Happy Is a Choice. (McCarlee Perkins/Coady Media)
by Robert Yates
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Already a multiple Oaklawn allowance winner, Happy Is a Choice is now an Oaklawn stakes winner after capturing Saturday’s six-furlong $150,000 Ring the Bell for 3-year-olds and up.
After breaking last from the rail, Happy is a Choice raced in traffic late on the turn, but found a seam along the rail in the upper stretch and prevailed by a neck over Gulfport. The top two wagering choices (Happy Is a Choice was the 3-2 favorite; Gulfport was 9-5) were separated by a head in midstretch.
Gulfstream Way, the early leader, Of a Revolution and Durante completed the order of finish. Disco Ball and Run Classic were late scratches.
“He’s been sitting on a stakes win here. We ran against Skelly our last time down here,” remarked Ortiz.
“That was a fun race. Again, we ended up rematching him. I think this horse is only getting better with the company that he hangs out with. I think he just improves with them.”
After tracking early fractions of :22.97 and :47.28 for a half-mile, Happy Is a Choice’s winning time over a fast track was 1:11.78. The top two finishers each carried equal top weight of 124 pounds.
Ramon Vazquez was aboard Happy Is a Choice for trainer John Ortiz and co-owners Hootie Moore (Hooties Racing), William Simon (WSS Racing) and 4 G Racing (Brent and Sharilyn Gasaway).
I didn’t want to go too wide, so I just waited for the horses in front to drift out a little bit. I knew the hole was going to open at the top of the stretch. Said Vazquez.
“He’s a really nice horse. He always tries hard. I really like that horse,” he added.
Happy Is a Choice was a two-time allowance winner last season at Oaklawn and also ran third behind Skelly in the $500,000 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap (G3) last April.
Happy Is a Choice was exiting a neck victory over Skelly in the $300,000 Louisville Thoroughbred Society Stakes at 6 furlongs Sept. 14 at Churchill Downs. It was the first career stakes victory for Happy Is a Choice, a 4-year-old gelded son of sprint champion Runhappy.
Overall, Happy Is a Choice is 6 for 12, with earnings of $651,580.
Oaklawn is dark Sunday. Racing resumes Friday at 12:30 p.m. (Central).
