Wit Impressive First Graded Stakes Winner for Practical Joke

Practical Joke's son Wit (2c Practical Joke x Numero d’Oro, by Medaglia d’Oro) put on a show at Saratoga on Saturday when he romped by eight lengths in the Grade III Sanford Stakes.

Trained by Todd Pletcher, Wit broke out of the inside gate and raced in midpack as a longshot shot to the lead. Irad Ortiz Jr. let Wit improve his position around the far turn to make a bid for the lead and it proved to be an easy run from there.

Wit proved he outclassed the field when making up a large margin to race alongside the leaders at the top of the stretch. The colt took over the lead with ease and kept galloping away from the field to see the third place finisher 13 ½ lengths behind him.

Owned by Repole Stable, St. Elias Stable, and Gainesway, the Rosilyn Polan-bred has won his two starts by a combined 14 lengths.

“He probably had to move a little earlier than he wanted just to get to that outside position, and then he flew on by from there. He's a very nice horse. I loved what he did,” said Pletcher’s assistant trainer Tristan Barry.

Wit was a $575,000 Keeneland September purchase for Repole and St. Elias last year and is a half-brother to Munnings’ Grade III winner Barkley with all but one of their dam Numero d’Oro’s five runners winning a race.

A half-sister to stakes-placed Ice Lady, Numero d’Oro is out of multiple stakes winner Numero Uno. That mare is also the granddam of Grade II winner and Grade I-placed Ivy Belle among five stakes performers out of her daughters.

Triple Grade I winner Practical Joke is the first freshman standing in North America to sire a graded stakes winner.