Runhappy Sets New Stakes Record in King’s Bishop

Runhappy (Super Saver) gave his sire a remarkable third first-crop Grade I winner at Saratoga, overcoming a high draw and wicked-fast fractions to establish a new stakes record in Saturday’s King’s Bishop S. Limousine Liberal (Successful Appeal) and favored ‘TDN Rising Star’ Holy Boss (Street Boss) chased in vain throughout from second and third, respectively. The final time of 1:20.54 was within 0.14 seconds of Darby Creek Road’s 37-year-old track record, when races were timed only in full fifth-seconds. “We were pretty confident going in,” commented winning trainer Maria Borell, a Syracuse, New York, native who once exercised horses for trainer Barclay Tagg. “He couldn’t have been training any better and we wouldn’t have spent the money to come up here if we thought he couldn’t win. I was a little nervous at the early fractions but I knew he could do it. We really prepared him well at home. I knew he was good, but that was really good.”

Saturday, Saratoga Race Course
NYRA.COM KING’S BISHOP S.-GI, $500,000, SAR, 8-29, 3yo, 7f, 1:20.54, ft.
1–#@&RUNHAPPY, 117, c, 3, by Super Saver
1st Dam: Bella Jolie, by Broken Vow
2nd Dam: Jolie Boutique, by Northern Jove
3rd Dam: Mimi La Sardine, by Tank’s Prospect
($200,000 Ylg ’13 KEESEP). O-James McIngvale;
B-Wayne, Gray & Bryan Lyster (KY); T-Maria Borell;
J-Edgar S. Prado. $275,000. Lifetime Record:
5-4-0-0, $331,300. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick Rating:
First SW for this cross.
[bullet ad=”ashview-farm-bred-and-raised”][bullet ad=”ashview-farm-hip-1183-12-bro-sells-at-keesep”][bullet ad=”tht-bloodstock-recommended-yearling-purchase”][bullet ad=”webb-carroll-another-wctc-grad”][bullet ad=”kbif-g1″] 2–Limousine Liberal, 117, g, 3, Successful Appeal–Gift
of Gab, by In Excess (Ire). O-Katherine G. Ball; B-Mike
& Katherine Ball (KY); T-Ben Colebrook. $100,000.
3–Holy Boss, 121, c, 3, Street Boss–Holy Grace, by
Holy Bull. ($135,000 Ylg ’13 KEESEP). O-Jerry
Durant; B-Adena Springs (KY); T-Steven M.
Asmussen. $60,000. [bullet ad=”bred-raised-sold-adena”] Margins: 4, 2, HF. Odds: 11.30, 15.90, 2.85.
Also Ran: Watershed, Grand Bili, March, Mr. Z, Competitive Edge, Classy Class, Commute, Loose On the Town.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

A $200,000 Keeneland September graduate, Runhappy turned in one of the more talked-about debuts during the holiday meet at Turfway Dec. 28, as he missed the break, accelerated to open a clear late and took the scenic route home to post a green–but good–8 1/4-length graduation. Asked to take his show on the road and around two turns just 20 days later in the GIII Lecomte S. at the Fair Grounds, but he was bumped twice in the early stages of that event and was through after six furlongs, finishing better than 21 lengths behind International Star (Fusaichi Pegasus).

Runhappy was subsequently transferred from Laura Wohlers to Borell, and the colt resumed with a five-length allowance score at Indiana Grand July 7, besting three next-out winners, and punched his ticket to the major leagues with a 2 3/4-length tally at Ellis Park July 31.

Drawn out in gate 11, Runhappy–racing without Lasix–was one of the first into stride and it looked initially like Edgar Prado would stalk Limousine Liberal from second, but he instead hit the gas and Runhappy was in front after an opening quarter-mile in a reasonable :22.43. Chased along by Limousine Liberal and a three-wide Holy Boss, Runhappy was forced into a fast following couple of furlongs and hit the three-eighths marker in a far more taxing :44.54, though he looked to be doing it fairly easily. Set down in upper stretch by Edgar Prado, Runhappy somehow managed to find another gear and came away to an impressive victory, as Limousine Liberal and Holy Boss filled out the minors in what became a merry-go-round race up front. ‘TDN Rising Star’ Watershed (Bernardini) was the only rival to do any running late, overcoming a slow start to finish a creditable fourth.

“The plan was to break good out of the gate,” said Prado, tallying his first Grade I victory since Graydar (Unbridled’s Song) took the 2013 Donn H. “He was doing everything so easy and I was very confident in him going into the first turn. When he started pricking his ears and looking for competition, that made me feel good. When I asked him on the top of the stretch and he picked it up, I knew we were in good shape.”

Runhappy is the first foal for his dam, who has a 2-year-old colt by Curlin and a yearling colt by Lookin at Lucky, who is consigned by Ashview Farm to the upcoming Keeneland September sale. Bella Jolie produced a colt by Exchange Rate this past April and was bred back to Cairo Prince.