Churchill Downs Press Release
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Saturday’s fourth running of the $299,500 Louisville Thoroughbred Society at Churchill Downs was a thriller as 14-1 longshot Happy Is a Choice nailed tiring even-money favorite Skelly at the wire to win the sprint by a neck.
Happy Is a Choice ran six furlongs over a fast track in 1:08.97. Ramon Vazquez rode the well-timed winner for trainer John Ortiz and owners Hooties Racing LLC, WSS Racing LLC and 4G Racing LLC.
This was the first stakes win for the gelded 4-year-old son of Runhappy.
Skelly, who entered the race with three stakes wins and three stakes seconds on the year, popped out of the gate from the outside stall in the field of seven older sprinters and led until the final jump through fractions of :22.10, :44.99 and :56.52. Happy Is a Choice had one horse beat early on and was positioned to race in the clear down the backstretch. He gradually improved his position, ranged into the third leaving the turn and was within three lengths of Skelly at the top of the stretch. Happy Is a Choice caught the leg-weary Skelly inside the final yards for the upset victory.
“I know there would be some pace in the race so I just rode my race,” Vazquez said. “My horse belongs with these type of horses and he showed it today.”
Happy Is a Choice rewarded his backers with $30,18, $8.08 and $5.74. Skelly, who has now finished first or second in all but one of his 18 career starts, paid $2.86 and $2.38 while being ridden by Ricardo Santana Jr. Here Mi Song, with Edgar Morales aboard, was another 1 ¼ lengths back in third and returned $4.22 to show.
#7 HAPPY IS A CHOICE ($30.18) nails the heavy favorite Skelly on the wire to win the $300,000 Louisville Society Stakes at Churchill Downs. The son of Runhappy was ridden by @JockeyRamonVazq and is trained by @johnnyortiz24. Congrats to all the connections! pic.twitter.com/oI9d1XH29i
— FanDuel Racing (@FanDuel_Racing) September 14, 2024
Necker Island, Manny Wah, Cyclone Mischief and Closethegame Sugar completed the order of finish. Disco Ball, Gulfstream Way and My Buddy B were scratched.
Happy Is a Choice, a Kentucky-bred out of the Afleet Alex mare Fast Alexia, won for the fifth time in his 11-race career. He also sports a trio of third-place finishes. The $181,900 payday jumped his earnings to $561,580.
“Steve (Asmussen) is such a great competitor and Skelly is a very nice horse,” Ortiz said. “We got the better of him today. I can’t thank the owners enough who have supported me when we started claiming horses and now we’re being rewarded with some very nice horses like him in our barn.”
The race is named for the Louisville Thoroughbred Society, which opened for regular hours of operation in March 2021. The Louisville Thoroughbred Society is Louisville’s only on-site wagering by Churchill Downs in the heart of Louisville’s metropolitan scene. The premier club for Thoroughbred enthusiasts is open for private membership applications, and reservations for special events are being accepted. For more information, visit www.thelouisvillethoroughbredsociety.com.
