownership back then. We had been going to the Derby forever and then we decided to buy some horses about 1998, 1999. We were buying just one or two a year, very modest horses. They were all claimers.”

Bakke enjoyed his first taste of real success when Mr Freeze (To Honor and Serve) came around in 2018. Trained by Dale Romans, he earned $1,595,000 and won the 2018 GIII West Virginia Derby, the GIII 2019 Ack Ack S., the 2020 GII Gulfstream Park Mile S. and the 2020 Hagyard Fayette S. He was also second in the 2020 GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational.

Mr. Freeze, a $75,000 Keeneland September purchase, was part of a plan. Bakke was ready to spend a bit more on horses, building up quantity and quality. Mr Freeze is also co-owned by Isbsiter, who is a distributor for Sub-Zero.

“This has been about my love of the game,” he said. “I was hoping to have a little more luck and the way you do that in horse racing is to increase your numbers, the amount of horses you buy every year and who you have buying them for you.”

Bloodstock advisor Bradley Weisbord signed on to work for Bakke and was told to go find more horses like Mr Freeze.

“I have picked really great partners,” said Bakke, whose stable at this time of year usually numbers from 10 to 12. “Chad Brown is the trainer of Jack Christopher and Bradley Weisbord and his team did a tremendous job finding Jack Christopher.”

Bakke said he offers little, if any, input on picking out the horses, but there is a budget. Liz Crow chose Jack Christopher for $135,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall yearling sale, and Girl With a Dream for $115,000 at Keeneland September. That's his price range.

“Potentially, I could buy more expensive horses,” he said. “Over the years, I have bought a few in the 300 to 350 range. But when those horses don't turn out so well, it hurts. Buying them where I'm at right now, if they don't work out we can reload and try again. I have had tremendous luck buying horses in that price range, starting with Mr. Freeze, who I got for $75,000. If you employ people who know what they are looking for and are good at it, I think you can buy a little bit down market and be successful. Let's face it, you need a lot of luck in this game. And even if you do have a successful horse, keeping them sound is another issue. They are so fragile. When you start buying in those upper-price ranges and if your horse doesn't do well or does well and gets hurt, that's just a big bite out of you.”

Bakke is so hands off that he never once spoke to Brown prior to Jack Christopher's debut.

“I think they also appreciate that I don't micro-manage things,” he said. “I don't call them up and ask them how a horse is doing even on a weekly basis. I might call them before a big race or every once in a while. But I don't keep track of the horses on a daily basis. I still have my job back in Madison, so I've got plenty to do on a daily basis.”

Yet, he knew the colt had potential.

“With Jack Christopher, I think Chad was going to wait for the horse to run and let Jack Christopher do the talking,” he said. “I knew he was enthused about the horse because I was getting positive reports.”
While he is optimistic about Jack Christopher's future, Bakke says he tries not to get too carried away with his young horses. With Jack Christopher and Girl With a Dream, that may be hard to do.

“It's great to have these kind of quality 2-year-olds,” he said. “Once in a while, I've hit on a few, but probably nothing like this. Both of them will be running in Grade I's over the next 30 days. We'll see where it goes. It's been a great ride and I'm looking forward to the ride continuing in the future.”

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