$750,000 Practical Joke Filly Tops OBS March

It was an outstanding second session of the OBS March Sales of Two-Year-Olds In Training Sale for Practical Joke on Wednesday when his filly out of Valiant Emilia topped the sale at $750,000.

Selling for $150,000 more than the next highest price – a $600,000 American Pharoah filly – 19 Valiant Emilia was sold from Top Line Sales to Hideyuki Mori.

The filly is the third foal out of Peruvian champion Valiant Emilia, whose first to race is already a winner. A strong family that also includes Grade I winner Emilia’s Moon, Grade III winner Thundering Emilia, and Grade II-placed I Am Spying, it was given a big update a week and a half before the sale when Thundering Emilia’s son Helium earned a spot in the Grade I Kentucky Derby with a win in the Grade II Tampa Bay Derby.

Breezing in :9.4 last week, the Teneri Farm-bred filly had already been in demand once before when selling for $120,000 at last year’s Keeneland September Sale to Down The Stretch from Taylor Made Sales Agency.

“Nothing fazes this filly," Top Line’s Torie Gladwell told Blood-Horse. "She is so level-headed and calm. She gives it everything she has all the time, and we have been high on Practical Joke all winter. Japanese buyers have done very well with a lot of our graduates in the past. They buy one or two from us every year. We're so happy for everyone."

Practical Joke had a strong sale overall with his other 2-year-olds selling for $210,000, $200,000, $190,000, and $130,000.

In all, the triple Grade I winner’s five to sell from seven through the ring averaged $296,000 with a median of $200,000.