9th-Oaklawn, $131,000, Alw (NW1$6MX)/Opt. Clm ($62,500), 4-11, 4yo/up, 6f, 1:09.27, ft, 5 1/4 lengths.
SKELLY (g, 6, Practical Joke–Adande, by Bwana Charlie) ran a hole in the wind–much to the delight of the local crowd–en route to a supremely confident seasonal bow here against outclassed optional claiming rivals.
Leaving the blocks like a rocket and immediately establishing control, Skelly rolled through splits of :21.96 and a half in :44.75 as he built up a sizeable margin entering the homestretch. In a position where the rest would need to produce a miracle to catch him on a 9 1/2-length advantage, the 1-5 favorite coasted home to score easily in a final time of 1:09.27. SW & GSP Run Classic (Runhappy) valiantly held on to second.
Off since finishing 10th in the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint last November, the Steve Asmussen trainee has been first or second in 18 of his 20 lifetime starts. In 2024, he won or placed seven times from eight starts, and had five triple-digit Beyers to show for it including when he was runner-up in the GI Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap at Saratoga July 27. The gelding took his show to the international stage in the G3 Riyadh Dirt Sprint in Saudi Arabia Feb. 24 and ran second to Japan's multiple group winner Remake (Jpn) (Lani). At one point between his 2023 and 2024 campaigns, Skelly had built up a seven-race win streak, which was snapped in that aforementioned heartbreaker at King Abdulaziz Racecourse.
A win was never in doubt for @OaklawnRacing's favorite sprinter #1 SKELLY ($2.40)! The six-year-old gelding by @CoolmoreAmerica's Practical Joke was piloted by @RSantana_Jr for trainer Steve Asmussen. pic.twitter.com/TsHbxbCR0s
— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) April 11, 2025
Skelly is one of two surviving foals for Adande from six covers prior to 2022; three were stillborn and she missed in '22 when visiting City of Light. She has since had better luck with a juvenile filly by Silver State named Adande's Legacy to her credit as well as a yearling colt by Authentic. The dam is a half-sister to GSW & GISP Giant Game (Giant's Causeway) and MGSW & GISP Isotherm (Lohnro {Aus}). One of her half-sisters is the dam of MSW & GISP The Wine Steward (Vino Rosso). Sales history: $250,000 Ylg '20 FTKSEL; $350,000 RNA 2yo '21 FTFMAR. Lifetime Record: MGSW & GISP, GSP-KSA, 20-11-7-0, $1,855,763. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
O-Red Lane Thoroughbreds LLC; B-H. Allen Poindexter (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen.
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