Patience Pays for Calumet, Happy Jack in Triple Bend
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Photo: Benoit Photo
Happy Jack wins the Triple Bend Stakes at Santa Anita Park
Maturity and patience have turned Happy Jack into a top-flight sprinter. A candidate for the 2022 Triple Crown races, he proved his ability against a small but talented field in the June 1 Triple Bend Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita Park.
Dr. Venkman and Big City Lights attracted much of the Triple Bend action, going off as the 9-10 favorite and 2-1 second choice, respectively, in the four-horse field. But Happy Jack blasted his way to the front from the very beginning under jockey Edwin Maldonado and just kept going.
The quartet stayed compact throughout much of the early part of the seven furlongs. Dr. Venkman and Big City Lights ran together behind Happy Jack's first quarter-mile of :23.20, the duo looking like either or both would soon tackle the front-runner.
It never happened. Oh they tried, but Happy Jack was having none of it. He looked like he was having a fine time as he pulled away in the stretch, eventually scoring by 4 1/2 lengths in a brisk 1:21.32. Dr. Venkman finished second, a length in front of Big City Lights. It was 11 1/2 lengths back to Tahoe Sunrise , the longest shot in the field at 6-1.
Trainer Doug O'Neill, who won the Triple Bend in 2004 with Pohave and in 2017 with Denman's Call , quickly credited owner/breeder Calumet Farm.
"They stopped on him and gave him time, and he's come back just as good as ever," O'Neill said. "He's always shown special talent."
Maldonado was riding Happy Jack for the first time in a race.
"He's been working great," the jockey said. "When we passed the three-eighths pole, I smooched at him a little bit to see how much I had and he kind of took off."
After breaking his maiden in January of his 3-year-old season at Santa Anita in 2022, Happy Jack showed promise on the Triple Crown trail by finishing third in the San Felipe Stakes (G2) and Santa Anita Derby (G1). He finished unplaced in the Kentucky Derby (G1) and Preakness Stakes (G1), and his five subsequent starts produced just one win and a vacation from August 2022 to May 2023.
Prior to this year, Happy Jack's last race was a fifth in the Kelly's Landing stakes at Ellis Park in July. He faced The Chosen Vron in his first 2024 race, the April 27 Kona Gold Stakes, and he finished three-quarters of a length behind a gelding on the top of his game. California-bred The Chosen Vron is currently on a five-race victory skein, coming back over Memorial Day weekend to add the Thor's Echo Stakes, a race named for a Cal-bred Eclipse Award champion sprinter trained by O'Neill.
Calumet Farm bred Happy Jack from Tapitstry , a Canadian-bred daughter of Tapit who placed six times in seven starts but did not win. Calumet bought Tapitstry in foal to Tizway for $100,000 at the 2015 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale. The mare went through the 2022 Keeneland November sale consigned by Vinery Sales, selling for $27,000 to Lena Hedberg.
Oxbow , winner of the 2013 Preakness for Calumet, is the sire of Happy Jack and Dubai Golden Shaheen (G1) winner Tuz . The stallion stands for a 2024 stud fee of $7,500 at Calumet near Lexington.