The trail to Derby 150 begins a much steeper ascent on Saturday at Fair Grounds in New Orleans as the GIII Lecomte S. offers 3-year-old colts 20-10-6-4-2 that can be applied to Bank of Churchill.

This year's edition pits a field of eight against one another with the central question being: what happened to Nash (Medaglia d'Oro) in the December running of the Gun Runner S.?

The heavy favorite was unable to build on his Nov. 12 'TDN Rising Star' performance under the Twin Spires at second asking when he powered to the lead, torched a field of maidens by 10 1/4 lengths and posted a 97 Beyer for trainer Brad Cox.

The race shape in the Gun Runner was nothing of the sort for the Godolphin homebred, as he was forced to watch Track Phantom (Quality Road) take control towards the end of the backstretch and never relinquish the lead.

Track Phantom (center) with Nash (along the rail) | Hodges Photography/Amanda Hodges Weir

“It was great to see him [Track Phantom] win the race against a talented field, but especially with going as fast as they did early and showing enough quality to still respond,” said the winner's trainer Steve Asmussen. “I love how he's doing, very happy with him and how he's trained since the Gun Runner. I feel good about the draw and excited to run him again. Past success from there so we'll see what we can do.”

Of course, the pair will have others to contend with in this spot and chief among them is Lat Long (Liam's Map). The dark bay trained by Ken McPeek was never out of the money in all five of his juvenile starts against maiden special weight company starting at Churchill back in September. Facing the likes of GSW Dornoch (Good Magic) and Track Phantom himself, Lat Long broke through at Oaklawn Dec. 17 against his stablemate and next-out winner Common Defense (Karakontie {Jpn}).

“[Lat Long] has been a horse who is still trying to figure it out a bit,” McPeek said. “He's not all there yet. But we're going to try him at a higher level and see how he handles tougher company.”

Also after points is Can Group (Good Samaritan), who was last seen running fourth in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf at Santa Anita for trainer Mark Casse. Joining him will be two more Cox runners in Ethan Energy (Uncle Mo), who broke his maiden by 5 1/4 lengths at second asking over this surface Dec. 23, and Awesome Road (Quality Road). Bred by Claiborne Farm, the latter was a $600,000 Keeneland September purchase by Albaugh Family Stables and Donegal Racing.

Saudi Crown Kick Starts His 4-Year-Old Campaign

Preceding the Lecomte is the GIII Louisiana S. for 4-year-olds and up going 1 1/16th on the main track. This race marks the return of Saudi Crown (Always Dreaming). Now a 4-year-old, the gray debuted a winner by 4 3/4 lengths at Keeneland last April, then won against allowance company at Churchill Downs a month later.

Saudi Crown | Sarah Andrew

Finishing over the summer as the runner-up by a nose in the GIII Dwyer S. at Belmont Park and in the GII Jim Dandy S. at Saratoga, the Brad Cox trainee set the pace en route to the winner's circle in the GI Pennsylvania Derby at Parx in September. A popular pick in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic, the colt finished a well-beaten 10th to close out his year.

“I'm not treating it like he has to be on the lead,” Cox said. “He's a smart horse. He's capable of sitting off. When he broke his maiden, he sat off horses. I really don't think he has to be on the lead. It probably will be a situation where he will have to take a breath at some point, you can't just run all-out throughout.”

After Cox watched Saudi Crown drill five furlongs behind Nash Jan. 13 (1:00.20, 3/51), the trainer said, “It didn't quite set up as well as we expected. There were other horses out there and we got caught up with a little more company than we wanted. I was very, very happy with the breeze. He was a little wide through the lane and around the turn. Plenty fit. He had a good work the week before last. We just wanted him to cruise along the other day and he did. I think he's set up for a big spot.”

Opposing him in New Orleans are a number of seasoned challengers looking to set the tone for their own campaigns. Smile Happy (Runhappy) has not been seen since he ran fifth in the GI Stephen Foster S. at Ellis Park in July. The 'TDN Rising Star' has a resume which includes a pair of Grade II wins in the Kentucky Jockey Club S. as a juvenile and in last year's Alysheba S.–both at Churchill Downs.

Making the gate is deep closer GSW Red Route One (Gun Runner), defending winner and GISP Happy American (Runhappy) and GII Rebel S. hero Confidence Game (Candy Ride {Arg}).

Midnight Memories Faces Desert Dawn Once Again

Swinging out to Santa Anita Park on Saturday afternoon, the GIII La Canada S. has MGSW Midnight Memories (Mastery) taking on MGISP Desert Dawn (Cupid). The last time these two met as 4-year-old fillies in the GIII Bayakoa S. at Los Alamitos Dec. 15, it was Midnight Memories who got the best of her rival by a length. Favored at 6-5 on the morning line, the Bob Baffert trainee will also have to contend with, among others, GISP Musical Mischief (Into Mischief) and Coffee in Bed (Curlin).

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Bellabel (Ire) (Belardo {Ire}), to be offered by Taylor Made, is cataloged as hip 251. A maiden winner in five Irish appearances at two, the dark bay relocated to the U.S. last year and was off to a quick start, with victories in the Blue Norther S. and–following a six-month absence–the GII San Clemente S. as the betting favorite. Bellabel was runner-up to the classy Spendarella (Karakontie {Jpn}) in the GI Del Mar Oaks and was last seen at the races in Keeneland's GI QE II Challenge Cup, staying on gamely for a third-place effort behind Gina Romantica. She is cataloged as a racing/broodmare prospect, but has been in steady work at Los Alamitos, where she has recorded no fewer than seven breezes since Sept. 3 and most recently drilled five furlongs Oct. 20.

Warrendale Sales consigns Lemon Belle (Lemon Drop Kid) to Keeneland November as hip 249. The 13-year-old is a daughter of MGSW Queenie Belle (Bertrando), making her a half-sister to GI Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic winner Unrivaled Belle (Unbridled's Song), in turn the dam of multiple Eclipse Award winner Unique Bella (Tapit). Lemon Belle's sixth produce is Raise Cain (Violence), winner of this year's GIII Gotham S. and recent hero of the Listed Perryville S. at Keeneland. Lemon Belle sells in foal to boom stallion Justify.

Troublesome (Into Mischief) (hip 250) is part of the Woods Edge Farm draft and sells pregnant to Yaupon. The 9-year-old is the dam of Amidst Waves (Midshipman), winner of the Bolton Landing S. at Saratoga and the near-miss runner-up in the local Indian Summer S. Amidst Waves has been pre-entered for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint and sits first on the 'not-selected' list, but seems likely to gain a run given others' first preferences.

Keeneland has also announced the addition of 15 horses to the November Horse of Racing Age Sale, including MGSW millionaire 'TDN Rising Star' Smile Happy (Runhappy) from Gainesway, agent; and fellow 'Rising Star' Strobe (Into Mischief), multiple graded-placed this season and selling through Taylor Made. Both are being offered as racing/stallion prospects.

Keeneland will continue to accept entries up to the start of the sale.

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Both horses last raced in the GI Stephen Foster S. July 1 at Ellis Park. McPeek said Rattle N Roll will target either the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup at Saratoga or the GI Pacific Classic at Del Mar. Both races are run at 10 furlongs September 2 and are “Win and You're In” qualifiers for the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Classic.

Smile Happy, who captured the GII Alysheba S. May 5 at Churchill Downs, got his first glimpse of the Oklahoma training track Friday.

Smile Happy, who arrived in Saratoga Thursday night, did some gate schooling on the Oklahoma and then jogged with the pony for ⁦@KennyMcPeek⁩ Friday morning. Getting ready for the Whitney. pic.twitter.com/p4mBfZUNyc

— Tim Wilkin (@tjwilkin) July 28, 2023

“He galloped really well this morning over the Oklahoma track,” McPeek said. “This was his first day here. We stood him in the gate, backed him out and gave him some gate schooling. He did well.”

Smile Happy last breezed July 22 at Churchill Downs, completing a half-mile move in 49 seconds.

“We've had plenty of work into him at Churchill. He had a work days ago with a long, strong gallop and I don't know that we'll breeze him at all,” McPeek said.

McPeek described the 4-year-old as a quirky horse that likes doing things his own way.

“He's a bit of an alpha. He wants to run the show, but the talent is unquestioned,” McPeek said.

McPeek said Smile Happy will be ridden by jockey Brian Hernandez, Jr.

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Because that's the whole point, really. The big programs would be able to temper their disappointment, on losing the services even of a horse as accomplished as Two Phil's, with the likelihood that an equivalent talent will eventually come along. And it was precisely because the circle of friends who launched Two Phil's towards the top of his crop did so by such accessible investment–he's out of the only Thoroughbred ever purchased by the Sagan family, a $40,000 daughter of a failed stallion–that so many of us identified with their cause. They made us feel we all had a chance.

Two Phil's, moreover, had been progressing from a somewhat sentimental, blue-collar rooting interest to a perfectly credible candidate for what feels an open sophomore championship. He was the only contributor to the GI Kentucky Derby pace that managed to hang tough, and looked better than ever on his first start since in the GIII Ohio Derby last weekend. How maddeningly typical of this game, then, that even in opening up new horizons his owners should suddenly reach a dead end.

They must now regroup, clear their heads and find Two Phil's his best chance at stud. His maternal family contains its challenges, but that is true of a lot of good stallions and something, after all, is demonstrably functioning in his genetic make-up. There is an increasing burden on sons of War Front and Hard Spun to maintain the shortest available connection to their breed-shaping sire Danzig, and Two Phil's certainly bears an auspicious resemblance to his excellent sire. Both proved their adaptability by winning the same Derby trial on a synthetic surface, before proceeding to finish second at Churchill. On the right farm, I'm sure that Two Phil's has every chance of writing a new chapter in the fairytale; and his connections have played their cards too faultlessly to need any help in determining which farm might be the right one.

In the meantime, we must just thank them for introducing this authentic ray of sunshine into our present darkness. As I've noted before, that rogue apostrophe actually became part of what the horse stood for: a symbol of his quirky, aberrational advent among those who set expensive standards at the top of the market. He arrived as a defiant Chicago gesture, many in his entourage having been deprived of their natural habitat–and one of the jewels of the racing planet–by the closure of Arlington Park by the very people who host the Derby.

One of those cast adrift from Arlington was trainer Larry Rivelli, whose prospects of replacing the irreplaceable should at least be enhanced by having drawn national attention to gifts already well familiar on his home circuits. In this bittersweet week, indeed, Rivelli has saddled six winners from nine starters; and these included two “Derby” winners in one weekend, with Act A Fool (Oscar Performance) making it four off the reel in the Hawthorne Derby last Sunday. Hopefully Jareth Loveberry, also integral to the horse's development, will now be able to consolidate, as well, having earned his stripes all the way through from Great Lakes Downs.

Proxy (outside) wins the GII Oaklawn Handicap | Coady Photography

But if some of these guys end up never quite retrieving the same heights, at least they all seized their opportunity when it came. And they would surely choose the shorter ride they took with Two Phil's over the “better” luck experienced by many others, in being able to restore a horse to training after being derailed before the Classics?

It's not as though there's a piece of paper anyone gets to sign, but how would you choose between Two Phil's or a horse like, say, Proxy (Tapit)? Having disappeared for 10 months after trying to get to his own crop's Derby via the Fair Grounds trials, Proxy lines up for the GI Stephen Foster S. on Saturday as a mature horse, with every prospect of building on what for now remains a fairly marginal prizemoney edge over Two Phil's. Since his comeback, he has also availed himself of a Grade I (in the Clark last fall). He's an admirable creature, in a field replete with similar types. But if you were in a crew that might very well only ever have one shot at the big time, would you not be swung by the fact that every Thoroughbred foal, from the moment it slithers into the straw, has one chance–and one chance only–to take you on the walk over for the Derby?

In the winter of 2021-22, certainly, the McPeek barn wasn't dreaming of the 2023 Stephen Foster for Smile Happy (Runhappy) and Rattle N Roll (Connect). The former at least made it to the Derby before his disappearance, but I'm delighted to see him back thriving now. He was bred by the charming Xavier Moreau, from a $57,000 daughter of Pleasant Tap. That was about as much as Xavier had ever spent on a mare, and tragically he lost her almost as soon as Smile Happy had emerged.

That's the thing about this game. Yes, absolutely, your little guys can beat the billionaires by breeding a Smile Happy, or a Two Phil's. But nor will they get any special treatment from Lady Luck, just because all their eggs might be in a single basket.

The only answer is an old one: “Gather ye rosebuds while ye may.” If that can be in May, and get you anywhere near that blanket of roses, so much the better.

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Smile Happy and Rattle N Roll share more than a few similarities, but the main parallel is that the 4-year-olds are both on skyrocketing career trajectories with the potential for big summer campaigns ahead.

A 'TDN Rising Star' and the winner of the GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. at two, Smile Happy was a contender leading up to the Kentucky Derby last year, but he settled for eighth on the first Saturday in May. After a long layoff, the son of Runhappy returned a winner at Oaklawn in March and finished third in the GII Oaklawn Mile S. before his breakout performance in the GII Alysheba S., where he earned a 110 Beyer Speed Figure.

“This is a fantastic, talented horse,” said Kenny McPeek. “As a 2-year-old he didn't win a Grade I, but the Kentucky Jockey Club showed he had such raw talent. He needed an extended vacation after the Derby last year. He had a slight case of distal bone bruising, which is difficult to get a horse to rebound from quickly. We gave him a lot of time and he's come back a better horse. The race in the Alysheba showed how freaky talented he is.”

Allowing Smile Happy the time off to improve physically has been one key to his success this year, but another factor has been figuring the colt out mentally. McPeek explained that this trainee can be quirky, noting that the colt doesn't respond well to disruptions in his routine and requires some extra attention on race day.

“During the post parade, he wants to back up and then not come back to the gate,” McPeek shared. “So we learned a little trick to get him back to the gate. The race at Oaklawn [Oaklawn Mile] was a little bit short for him, but then we spaced off that and came into the Alysheba and now we've got the gate trick worked out. He tests you, this horse, but my goodness he's so talented. Figuring him out in the mornings has been tricky because at Oaklawn he didn't want to train, at Fair Grounds he trained well, and then we've figured out his number at Churchill. I don't see this horse training anywhere but Churchill probably for the rest of his career. When it's open, he'll be there.”

Rattle N Roll gets a pre-race mint and pep talk from his groom, Peter Soria | Sara Gordon

Fellow Lucky Seven Stables colorbearer Rattle N Roll also showed potential as a juvenile when he claimed the GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity, but he struggled to find the winner's circle early in his 3-year-old season. While he did not make the Kentucky Derby, he later claimed a trio of summer derbies including the GIII Oklahoma Derby.

After a brief layoff over the winter, Rattle N Roll returned this spring to run fourth in the GII New Orleans Classic S. at Fair Grounds and then launch a winning tear over the course of six weeks, claiming the GIII Ben Ali S., GIII Pimlico Special S. and GIII Blame S.

“He's been a good horse from the beginning,” McPeek said. “When he won a Grade I at Keeneland, we knew we had our hands on a really good one. He's a get-the-job-done type of horse. When Flavien Prat rode him in the Pimlico Special, he nailed it right on time. Then when he came back in the Blame at Churchill, once again, he got the job done. He had a really troubled trip in that race and won anyway. He's a very workmanlike, easy horse to be around.”

Never one to adhere to a training rule book, McPeek 'wowed' the crowd at Churchill Downs when Rattle N Roll won the Blame S. just two weeks after he got the nose at Pimlico. McPeek explained the reasoning behind the quick return to the races.

“I think today, especially with the no Lasix in a lot of these graded races, if you've got a horse and it's sturdy enough and they're eating well and they're doing well, I don't see any reason why they can't run or shouldn't run,” he said. “I'm not one that subscribes to, 'They have to be spaced six weeks in between races to run their best race.' I do believe that people buy their horses to race them as opposed to watching them train and then running sparingly. I suppose I'm going to be criticized by some by doing that and that's fine as long as we run well and we win.”

Some might even scratch their head at McPeek's choice to enter this duo in the same Grade I contest, but the veteran trainer said that he believes the race is the best spot for each colt as individuals.

“I think it was obvious that the race for Smile Happy was the Stephen Foster and we've been plotting for this one for a couple of months,” he shared. “We'd like to go Stephen Foster to Whitney. With Rattle N Roll and the series of wins he's had, the options for him were I could have taken him to the [Prairie Meadows] Cornhusker H., which would have been another Grade III, or I could have taken him to the Suburban S. in New York, which is a Grade II. It's a lovely race, but it's not two turns so I was a little bit concerned about changing his routine from two turns to one turn.  With a clear mind, it was the right spot for both horses.”

Rattle N Roll and Smile Happy were part of the first crop of yearlings that McPeek bought for the Mackin family's Lucky Seven Stable in 2020. Rattle N Roll was a $210,000 Keeneland September purchase for McPeek and Smile Happy was a $185,000 Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearlings buy for Lucky Seven.

The Mackins have had success in the sport both individually and as a family over several decades, but campaigning a pair of top-level older dirt colts ranks near the top of their accomplishments.

“The Mackin family has been in the game for 30 or 40 years,” McPeek shared. “They love racing, between Mike, Craig, Jeff, Jay and their sister Kim. Their mother and father made seven, but both have passed away. I'm sure that their mother and father would be really thrilled to know the kind of success they're having and we're going to try to keep it going for them. They're wonderful people and really deserve this kind of success.”

Smile Happy looks to get his first Grade I win in Saturday's GI Stephen Foster S. | Sara Gordon

McPeek will be looking to earn his first Stephen Foster victory on Saturday.

Rattle N Roll drew the fourth position and will team up with his regular rider Brian Hernandez Jr. Alongside him in the five hole, Smile Happy will be ridden by Corey Lanerie, who was aboard for the colt's sophomore campaign last year.

The field also includes GII Oaklawn H. one-two-three finishers of Godolphin's Proxy (Tapit), Last Samurai (Malibu Moon)–who subsequently ran fourth in the Alysheba–and California-based Stilleto Boy (Shackleford). Ron Moquett's Speed Bias (Uncle Mo), who came close to besting Rattle N Roll in the GIII Pimlico Special, dominant GII New Orleans Classic winner West Will Power (Bernardini), and Lothenbach Stables' Happy American (Runhappy) round out the race.

Also on Saturday at Ellis Park, McPeek will be represented in the GII Wise Dan by Camp Hope (Summer Front). The 5-year-old Walking L Thoroughbreds representative was winless in his first four starts this year, but he scored in an allowance optional claimer at Churchill Downs in June.

“He's been really solid,” McPeek reported. “He won the Bryan Station S. at Keeneland as a 3-year-old. He didn't have a great 4-year-old year, but he seems to be coming back to form as a 5-year-old and his last race was superb. Brian [Hernandez Jr.] has figured him out and really rides him well.”

Camp Hope will have to take on Set Piece (GB) (Dansili {GB}), who is defending his Wise Dan title from 2021 and comes in off a win in the GIII Arlington S. on June 3. The 7-year-old Juddmonte homebred is trained by Brad Cox, who has won three of the last four editions of the turf contest.

GIII Arlington S. runner-up Get Smokin (Get Stormy) and third-place finisher Harlan Estate (Kantharos) will also vie for contention in the 10-horse field.

Rounding out the graded stakes action at Ellis on Saturday, the GII Fleur de Lis S. drew seven fillies and mares headlined by Grade I winners Pauline's Pearl (Tapit) and A Mo Reay (Uncle Mo).

The McPeek-Mackin partnership will be represented by one last stakes contender over the weekend and it's one that McPeek is more than happy to discuss.

V V's Dream was Mitole's first North American winner when she dominated in her juvenile debut on May 19 at Churchill Downs. Completing five furlongs in :57.91, her 6 1/4-length score earned 'TDN Rising Star' honors.

“V V's Dream is any kind of horse,” said McPeek. “I mean, that filly is really high-level talented.”

The $190,000 Keeneland September purchase is owned by Mike Mackin's MJM Racing and she will return to the starting gate on Sunday for the Debutante S.

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NYRA clockers caught Forte through three-eighths in :35 before completing five furlongs in 1:00.44 and galloping out six furlongs in 1:13 over the fast main track.

“I was really, really happy. I thought he was moving great. He got into a good rhythm, finished up great and galloped out nice and well,” Pletcher said. “It seems like he's maintained his fitness level. We thought that last week when he breezed a half that he recovered pretty quickly, and even more so today after a strong breeze and big gallop out. It seems like everything is in good order.”

Pletcher said Dr. Sarah Hinchliffe, NYRA's Senior Examining Veterinarian, was pleased with the work and subsequent exam.

“It went very well. She examined him before he breezed, watched him on the track during the breeze and after the breeze and then came back to the barn and examined him again,” Pletcher said. “She said she was happy. They pulled blood and she gets results in five days on that and that should take care of everything.”

Reigning Champion 2-Year-Old FORTE (outside) working five eighths in 1:00 2/5 before galloping out six furlongs in 1:13 flat in preparation for the G1 Belmont Stakes presented by @NYRABets pic.twitter.com/Hkk9WVo1dd

— Ryan Martin (@RyanMartinNYRA) May 27, 2023

He added that both Forte and Tapit Trice (Tapit) would likely log their final Belmont Stakes breezes Saturday, June 3.

Pletcher also reported that GII Louisiana Derby winner Kingsbarns (Uncle Mo), who finished 14th in the GI Kentucky Derby, will miss the Belmont Stakes after he missed a scheduled breeze on Friday while demonstrating signs of colic that morning.

“We're going to be knocked off course. He had a bout of colic,” Pletcher said. “He's fine, no surgery needed. They just have to administer some fluids. It's unfortunate timing, but it's not something that we can [control]. We can't get a breeze in the next day or two so we're going to run out of time. We'll make sure he's OK and then come up with a game plan.”

Brad Cox's GI Belmont S. contenders Angel of Empire (Classic Empire) (five furlongs, :59.80) and Hit Show (Candy Ride {Arg}) (five furlongs, 1:00.20) worked Saturday in preparation for the June 10 classic.

Angel of Empire was one of the first workers to go as the track opened at 5:30 a.m. when he and stablemate Warrant (Constitution) (five furlongs, 1:00.20) worked in company. Shortly after their move, Hit Show breezed outside Salute the Stars (Candy Ride {Arg}).

Another Saturday morning worker was Lucky Seven Stable's Smile Happy (Runhappy), the winner of the GII Alysheba S. on Kentucky Oaks Day. He returned to the work tab for the first time since the Alysheba and completed an easy half-mile in :49.60 at 9 a.m.

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Eighth in last year's GI Kentucky Derby, the $185,000 Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearling Showcase graduate returned from a 10-month absence with an impressive allowance victory at Oaklawn Park Mar. 16 and was a good third in the GIII Oaklawn Mile Apr. 1 before defeating GI Pegasus World Cup hero Art Collector (Bernardini) by two lengths at odds of 7-1 in the Alysheba. He received a lofty 110 Beyer Speed Figure for the effort, the highest number over a mile thus far in 2023.

McPeek reported that the commonly owned Rattle N Roll (Connect), last-out winner of the GIII Ben Ali S. at Keeneland Apr. 22, will go next in the GIII Blame S. on Stephen Foster Preview Day Saturday, June 3.

The Foster offers the winner an all-expenses-paid berth in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic as part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series.

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Smile Happy shadowed heavily favored last-out GII New Orleans Classic S. winner West Will Power (Bernardini) from an outside second through early fractions of :24.30 and :47.80. The Lucky Seven Stable colorbearer struck the front beneath Brian Hernandez, Jr. off the turn for home and kept on finding down the stretch to keep GI Pegasus World Cup winner Art Collector (Bernardini) safe by two lengths. West Will Power stayed on for third.

Winner of the GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. beneath the Twin Spires as a 2-year-old, last term's GII Risen Star S. and GI Toyota Blue Grass S. runner-up made two previous starts this season at Oaklawn Park. Smile Happy kicked off his 4-year-old campaign with a smart victory in an optional claimer in the slop Mar. 16, and was most recently third as the favorite in the GIII Oaklawn Mile Apr. 1.

“I'm really not surprised,” winning trainer Kenny McPeek said. “He's tricky to deal with sometimes and the last couple of races, we've finally figured his number. We ran him back quickly at Oaklawn because he was difficult to train at Oaklawn. We got him back here and he's done everything right. But, we learned a value lesson in his last race at Oaklawn. He's a true alpha. He wants everything his own way. But, he can run like the wind. I'm really proud of him.”

It was another disappointing run from last year's monumental Derby upsetter Rich Strike, who was making his first start of the season in the Alysheba. He passed one rival home to finish fifth after trailing for most of the way.

“I'm unusually disappointed in the effort,” trainer Eric Reed said. “I'm not sure what's going on. I expected him to finish better. He was where he was supposed to be but he didn't fire at all.”

Pedigree Notes:

Smile Happy, a $175,000 KEENOV weanling and a $185,000 FTKSEL sale graduate, is one of three graded winners for Runhappy and one of 24 graded winners for broodmare sire Pleasant Tap. Smile Happy is the most recent produce from three-time winner Pleasant Smile, who brought $57,000 from Black Type Bloodstock at the 2014 KEENOV sale.

Friday, Churchill Downs
ALYSHEBA S. PRESENTED BY SENTIENT JET-GII, $600,000, Churchill Downs, 5-5, 4yo/up, 1 1/16m, 1:41.29, ft.
1–SMILE HAPPY, 118, c, 4, by Runhappy
   1st Dam: Pleasant Smile, by Pleasant Tap
   2nd Dam: Relax and Smile, by Relaunch
   3rd Dam: Bunch of Smiles, by Graustark
($175,000 Wlg '19 KEENOV; $185,000 Ylg '20 FTKSEL). 'TDN Rising Star'. O-Lucky Seven Stable (Mackin); B-Moreau Bloodstock Int'l Inc. & White Bloodstock LLC (KY); T-Kenneth G. McPeek; J-Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr.. $368,280. Lifetime Record: GISP, 8-4-2-1, $1,019,890. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Art Collector, 123, h, 6, Bernardini–Distorted Legacy, by Distorted Humor. O/B-W. Bruce Lunsford (KY); T-William I. Mott. $118,800.
3–West Will Power, 120, h, 6, Bernardini–Wild Promises, by Wild Event. O-Gary and Mary West; B-Gary & Mary West Stables Inc. (KY); T-Brad H. Cox. $59,400.
Margins: 2, 3/4, 8 1/4. Odds: 7.74, 3.84, 0.70.
Also Ran: Last Samurai, Rich Strike, Milliken. Scratched: Giant Game.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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So on a weekend when we temporarily suspend our search for the adolescent Thoroughbred maturing sufficiently to beat his peers on the first Saturday in May, let's celebrate the fulfilments that remain available later in life–whether on two legs or four.

The GIII Essex H. is the kind of race that warms the cockles of my heart. Last year it retrieved graded status, and deservedly so after increasing its purse fivefold between 2016 and 2021–a telling snapshot of the thriving Oaklawn program. And this time round it throws together a couple of evergreen veterans who show that whether age turns us into vinegar or vintage wine is largely up to us.

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In the case of D. Wayne Lukas, it actually stands to reason that he should still maintain the standards of his heyday even with a much smaller barn. True, he does seem as blessed in indefatigability as in the genius he always brought to his vocation, and harnessing one to the other has simply given a fresh dimension to his unique status in our community. A wider application, however, surely applies to the principle that any decline in the physical powers even of lesser mortals is compensated, and amply so, by experience.

It's not as though anyone sends an expensive Thoroughbred to a given trainer because he might otherwise have made a cage-fighter or lumberjack. I've never understood why “ageing” trainers (an alarmingly elastic concept) should have become unfashionable as they certainly are in my homeland. Some of the biggest yards in Newmarket these days seem to be supervised as a perk accompanying appointment as head boy at various prep schools. As I have frequently remarked, if I owned the Derby favourite, and he had a foot in a bucket of ice the evening before the race, I would rather my trainer was dealing with the problem for an umpteenth time, and not the first.

It would be nice to think that a few people pondered this after the longest-serving trainer in Newmarket won the Arc last autumn, and I was delighted to learn that Sir Mark Prescott will be training for the new monarch this year. On the other side of the water, meanwhile, Lukas himself offered a similar prompt to reflection with Secret Oath (Arrogate) in the GI Kentucky Oaks last year. Though he was now closer to 90 than 80, perhaps one or two people recognized that the guy might finally be getting the hang of the game.

Admittedly it was hard, after Rich Strike (Keen Ice) emerged from nowhere (both figuratively and literally) the next day, to resist a wistful sense that Secret Oath in that form might well have cut down the boys in the Derby after all. While her form then tapered off, last weekend she looked as rejuvenated as her trainer when resurfacing at the track where she first made her name.

That was a gratifying sight, after her breeders had resisted all blandishments to keep her in the Briland family. And Last Samurai, who represents Lukas in the Essex, similarly looked better than ever when taking his earnings past $1.6 million in the GIII Razorback H. Even in his fourth campaign, however, he remains a relative greenhorn compared to the horse who closed for fourth that day.

Rated R Superstar (Kodiak Kowboy) won this race last year, as he had back in 2019 when a callow 6-year-old, and now bids to retain the trophy on his 68th career start. Here's a horse, then, to renew the perennial question: who do we blame for the fact that the modern Thoroughbred is treated like porcelain? Is it the trainers themselves? Or do they only treat horses this way because of the raw materials they're nowadays given by breeders?

One trainer who sets himself apart in that respect is Kenny McPeek, who actually trained Rated R Superstar through his first 30 starts, including when third in the GI Breeders' Futurity. And on Saturday McPeek takes on his old buddy with another who exactly matched that effort as a juvenile, in Classic Causeway.

This time last year, this horse had just won the GII Tampa Bay Derby and was sketching out an apt memorial as one of just three colts in the final crop of Giant's Causeway. True to that legacy of toughness and versatility, in the summer Classic Causeway reinvented himself in startling fashion, winning a Grade I on turf just two weeks after finishing third in the GIII Ohio Derby. Few American trainers today would dare attempt anything like that, so who can presume to anticipate what he might yet achieve back on dirt?

This week McPeek has already dusted off another of last year's sophomores to make a really heartening return. It certainly seems a long time since Smile Happy (Runhappy) beat Classic Causeway (then in another barn) in the GII Kentucky Jockey Club S., not having been seen since his midfield finish in the Derby. But his rehearsals last spring had confirmed him among the best of the crop, and it's very wholesome to be reminded that there is life after the Triple Crown trail. Three years ago, after all, Last Samurai himself trailed in a distant fifth of six in the GI Arkansas Derby; while his rivals Saturday also include Silver Prospector (Declaration Of War), who had bombed out in the previous running of that race.

So let's hope that Litigate (Blame) can likewise return to build a career commensurate with his talent and potential after the hugely disappointing news that he's out of the Derby. All of us have some kind of stake in this horse doing enough to earn a place at stud, given that he has Numbered Account (Buckpasser) facing Thong (Nantallah) on either side of his pedigree. As that indicates, he has been in the best of hands throughout and hopefully his time will still come.

Even without him, the GII Louisiana Derby next week looks deep enough for horses to show that they could have a legitimate shot at Churchill but without banking enough points to prise open a gate. If that happens, however, nobody should despair. You might yet end up with a millionaire contesting the Essex H. in 2025. There are worse fates. Because what they say of people is probably just as true of many a horse: youth is wasted on the young.

The post This Side Up: Veterans’ Day at Oaklawn appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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The post Smile Happy Victorious In Return At Oaklawn appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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