Practical Joke’s Wit Wins Better Talk Now

Practical Joke’s dirt Grade III winner and Grade I-placed Wit (3c Practical Joke x Numero d’Oro, by Medaglia d’Oro) showed his surface versatility at Saratoga with a win in Sunday’s Better Talk Now on the turf.

Making his second turf start after finishing second in the Grade II National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame Stakes earlier this month, Wit was confidently handled throughout the one mile Better Talk Now by Jose Ortiz. Kept in third well behind the pacesetter, who opened up nearly 10 lengths on the field, Wit started to make his move entering the turf and had collared the leader by the time they hit the stretch.

Obviously comfortable on the grass, Wit pulled away once he had the lead to win by 2 ¾ lengths with the third placed runner 6 ¼ lengths back. It was the fourth win in eight starts for the Repole Stable, St. Elias Stable, and Gainesway Stable representative, who has scored three stakes victories in his career for $500,250 in earnings.

“We feel like he kind of sprung to life when we put him on the turf, and I think for right now we’ll probably keep him on it. It was really just about kind of looking for an opportunity and when we worked him on it, it was obvious that he took to it,” trainer Todd Pletcher said.

Racing exclusively in stakes company since breaking his maiden on debut, Wit has also placed in the Grade I Hopeful Stakes and Grade I Champagne Stakes as well as the National Museum Hall of Fame Stakes.

A $575,000 Keeneland September yearling, Wit was sold by his breeder Rosilyn Polan out of Numero d’Oro.

He is one of two graded stakes winners for his dam alongside Munnings’ Grade III winner Barkley and is a grandson of multiple stakes winner Numero Uno, who has also produced a stakes performer.

It was a big weekend for Practical Joke, who also had a Grade I trifecta in Chile on the dirt.