Happy Jack. (Ernie Belmonte/Past The Wire)
Santa Anita Press Box
ARCADIA, Calif.—Happy Jack served notice in the sprint division Saturday at Santa Anita when rolling to a dominant victory in the GII, $200,000 Triple Bend Stakes going seven furlongs on the main track.
Making his second start off a nearly 10-month layoff, Happy Jack went to the early lead under Edwin Maldonado, showed the way into the stretch and then drew off through the lane to score by 4 ½ lengths as the 5-2 third choice.
Dr. Venkman, the 4-5 favorite who was returning from a seven-plus month layoff, finished second under Antonio Fresu by one length over Big City Lights (2-1). Tahoe Sunrise (6-1), ridden by Juan Hernandez for Bob Baffert, completed the order of finish.
Trained by Doug O’Neill for owner-breeder Calumet Farm, Happy Jack won in a sharp final time of 1:21.32. He set fractions of 23.20, 45.96 and 1:09.42 for six furlongs.
This was the first time Maldonado had ridden Happy Jack in a race. He had been on him multiple times during training.
“Doug said from last time that Frankie (Dettori) rode him that he thought he would be a little far back. He was a little closer and Frankie loved him there. That is what Doug said today, ‘If he breaks a little bit closer, take what they give you,’” Maldonado said.
“He’s been working great,” Maldonado said. “I had a lot of horse. 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. That’s when I said, ‘Okay, I have a ton left.’ When he turned for home and I asked him, he responded really well.”
This was the first stakes win for Happy Jack, who ran in both the GI, Kentucky Derby and GI Preakness as a 3-year-old in 2022. In his seasonal bow April 27 at Santa Anita, the Oxbow horse was beaten just three quarters of a length by top sprinter The Chosen Vron in the 6 ½-furlong Kona Gold Stakes. He earned a career-best 101 Beyer Speed Figure for the effort.
“We gave him some time and he has come back as good as ever,” O’Neill said. “He’s always shown that he has talent. We ran him in the (Kentucky) Derby, so that tells you something. Just the time off and the maturity…he is a one turn top-notch dirt horse. We are very excited.”
Happy Jack is now 13: 3-2-3 with $445,500 in earnings. With no show wagering, he paid $7.80 and $3.20. Dr. Venkman, who was trained my Mark Glatt, returned $2.60.
