Arapahoe Star Tries Turf in San Simeon

Annette Bishop's Get Happy Mister has a lot working against him in the $100,000 San Simeon Stakes (gr. IIIT) April 19 at Santa Anita Park.



It will be the Colorado-bred gelding's first race on grass, his first trip down Santa Anita's tricky downhill turf course, and his first try at a graded stakes.



But the 5-year-old son of First Samurai   has an affinity for crossing the wire first, especially at his home base in Colorado, Arapahoe Park, where he's a perfect 9-for-9, including seven stakes victories. In 13 total races at Arapahoe, Santa Anita, Oaklawn Park, and Prairie Meadows, he has 10 wins from 13 starts.



"If you can win 10 out of 13 races in stakes company, then you've got some ability," said trainer Mark Tsagalakis, the son-in-law of Bishop who takes over Get Happy Mister's care on his yearly spring vacations outside of Colorado, upping the conditioner's stable to three horses. "He's right there and he deserves an opportunity to try this bunch."



Back in Colorado last year, after he finished fourth in the Santana Mile Stakes at Santa Anita to kick off his 2014 campaign, Get Happy Mister won five straight races at Arapahoe, including stakes scores in the Aspen, Front Range, Mount Elbert, and Arapahoe Park Classic.



Tsagalakis said he would have liked to have sent the gelding out on dirt, the surface he's raced on entirely in his career, but felt there weren't any viable options at Santa Anita. Get Happy Mister drew post 1 and will break from the gate with red-hot rider Tyler Baze.



"There was nowhere else to run him out here," Tsagalakis said. "If there was another place, or a cheaper spot, that would be nice, but there isn't one in this (condition) book. He's ready to run, so it's time to go."



Get Happy Mister also got his first run over turf with a six-furlong breeze on the Santa Anita grass April 16, when he covered the distance in an easy 1:19 2/5.



"We just wanted to get him out to get a feel for it," Tsagalakis said. "He seemed all right. No track records were set, but he seemed happy. You just don't know until they run. We'll find out Sunday."



The field Get Happy Mister will face in the San Simeon, however, is likely the toughest he's encountered yet.



Tarabilla Farms' Home Run Kitten, the winner of the downhill Eddie D Stakes (gr. IIIT) last August and the San Simeon highweight (120 pounds), figures to be one of the contenders, coming off three straight graded stakes placings—third place finishes in the Frank E. Kilroe Mile (gr. IT) and Arcadia Stakes (gr. IIT), and a neck second in the Mathis Brothers Mile Stakes (gr. IIT). 



Another favorite should be last year's San Simeon winner, Sweet Swap, who took the field gate-to-wire in 2014 edition of the race.



Joes Blazing Aaron is the only other graded stakes winner in the field, but the 7-year-old gelding tasted that achievement all the way back in 2011, when he won the Palm Beach Stakes (gr. IIIT) at Gulfstream Park.



Beyond those are stakes winners Outside Nashville, Holy Lute, Pure Tactics, and allowance/optional claiming victor U S Citizen, who is making his graded stakes debut.