At a 4 1/2-furlong distance, there was not a lot of ground to make up from a poor start. However, that did not faze Gurney Halleck as he made a sustained rally to nail the leaders by a half-length in the $75,800 Henry Mercer Memorial Stakes at Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races Sept. 20.
The win was a monumental one for the 2-year-old colt's sire, Practical Joke , who tallied his 50th black-type stakes winner. The son of Into Mischief stood the 2025 season at Coolmore's Ashford Stud for $100,000.
Ridden by Arnaldo Bocachica, the colt bred in West Virginia by O'Sullivan Farms and Javier Contreras completed the distance in :52.42 and paid $6.00 to win as the favorite. Trained by Jeff Runco for owner David Raim, Gurney Halleck broke his maiden with the win after debuting with a runner-up finish to Chuck Town at the same track and distance Sept. 6. He flipped the tables Saturday as Chuck Town finished second.
A three-time grade 1 winner on the racetrack, Practical Joke has passed his speed and talent to his offspring around the world. Having sired five grade 1 winners in North America, including recent Natalma Stakes (G1T) winner Corsia Veloce, Practical Joke has also sired seven South American group 1 winners, all bred in Chile. One of those, Richi, is a two-time graded stakes winner and two-time grade 1-placed in the United States.
