Seventh Straight Win for Skelly in King Cotton

It was a seventh straight victory and fourth stakes win for Skelly (5g Practical Joke x Adande, by Bwana Charlie) on Saturday when the Steve Asmussen trainee led home a Practical Joke exacta in the King Cotton Stakes.

Racing over six furlongs on the dirt, Skelly went straight to the lead in the race and dueled early on. That early rival backed off and Skelly raced to a small advantage and was able to ease off around the turn. Ricardo Santana Jr. put his mount back under pressure in the stretch with Skelly pulling away to win by 3 ¼ lengths over Practical Joke’s Tejano Twist.

Owned by Red Lane Thoroughbreds, the gelding was a $250,000 yearling purchase for his racing owners with his earnings now sitting at $875,163 in his 12 starts.

Bred by H. Allen Poindexter, Skelly is out of a half-sister to multiple graded stakes winner Isotherm and Grade III winner and Grade I placed Giant Game in addition to Grade I-placed Gio Game.

Skelly’s dam is also a half-sister to the dam of stakes winner The Wine Steward with five stakes performers under Skelly’s multiple stakes placed second dam Game For More.

Practical Joke’s runners have won three stakes in 2024 – just one less than his sire Into Mischief - with six stakes performers overall this year.