Joking’s stirring stretch run carried the son of Distorted Humor to victory in Saturday’s $350,000 Vosburgh S. (G1) at Belmont Park, his second graded victory and third stakes win overall.
In addition to earning a guaranteed spot in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) Nov. 5 at Santa Anita, Joking became Distorted Humor’s 18th lifetime Grade 1 winner, joining luminaries such as Funny Cide, Drosselmeyer and Regal Ransom.
With the speedy X Y Jet gunning fro the front early on, Joking was near the back of the seven-horse field after a half-mile in a rapid :44.12. Joking began to gather momentum after entering the stretch, and despite being very wide, powered to the front with less than a sixteenth of a mile to run, winning by a length in 1:09.18 for the six furlongs on the muddy surface.
“Super! Super! That’s the word to describe it,” said owner/trainer Charlton Baker on winning his first Grade One. “We’re definitely going to go on the Breeders’ Cup from here. I felt great when they went :21 for the quarter. It’s been an unbelievable year. Saratoga was huge and before that, Belmont was also huge. Winning a Grade Two here and coming back to win a Grade One and having a chance to win one more has been great.”
Seven-year-old Joking, winner of this year’s True North S. (G2), also at Belmont, has been remarkably consistent in his career, going 10-8-8 in 39 starts and earning $846,138.
Pedigree Notes from TDN
Joking’s stakes-winning dam Spun Silk is a half-sister to MGSW and MGISP sprinter and WinStar stallion Fed Biz. This is also the family of English and Irish Highweight Minardi; GSW and GISP sire Tale of the Cat; and European and American champion Johannesburg.
