Practical Joke Colt Romanesque Leads Baffert 1-2 at Del Mar

[Wandering Eyes]

2nd-Del Mar, $54,500, Msw, 11-23, 2yo, 6 1/2f, 1:15.91, ft, 2 1/4 lengths.
ROMANESQUE (c, 2, Practical Joke–Mony'slittlegracie, by Alphabet Soup) was the slightly better-fancied half of an uncoupled Bob Baffert-trained entry at 5-2, raced in lockstep with Rodriguez (Authentic) for most of the final half-mile of Saturday's second race at Del Mar and finally gained the upper hand inside the final 100 yards to graduate at first asking. Off perhaps a half-step slowly from the inside gate while Rodriguez clearly won the break, the $60,000 Keeneland November weanling turned $435,000 Keeneland September yearling was ridden along by Juan Hernandez and made up ground at the fence to be more or less on even terms as they approached the entrance to the turn. The duo put a handful of lengths on their rivals nearing the stretch and eyeballed one another past the eighth pole, but the Pennsylvania-bred Romanesque did the better of the two at the fence to prevail by 2 1/4 lengths. Breeder Elizabeth Barr purchased the winner's dam, a full-sister to Wonder Where Stakes heroine Hot Talent, for $12,000 in foal to Goldencents at the 2020 Keeneland November Sale. She elected to retain the mare with this colt in utero when bidding stalled out at $34,000 at KEENOV the following fall and sold her on for $1,500 in foal to Echo Town at KEENOV in 2022. Mony'slittlegracie is the dam of the yearling filly Dakota's Lil Auror, the weanling filly Grace On Tap (Magic On Tap) and is due to Verifying for 2025. Sales history: $60,000 Wlg '22 KEENOV; $435,000 Ylg '23 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $32,400. Click for the Equibase.com chart and VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
O-SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Stonestreet Stables LLC, Dianne Bashor, Determined Stables, Robert E Masterson, Tom J Ryan, Waves Edge Capital LLC & Catherine Donovan; B-Elizabeth B Barr (PA); T-Bob Baffert.

 

The two Bob Baffert trained debuting 2-year-olds battled the whole stretch until #1 ROMANESQUE ($7) pulled away from #6 Rodriguez to win race 2 at Del Mar. The son of Practical Joke was ridden by @JJHernandezS19.

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