Runhappy Rolls to Runaway Malibu Stakes Victory

Runhappy streaked into the stretch with a commanding lead and powered to victory in the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes on Saturday at Santa Anita Park. (Photos by Eclipse Sportswire)
by Jeremy Balan, @BH_JBalan
Runhappy showed an opening-day record crowd of 44,873 at Santa Anita Park that he remains a force to be reckoned with.
James McIngvale's 3-year-old sprinting superstar became a three-time Grade 1 winner on Saturday, when he set the pace and pulled away from the field to win the $300,000 Malibu Stakes by 3 1/2 lengths.
The victory gave trainer Laura Wohlers — who is also McIngvale’s racing manager and previously trained Runhappy — her first Grade I victory and her first graded score all in one shot. Wohlers took over from trainer Maria Borell after the Super Saver colt won the TwinSpires Breeders’ Cup Sprint on Oct. 31 at Keeneland Race Course.
Runhappy clicked off quarter-mile fractions of :22.62, :44.81, and 1:09.06 through three-quarters of a mile under Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens, who was aboard for the first time. Runhappy crossed the finish line in 1:21.76 to win the seven-eighths of a mile race and improve to seven wins in eight career starts.
“He blows me away,” Stevens said. “That was only the second time I’ve sat on him, and to get to feel that power coming into the stretch was awesome.”
Godolphin Racing’s Marking pressed the pace early, but quickly settled into second and followed the winner all the way for a runner-up finish. Grade 2 winner Lord Nelson checked in third, another 1 3/4 lengths back.
“When we brought him to the receiving barn today, he looked like he had his game face on,” Wohlers said. “I knew he’d run well.”
Sent off as the 1-2 favorite, Runhappy paid $3 to win, $2.60 to place, and $2.10 to show. Marking paid $4 to place and $3 to show, while Lord Nelson delivered $3.20 to show.
Wayne Lyster, Gray Lyster, and Bryan Lyster bred Runhappy in Kentucky out of the Broken Vow mare Bella Jolie. He boosted his career earnings to $1,481,300. His only defeat in eight races was a ninth-place finish in the Grade 3 Lecomte Stakes in January. Runhappy subsequently was transferred from Wohlers to Borell.
Although he’ll head to Texas next to rest for a few months, McIngvale and Wohlers both indicated targets in 2016. Wohlers said after the race they intend on stretching the colt out to a mile for the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap while McIngvale indicated he’d like to return to Santa Anita and go for a repeat win in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint.
“We’ll give the horse a couple of months off and bring him back in March and begin his training again, and we’ll see if we have time to prep him in a race before the Met Mile,” Wohlers said.
For an Equibase chart, click here.
RUNHAPPY DOMINANT IN MALIBU STAKES