It's No Joke to Canada's Esquirol Farms
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Photo: Suzie Picou-Oldham
It's No Joke
When grade 2 winner It's No Joke appeared in the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky winter mixed sale catalog, Canadian breeder Pierre Esquirol saw only potential.
"I've had this horse on my radar for several years and made an offer on him at one point, but we couldn't get the deal done," said Esquirol, who owns Esquirol Farms near Edmonton in Alberta. "His statistics from a limited number of mares are really impressive, he really moves his mares up."
It's No Joke, a 15-year-old son of Distorted Humor —It's Personal, by Personal Flag, was bred in Kentucky by WinStar Farm. He was sold as a yearling by Woods Edge Farm for $675,000 at the 2003 Keeneland September yearling sale to Fleetwood/NW Management as agent for owner Stan Fulton. It's No Joke won three graded stakes, including the Hawthorne Gold Cup Handicap (G2), and retired with $685,612 in earnings.
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As a sire, It's No Joke has 51 winners from 70 starters out of 94 foals of racing age. His winners include three black-type stakes winners, led by Canadian graded stakes winner Bear No Joke. His progeny's earnings are more than $4.4 million to date and average $63,523 per starter. He most recently stood at HallMarc Stallions at Stonewall Farm Ocala in Florida.
Dr. Don Gibb, acting as agent, bought It's No Joke at Fasig-Tipton for $6,000. The stallion will stand at Esquirol Farm for $2,000 stands and nurses.