Classic Joke breaking his maiden at Pimlico Race Course. (Jim McCue/MJC)
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David Joseph/Maryland Jockey Club
LAUREL, Md.— LBR Racing Stable, Sterling Road Stables and Rashid’s Thoroughbred Racing’s Classic Joke, who ended and began his two racing seasons with front-running victories, looks to rediscover his winning form in Saturday’s $125,000 Federico Tesio at Laurel Park.
For the ninth straight year, the 1 1/8-mile Tesio is a ‘Win and In’ qualifier for Triple Crown-nominated 3-year-olds to the 149th Preakness Stakes (G1), Midde Jewel of the Triple Crown, to be run May 18 at historic Pimlico Race Course.
Classic Joke, based at Laurel with trainer Richard Sillaman, debuted last summer on the Laurel turf, finishing a troubled fourth, and graduated by 2 ¼ lengths two starts later in a six-furlong maiden special weight at Pimlico to cap his juvenile campaign.
The gray or roan son of Practical Joke spent the winter with Sillaman’s string at Tampa Bay Downs, where he set blazing fractions and held on for a three-quarter-length optional claiming allowance triumph March 8.
Classic Joke wheels back in the Tesio just two weeks after running ninth of 10 from Post 3 in the seven-furlong Bay Shore at Aqueduct, his stakes debut,under jockey Daniel Centeno, who is also Sillaman’s son-in-law.
“Danny wrapped up on him. He didn’t persist with him when he couldn’t get a hold of the ground. He was struggling a little bit,” Sillaman said. “That, and the post position killed him and the speed on the outside pushed him. We were trying to take back a little bit, but he couldn’t get him back. It was not a good race, so we’ll try again. He’s doing fine.”
Sillaman has been pleased with Classic Joke’s progression from 2 to 3, going nearly six months between starts before his comeback last month. He was purchased last spring for $60,000 during Fasig-Tipton’s Midlantic 2-year-olds in training auction that follows the Preakness at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium.
“The winter went as well as we could have anticipated,” Sillaman said. “He’s a really, really nice horse. We just waited and took him down there to train him. We didn’t want to have to interrupt his training over the winter. I’ve been down there the last three years, and it’s a great surface to train a horse on.”
Among the horses Classic Joke beat in his maiden triumph were runner-up Regalo, who came back to win his next two starts, and Inveigled, who has run second by a neck to Copper Tax in a pair of Laurel stakes, most recently the 1 1/16-mile Private Terms March 23. In Tampa Classic Joke beat Catalytic, who came back to run second in the Florida Derby (G1) and is being pointed to the Kentucky Derby (G1).
Both Copper Tax and Inveigled return in the Tesio, which will mark the two-turn debut for Classic Joke, one of nine Triple Crown-nominated horses entered. Centeno returns to ride from Post 5.
“Every time he’s run, he’s run against good horses, every single race. You can’t avoid them at this level,” Sillaman said. “I think he can get the distance. Danny assured me he can get him to relax, and that’s the main thing. The post position is a little better this time, so we’re going to try and lay off the pace a little bit if we can and try and get there. It’s a big ask, but this time of year you have to ask them.”
