“Not an Easy Horse to Train,”: With $1,050,080 in Career Earnings, 4-Year-Old Filly Set to Stun the Equestrian World at $1,000,000 Venue

Kenny McPeek is currently one of the top trainers in earnings this year. He has a private barn behind the Oklahoma Training Track. In that barn, his top horses are trained. Among them is Smile Happy, the four-year-old colt owned by Lucky Seven Stable. He has been nominated for the upcoming graded 1 Whitney Stakes.

After not so perfect performance at the  Stephen Foster Stakes, the trainer has to decide which horse to go with. Smile Happy initially uncooperative during the last race finished the race in fifth position and another McPeek’s colt Rattle N Roll finished second in that race. However, McPeek has made up his mind to go with Smile Happy.

Smile Happy all set for the Witney Stakes

The four-year colt worth $1,050,080 after coming from Kentucky on 27th July went for training the next day. He went to the training wearing blinkers with exercise rider Joe Bealmear. Along with him, he had some gate schooling and then light galloping. Speaking on Smile Happy the trainer said to NBC, “He is not an easy horse to train. He tests us pretty regularly“.

Smile Happy does what he wants to do. According to McPeek he is an old-school horse like John Henry.  He said, “John Henry would train when he felt like training, and the older he got, the smarter he got at it.” This four-year colt is similar to that. His training schedule has to be made according to him and not the opposite way which is usually the norm. He further says, “When it comes to his training regime, he decides more than we do sometimes. He’s a tricky horse to be around“.

When he was asked which horse will participate in the September races like the Jockey Club Gold Cup and the Pacific Classic. McPeek said, “It all depends on how Smile Happy runs” at the $500,000 Whitney Stakes. At the coming Whitney, Smile Happy will be ridden by Brian Hernandez.

Smile Happy’s racing career

Smile Happy the four-year colt is the son of Run Happy and Plesant Smile. He was bred by Moreau Bloodstock Int’l Inc. &White Bloodstock LLC in Kentucky.  He started his racing journey in October 2021. Smile Happy debuted in an eleven and sixteenth-mile maiden special weight at Keeneland where he finished at first position by a distance of five and a half lengths. In his next race, he participated in the grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes at Churchill Downs. He won that race too with a distance of three and one-fourth lengths.

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Later on in the year 2022, he raced in three races with second position finish in the first two grade 2 Risen Stars and grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes. But, he had a bad finish at Kentucky Derby securing the eighth position. After that, he started racing the next year in 2023. This year he had an explosive start with the first position in AOC. Later, he secured the third position at Oaklawn Park. He regained his form in  Alysheba Stakes at Churchill Downs and won the race. The colt’s this year total earning is $500,270.

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