Practical Joke Gelding Wins Third Straight in G3 Count Fleet

Skelly (4g Practical Joke x Adande, by Bwana Charlie) won his third straight race and first stakes on Saturday with a victory in the Grade III Count Fleet Sprint.

Making his stakes debut, Skelly was first out of the gate in the six furlong dirt race and controlled the race from there. Keeping at least a length between himself and the rest of the field, he was bottled up by Ricardo Santana Jr until they hit the stretch. Santana Jr looked confident at that point and for good reason with multiple lengths still between him and the rest of the field.

In the end, Skelly crossed the line 2 ¼ lengths ahead with Practical Joke’s other Grade III winning son Tejano Twist finishing third.

Trained by Steve Asmussen for Red Lane Thoroughbreds, Skelly has finished first or second in seven of eight starts for $549,400 in earnings. The Allen Poindexter-bred was a $250,000 Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearlings Showcase purchase by his racing owner from Wynnstay Sales.

Skelly is out of an unraced half-sister to multiple graded stakes winner and Grade I placed Isotherm, and Grade I placed Giant Game and Gio Game.

Practical Joke’s five Northern Hemisphere-foaled stakes winners, four graded stakes winners, and winners in 2023 leads all third crop sires with his eight stakes performers second among the stallions in his generation. The group is led by Grade I winner and Kentucky Derby hopeful Practical Move.