A two-time stakes winner in her four career starts thus far, sophomore filly Happy Soul will be stretched out to two turns for Keeneland's Grade 1 Ashland Stakes on April 8, reports the Daily Racing Form.
The daughter of Runhappy, trained by Wesley Ward, has won three races by a combined 26 1/4 lengths. Most recently, Happy Soul made her 3-year-old debut under John Velazquez in Oaklawn's $150,000 Dixie Belle Stakes, posting a three-length victory in the six-furlong contest.
“She's just a runner,” Ward told DRF. “It's one of those intangibles.”
The Ashland, a 100-point prep on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks, will be Happy Soul's first start around two turns. Keeneland is her home track, however, and both Ward and Velazquez believe she'll have no issues with the distance.
Bred in Kentucky by Harris Training Center, Happy Soul is out of the placed Stephen Got Even mare Cowgirl Lucky. The mare is the dam of two other six-figure earners: Grade 3 winner Calgary Caper (El Corredor) and six-time winner Legend of Lorelei (Girolamo).
Owner Gayla Rankin procured Happy Soul for $50,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling sale. The filly's three-for-four record boasts earnings of $238,500.
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