Practical Joke Colts Popular at Fasig-Tipton Saratoga
Practical Joke had two offerings at this year’s Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale and both proved to be popular with buyers when bringing $350,000 each.
The first of those was Hip 9 from Taylor Made Sales Agency, who was snapped up by Love and Linton for Boyd Racing.
Bred by Joseph Engelhart, the colt is a full brother to Practical Joke’s multiple stakes winning Practicallyelusive and a half-brother to the stakes placed Sweet Shild O Mine. In all, their winning dam To Be Determined has four winners from five to race, including Mendelssohn’s winning String Octet.
To Be Determined is an eighth-generation stakes producer with the many successful horses on this colt’s page alone including Grade I winners Monba, Secret Hello, and Plum Pretty.
The second of the day saw Scanlon Training go to the same price for a Paramount Sales-offered colt out of Market Rumor.
Bred by Hazel III and selling for $250,000 as a weanling last November, the colt is the first out of stakes winning Market Rumor. Also Grade 3 placed, Market Rumor is one of three winners from three to race out of two-time winner Taylor Street. That mare is a full sister to Grade III winner and Grade I-placed Thatcher Street with their dam Lenawee producing five winners overall.
Lenawee is one of two stakes producers out of her dam Butterfield. That mare produced three stakes performers of her own in stakes winner Kettle Hill, Grade II-placed Senor Grits, and Grade III-placed Plainview.
A proven top-level sire, Practical Joke’s 11 stakes winners in 2025 put him fifth among all stallions and his 28 stakes performers is second behind only his sire.