Practical Dream shows solid form in Desi Arnaz upset

DEL MAR, Calif. – One year after their Santa Anita Derby-winning colt died from a heart attack, the trainer and owner of Practical Move are back in the picture with a stakes-winning 2-year-old filly also sired by Practical Joke.

Practical Dream ($10.60) scored a front-running upset over heavily favored Silent Law in the $98,000 Desi Arnaz Stakes on Saturday at Del Mar to stamp herself as a player in the California filly division. At seven furlongs, Practical Dream was just getting warmed up.

“She’s only going to improve at a (longer) distance,” trainer Tim Yakteen said. “She’s a really big filly, and the farther she goes, the more she’ll enjoy it.”

Practical Dream is owned by the husband-wife team of Pierre and Leslie Amestoy, and Roger Beasley. Their Grade 1 winner Practical Move died from an apparent heart attack in fall 2023 at Santa Anita, just days before his scheduled start in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile.

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The future is bright for Practical Dream, whose Desi Arnaz victory over Silent Law reversed the order of last month’s Anoakia Stakes at Santa Anita. Silent Law wired the six-furlong Anoakia, while Practical Dream had early trouble and merely chased to finish second.

On Saturday at Del Mar, jockey Antonio Fresu took the initiative and allowed Practical Dream to use her speed. “Today she stumbled a little bit coming away from there in the one-hole, but she recovered quickly and she was traveling well from there.”

Practical Dream set the pace inside and, after a half-mile in :45.20, she inched clear from Silent Law. The winning margin was 1 1/4 lengths; the final time was a slow 1:24.47.

Two-three-four finishers Silent Law, Mawu and Two Bar were trained by Bob Baffert, who scratched Tenma to await the Grade 2 Starlet on Dec. 7 at Santa Anita. That 1 1/16-mile race is where Practical Dream is likely to start next, according to Yakteen.

Pierre Amestoy acknowledged the racing success of ill-fated Practical Move factored into their decision to purchase the filly. Practical Move won five races and $923,200 from eight starts. Practical Dream was purchased for $210,000 at a spring 2-year-old sale.

“We like the structure and body of the Practical Jokes,” Amestoy said. “(Practical Dream) had that stout foundation, worked really fast, and her pedigree was strong. She was a natural for us.”

Practical Dream was produced by Imforreal, an eight-start maiden. But her siblings include Grade 1 winner Brother Derek and stakes winners Sister Kate and Don’tsellmeshort. Imforreal’s top runner so far is stakes winner Sister Peacock.

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