Breeding for speed? Data show Practical Joke delivers
Practical Joke, a Grade 1-winning son of Into Mischief, has emerged as a successful young stallion with multiple stakes winners and strong overall statistics from his early crops. Standing at Coolmore America in Kentucky, the stallion's stud fee is $100,000 for the 2025 breeding season, a big jump from his $45,000 fee from 2024, reflecting the big jump in top-level performers he has produced.
During his racing career, Practical Joke captured two Grade 1 stakes as a 2-year-old, the Hopeful and Champagne, before finishing third to Classic Empire and future leading sire Not This Time in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile. He returned at 3 to contest the Kentucky Derby trail but came up short, finally finding his niche in the H. Allen Jerkens (G1) at seven furlongs.
With 5,494 starts and over $46 million in progeny earnings as of Monday, Practical Joke has sired 17 graded-stakes winners, including Santa Anita Derby (G1) winner Practical Move and several other accomplished runners. His offspring show a solid 15.2% overall win rate with an average Horse Racing Nation speed figure of 87 across all surfaces and distances.
Surface analysis: Dirt dominance
Practical Joke's progeny demonstrate clear superiority on dirt surfaces, though they remain competitive across all racing surfaces. The dirt preference is evident in win percentage and earnings per start, with synthetic surfaces showing respectable results as well.
| Surface | Sts | W | W% | Avg HRN | $/start |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dirt | 3,966 | 672 | 16.9% | 89 | $9,506 |
| Synthetic | 543 | 71 | 13.1% | 87 | $5,252 |
| Turf | 985 | 93 | 9.4% | 82 | $5,872 |
| Overall | 5,494 | 836 | 15.2% | 87 | $8,434 |
The statistics reveal that Practical Joke's offspring excel on dirt with a 16.9% win rate and the highest HRN speed figures at 89. While turf performance drops to 9.4%, the runners still maintain competitive speed figures and reasonable earnings, suggesting some turf ability within the sire line. Four of his five Grade 1 winners are on dirt, with the exception being Corsia Veloce (G1), who won the Natalma on the synthetic at Woodbine last month.
Distance preferences: Sprint specialization
Practical Joke's offspring show a clear preference for sprint distances, winning at a significantly higher rate than in route races.
| Distance | Sts | W | W% | Avg HRN | $/start |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sprint | 3,816 | 644 | 16.9% | 88 | $8,734 |
| Route | 1,678 | 192 | 11.4% | 87 | $7,752 |
The sprint advantage is pronounced, with nearly a 6 percentage point higher win rate. Sprint runners also generate higher earnings per start and slightly better speed figures, indicating that Practical Joke consistently passes sprint speed to his progeny.
Noteworthy sprinters by Practical Joke include Domestic Product, winner of the H Allen Jerkens, Tejano Twist, winner of the Whitmore (G3) at Oaklawn Park, Skelly, winner of the Count Fleet (G3) at Oaklawn, and the filly Ways and Means, Grade 1 Test winner and a leading contender for the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint for 2025.
Surface and distance combinations
Looking at performance by both surface and distance reveals more specific patterns in the offspring of Practical Joke.
| Surface/distance | Starts | W | W% | Avg HRN | $/start |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dirt sprint | 3,030 | 551 | 18.2% | 89 | $9,322 |
| Dirt route | 936 | 121 | 12.9% | 87 | $10,101 |
| Synth sprint | 330 | 50 | 15.2% | 87 | $6,099 |
| Synth route | 213 | 21 | 9.9% | 87 | $3,938 |
| Turf sprint | 456 | 43 | 9.4% | 77 | $6,730 |
| Turf route | 529 | 50 | 9.5% | 87 | $5,132 |
Dirt sprints represent the clear strength with an 18.2% win rate, significantly higher than all other categories. Synthetic sprints also show solid performance at 15.2%, while turf performance remains consistent between sprints and routes at approximately 9.4-9.5%. Practical Joke's top turf performer is Wit, a Grade 3 winner on dirt who is Grade 1-placed on the turf. Coringa, a 4-year-old Maryland-bred colt, added to his sire's turf-route stats Saturday with a win in the Maryland Million Turf at 1 1/8 miles.
Detailed distance analysis
Examining specific distance ranges provides further insight into where Practical Joke's offspring perform most effectively.
| Distance range | Starts | W | W% | Avg HRN | $/start |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Less than 6F | 1,059 | 173 | 16.3% | 78 | $6,032 |
| 6F to 6.5F | 2,230 | 382 | 17.1% | 91 | $9,398 |
| 6.51F to 8F | 1,375 | 185 | 13.5% | 89 | $8,692 |
| 8.01F to 9F | 808 | 93 | 11.5% | 87 | $8,363 |
| Greater than 9F | 22 | 3 | 13.6% | 93 | $12,762 |
The sweet spot appears to be the traditional six- to 6 1/2-furlong range, where Practical Joke's offspring win at 17.1% with their highest speed figures of 91. Performance remains solid through middle distances, while the limited sample size beyond nine furlongs shows promising but inconclusive results. Practical Joke's five Grade 1 winners range from seven furlongs to 1 1/8 miles, with two coming at one mile.
Gender analysis: Slight male advantage
Practical Joke shows relatively balanced ability to sire winners of both sexes, with males holding a slight advantage across most metrics.
| Gender | Starts | W | W% | Avg HRN | $/start |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | 2,997 | 463 | 15.4% | 92 | $8,721 |
| Female | 2,497 | 373 | 14.9% | 82 | $8,090 |
While win percentages are similar, males generate notably higher HRN speed figures and earnings per start. The 10-point speed figure differential suggests male offspring may compete at slightly higher levels on average. He has sired one champion, Canada's 2024 2-year-old Sovereign award winner He's Not Joking. Though his overall stats lean toward males, three of his five Grade 1 winners are fillies. For Breeders' Cup 2025, two of his daughters are live in their respective races, Chilean-bred Richi in the Distaff and Ways and Means in the Filly and Mare Sprint.
Wet-track performance
Practical Joke's offspring handle wet conditions well, maintaining competitive statistics across different surfaces when tracks are off.
| Surface/Condition | Starts | W | W% | Avg HRN | $/start |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dirt sprint wet | 506 | 87 | 17.2% | 92 | $10,193 |
| Dirt route wet | 193 | 26 | 13.5% | 86 | $11,033 |
| Turf sprint wet | 49 | 4 | 8.2% | 75 | $4,749 |
| Turf route wet | 62 | 6 | 9.7% | 83 | $4,259 |
Performance on wet tracks closely mirrors dry conditions, with dirt sprint wet showing slightly higher earnings per start than the overall dirt sprint average. This consistency suggests Practical Joke's offspring adapt well to varying track conditions.
Development pattern
Practical Joke's offspring show typical development patterns through their early racing experiences, with gradual improvement in some areas.
| Experience | Starts | W | W% | Avg HRN | $/start |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First start | 483 | 72 | 14.9% | 74 | $8,278 |
| Second start | 436 | 65 | 14.9% | 80 | $10,074 |
| Third start | 403 | 49 | 12.2% | 81 | $10,393 |
Although win percentages remain relatively stable through the first three starts, both speed figures and earnings per start increase with experience. The progression from 74 to 81 in average HRN figures suggests these runners benefit from racing experience.
Age comparison
Practical Joke's offspring maintain competitive performance across different age groups, with some interesting variations in their development.
| Age | Starts | W | W% | Avg HRN | $/start |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 934 | 138 | 14.8% | 73 | $10,991 |
| 3 | 2,687 | 419 | 15.6% | 83 | $8,605 |
| 4 | 1,811 | 284 | 15.7% | 89 | $7,053 |
| 5+ | 1,541 | 220 | 14.3% | 93 | $7,331 |
The data show steady improvement in speed figures as horses mature, with 5-year-olds and older averaging 93. While 2-year-olds earn the most per start, this likely reflects the higher purse structures in juvenile stakes races. Win percentages peak at ages 3 and 4. Six-year-olds Money Supply, Skelly and Awesome Aaron continue to perform at the stakes level.
Stakes success across the board
Practical Joke has produced the winners of 27 graded stakes, led by Practical Move's victories in the Santa Anita Derby. Other notable achievers include Ways and Means, who captured the Test Stakes and Bed o' Roses Stakes, and multiple graded-stakes winner Domestic Product. The stallion's first crop produced the winners of 12 graded stakes alone, establishing his credentials early in his stud career.
When it comes to the American classic races, Practical Joke's best performer on the Derby trail was Practical Move. Trained by Tim Yakteen, Practical Move won the Los Alamitos Futurity (G2), San Felipe (G2) and Santa Anita Derby in 2023 and was entered in the Kentucky Derby before a fever took him out days before the race. In 2024, Domestic Product won the Tampa Bay Derby (G3) before a 13th-place finish at Churchill Downs. This year, Practical Joke was represented on the Derby trail by Captain Cook, winner of the Withers.
Current stars such as Richi continue to add to his resume, having won multiple graded stakes including the Las Flores (G3) and Santa Maria (G2). Juvenile performers such as Corsia Veloce, Joke Maker and Mayweather assure he'll be well represented in the future. And if there is ever a question as you study the PPs on a random day, a Practical Joke on dirt going a sprint distance is a good bet.