Tag: runhappy

Runhappy’s First Japanese Winner Makes Huge Impression

Run This City (Runhappy) became the first Japanese winner for his progressive young sire Wednesday, taking a 1400-meter maiden on the dirt at Ohi Racecourse by an imposing margin.

First to break the line from gate six, the March-foaled bay raced under a nice hold, stalking the pace from the outside for the opening half-mile. Given his head with about 500 meters left to travel, Run This City cornered in front, swapped his leads professionally, his rider sitting hard against him, and was pushed out through the final sixteenth of a mile to score by the better part of 22 lengths. He returned money back (i.e. zero profit) as the prohibitive betting favorite.

Bred in Kentucky by Betz/Magers/CoCo Equine/Kidder/J Betz/Davidson, Run This Time was bought back on a bid of $70,000 at last year's Keeneland September Sale. He is a half-brother to Godolphin's Man of Promise (Into Mischief), winner of the Listed Jafza Dubai Sprint S. sprinting a straight six furlongs over the Meydan turf course this past February and his yearling half-brother by Mendelssohn fetched $310,000 from Mike Ryan on day one of this year's Keeneland September sale.

Run This City is out Involved (Speightstown), a winning half-sister to MGSW Skip To the Stone (Skip Trial) and SW My Heavenly Sign (Forest Camp), the dam of the SP Avasaraia (Point of Entry). Involved was not bred in 2020 and was purchased by Dunthreath Farm for $8,000 at Keeneland January earlier this year. She was most recently covered by Audible.

Run This City is the ninth 2-year-old winner from the second crop of Runhappy, whose son Run To Daylight became his fourth black-type winner in the Henry Mercer Memorial S. Sept. 18.

The post Runhappy’s First Japanese Winner Makes Huge Impression appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Runhappy Filly Runup Upsets Sorority Stakes At Monmouth

Runup, a James McIngvale homebred 2-year-old filly by his heavily promoted stallion Runhappy, posted a front-running $31 upset in Monday's $200,000 Sorority Stakes at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J.

Trained by Laura Wohlers and ridden to victory by Joseph Ramos, Runup outhustled Jumeirah to her immediate outside to grab the early lead, cruised through fractions of :23.73, :47.69 and 1:12.74 en route to an unchallenged three-length victory clocked in 1:39.82 on a fast main track.

Jumeirah held second, with 6-5 favorite Gimmick third and Microbiome fourth, You Look Cold fifth and Kingdom Queen rounding out the field of six juvenile fillies. Maestria was scratched.

Produced from the Street Cry mare Up the Street, Runup was bred in Maryland and began her racing career on turf at Colonial Downs in Virginia, finishing third in a maiden race behind Cavalier Cupid. who came out of that race to win the Keswick Stakes at Colonial.

Runup graduated next out in a $40,000 maiden claiming event at Pimlico on Aug. 13, going wire to wire to win by 6 1/4 lengths. She is from the second crop by sprint champion Runhappy, who stands at Claiborne Farm.

“She ran a big race,” said Wohlers. “She's still a little green and she has a lot of improvement to make but she ran a nice race. I really didn't worry about her trying two turns. She's one of those fillies that, in the morning, in her gallops or at a clip, she's still in the bridle at the end. So I really wasn't worried about the distance. I was more concerned about her stepping up into this company with her still being green. She's a little hard to gallop. She's always on the go, like her dad (Runhappy) was. I think she is going to improve the more she runs. We're really happy today. Of course, we're happy for Runhappy. He's our boy.

“She's very fast,” Wohlers added. “You always wonder if they're going to be able to convert that into a distance and going two turns. With the exception of her dad she probably has more speed than any horse we've had in our barn since then. I think she does want to go long and I think she showed today she can do it.”

[Story Continues Below]

“I rode a filly at Indiana Grand for Laura and she told me she had another filly she liked and asked me if I would go to Monmouth Park to ride her,” said Ramos. “That's how I wound up getting the mount. I came in just for this race. It's my first time at Monmouth Park. There was a lot of speed in this race but my filly also has good speed and they felt she would have no trouble going long. She broke out of there so sharp. I kept her relaxed and started talking to her at the quarter pole and she responded for me. I was thinking then that maybe I had this race because they were not coming at me. She's a nice filly. She loves to run. I was a little worried about the two turns because she had only sprinted in her two races before this one. But she went right to the front and just kept going.”

 

The post Runhappy Filly Runup Upsets Sorority Stakes At Monmouth appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Following Sea May Target H. Allen Jerkens Stakes At Saratoga

Spendthrift Farm's general manager Ned Toffey said Following Sea remains under consideration for the $500,000 Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens on August 28 at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

The talented son of champion medication-free stallion Runhappy was elevated to second via disqualification last out in the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational on July 17 at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J.

In his second start, Following Sea was a decisive 5 ¾-length winner on April 10 at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark., before defeating winners on June 3 at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

Since the Haskell, Following Sea has recorded two breezes over the Saratoga main track for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, most recently going a half-mile in :49.22 seconds on August 14.

“We'll see. Obviously, the Jerkens is coming up tough,” Toffey said. “He's clearly a very talented horse. He's working really well. We'll put our heads together with Todd and see which way we want to go. We certainly have an eye on the Jerkens, but it will be very tough for a horse that still has his conditions. We'll see how his next work is, talk to Todd and go from there.”

A Kentucky homebred, Following Sea is out of the stakes-placed Speightstown mare Quick Flip.

The post Following Sea May Target H. Allen Jerkens Stakes At Saratoga appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

‘Happy’ Days are Here Again: Schuylerville Kicks off Saratoga Meet

With a pair of blowout wins already on her resume headed by Belmont's Astoria S. June 3, Happy Soul (Runhappy) sets her sights on Saratoga's opening day co-featured GIII Schuylerville S. She has been working in company with her Wesley Ward-trained 4-year-old stablemate and GISW Kimari (Munnings).

“Visually, Kimari is a better horse, but she's doing it with speed to spare as well,” Ward said. “She has had some nice works underneath her and she's come to handle it quicker than I thought.”

Mainstay (Astern {Aus}), a half-sister to last year's champion 2-year-old filly Vequist (Nyquist), earned her 'TDN Rising Star' badge with a visually impressive romp in the slop on debut at Monmouth June 4.

Velvet Sister (Bernardini), a $500,000 FTFMAR breezer, graduated by 9 3/4 lengths in front-running fashion in a three-horse field for Steve Asmussen in her unveiling at Belmont June 10.

The rail-drawn Pretty Birdie (Bird Song) became the first winner for her expatriated sire with a sharp, wire-to-wire tally first out at Churchill Downs June 18.

The post ‘Happy’ Days are Here Again: Schuylerville Kicks off Saratoga Meet appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Verified by MonsterInsights