Legendary Lore Wins At Churchill Downs For Practical Joke

Practical Joke struck at Churchill Downs on Saturday night when Legendary Lore (2c Practical Joke x Mystic City, by City Zip) won a Maiden Special Weight under the twin spires.

Making his second start, the $210,000 2-year-old purchase broke well in the seven furlong dirt race to run in third as two fought for the lead in front of him.

Rafael Bejarano asked his mount to start running with a little under a quarter to go and the colt unleashed another gear. He confronted the leader as they crossed into the final furlong and with every stride he started to build the margin to win by half a length with the third place finisher four lengths behind the pair.

Trained by William Morey, the colt was purchased by Sandin Syndicate Stable earlier this year at the OBS March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training.

Bred by Woods Edge Farm, who sold the colt as a yearling for $145,000, he is the third winner from three to race out of multiple stakes winner Mystic City.

That mare is out of a half-sister to stakes winner Strausberg and makes her own dam one of three stakes producing mares for stakes-placed Classic Imp. The family includes multiple Grade II winner Nasty Storm and Group III winner and Group I-placed Actress among others.

The sire of two stakes winners and three stakes performers overall, Practical Joke’s 13 winners is second only to stablemate Caravaggio among North American freshmen.