Skelly Adds Another Stakes Victory to Win Streak

It was a second stakes winner of the weekend for Practical Joke when Skelly (4g Practical Joke x Adande, by Bwana Charlie) romped home in the Lake Hamilton Stakes for his fourth straight victory.

Breaking out of the gate on top in the six-furlong dirt race, Skelly kept an easy lead throughout the early running as he relaxed under Ricardo Santana Jr. That jockey looked confident coming into the turn and a glance back let everyone know he had plenty of horse left .

Skelly had to battle a bit at the top of the stretch but once he did, he pulled away. Santana Jr didn’t let him slack off during that run with the favorite pulling away to a three-length victory.

Trained by Steve Asmussen for Red Lane Thoroughbreds, Skelly has won his last four starts with the 4-year-old finishing first or second in all but one of his starts.

A $250,000 Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearlings Showcase purchase by his racing owner from the Wynnstay Sales consignment, Skelly was bred by H. Allen Poindexter.

The Practical Joke son is out of a half-sister to multiple graded stakes winner and Grade I-placed Isotherm and Grade I-placed Giant Game and Gio Game. Each of the gelding’s first five dams have either been stakes performers or stakes producers.

Practical Joke’s five stakes winners and four graded stakes winners is best among all third crop sires this year, as is his 51 winners. He is also one of only two fourth crop sires to have a Grade I winner this year with the other being his studmate Classic Empire.