Awesome Aaron List Topping Stakes Winner for Practical Joke
Two races after his daughter finished second in the Grade III Miss Preakness Stakes, Practical Joke saw son Awesome Aaron (6g Practical Joke x Do The Dance, by Discreet Cat) visit the winner’s circle in the Grade III Pimlico Special.
Coming into this race after a 5 ¾ length romp last out, Awesome Aaron broke well from a midpack gate to race up just behind the top two runners. Jockey John Velazquez was happy to keep him three wide in the 1 3/16-mile race just off the pace.
Velazquez started inching his mount closer as they approached the quarter pole before asking for more in the stretch. There was only one horse in front of him at that point and they engaged in a brief duel late before Awesome Aaron built a three-quarter length margin with the third placed runner 4 ¾ lengths back.
The Turman Racing Stable and AJ Suited Racing Stable representative is trained by Norm Casse and has won six of 34 starts with 9 other top three finishes for $571,263 in earnings.
Bred by Lester Kwok and Dr. Naoya Yoshida, the $130,000 yearling and $350,000 2-year-old purchase is out of the stakes winning Do The Dance. A half-sister to the stakes winning Randonnee, four of the gelding’s first five dams have produced stakes winners.
This is the 10th stakes winner of the year for Practical Joke, giving him 10 stakes winners to tie him with his sire at the top of the General Sires list by stakes winners with his 25 stakes performers putting him second only to Into Mischief.