Girl With a Dream Strikes in Letellier Memorial

Practical Joke ended the year with another stakes winner on Monday when Girl With a Dream (2f Practical Joke x Henley, by Corinthian) led gate-to-wire in the Letellier Memorial Stakes.

Despite a bump at the start of the six furlong race, Girl With a Dream went straight to the front and took pace making duties as another foe tried to apply the pressure. The fight didn’t end with that one fading as another filly took her on outside the quarter pole but Girl With a Dream was determined.

The filly gamely fought around the turn and started pulling away in the stretch to win by a length for Jim Bakke and Gerald Isbister.

Trained by Brad Cox, Girl With a Dream is now the winner of three of her five starts for $170,720 in earnings.

The filly started her life at the farm of co-breeder Machmer Hall, who shares breeder credit with D + J Racing Stable. Machmer Hall Sales was also the consignor of the winner when she was sold to Green Spring Farm for $115,000 at Keeneland September last year.

The fifth stakes winner for Practical Joke, Girl With a Dream is out of a half-sister to multiple graded stakes winner Mr. Commons and multiple stakes winner Jungle Fighter. Henley is the dam of three winners from three to race overall.

Consistently among the top freshman sires this year, Practical Joke sits in the top five in multiple categories as the new year approaches.