Photo by Dean Gillette
Practical Joke and Trace Tetrick got the last laugh Friday, April 3 in the first round of the Jerry Landess Series. The duo opened up on the field to score the win in 1:54.1, a new career best in their first start of 2026.
Practical Joke began from post two and when the gate opened, he hesitated for a few strides before deciding to move on and go out for the lead. Tetrick had him settled on the front end before the quarter in :28.3 and was ahead of Vel Im Good and Doug Rideout by two lengths. Heading down the backside, Practical Joke had his ears up and was comfortable by the half in :57.4 before seeing any pressure on the outside. Ilikeitlikethat and Brandon Bates led the outer flow into the final turn.
At the head of the stretch, it only took a little urging from Tetrick to signal Practical Joke to advance. He charged down the stretch and opened up to a four and one-quarter length advantage at the wire, pacing home in :27.3. Don’t Cuss Russ and John DeLong closed in for second over Midnight Vodka and Jeff Dever for third.
Practical Joke paid $11.00 for the win. He is owned by Teagan Sage Racing and trained by Tom T. Tetrick. Rocky Road Stable bred and raised the colt, who had two wins last year on the Indiana Sired Fair Circuit. He was a $1,000 purchase as a yearling from the Midwest Classic Sale in Shipshewana, the lowest priced foal by Check Six that year.
Check Six stood in Indiana for five seasons before moving to Minnesota in 2024. Practical Joke now has $15,000 in earnings to go along with his new mark of 1:54.1.
In the other division of the Jerry Landess Series, Trace Tetrick guided F Thirty Five to victory after a rough first half. The three-year-old son of JK Endofanera was parked from the outside past the quarter in :28.0 and half in :56.3 before taking control of the front end. He was in full gear down the stretch and paced home in :27.0 for the win in 1:52.4. Bam Bam and Atlee Bender closed in for second over Echo Canyon and John DeLong for third.
F Thirty Five paid $4.80 for the win as the favorite of the field. He is owned by Country Club Acres, Milton Leeman, and William Calvert, all of Ohio. Tyler George trains the gelding, who was bred and raised by Norman Miller. It was his first career start after going unraced at two. He was purchased by his connections as the sixth horse through the ring during the final Hoosier Classic Yearling Sale under the name Machanera from the RND Standardbreds consignment. Tyler George signed the ticket for $18,000 for the colt, who is a half-brother to Samson Blue Chip with a mark of 1:50.4 and earnings of more than $150,000.
