2022 Kentucky Derby Hopeful Snapshots: Smile Happy

Welcome to the 2022 Kentucky Derby Prospects Snapshot, where we take a look each week at a recent winner on the Triple Crown track, usually from Road to the Kentucky Derby fixtures From there racehorses earn points for qualifying.

1 mile Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve will be held on May 7, 2022, at Churchill Downs.

This week, we’ll take a closer look Happy smile, winner Kentucky Jockey Club bets on November 27 at Churchill Downs to earn 10 points to qualify for the 2022 Kentucky Derby. Smile Happy placed 4th on breaking news. Road to the Kentucky Derby rankings.

Racing Resumé: Smile Happy improved to 2v2 with its second consecutive dominant win taking the $400,000 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes 3¼ on November 27 at Churchill Downs. That followed a similar 5½-length walk of dominance in his career debut on October 29 at Keeneland.

He’s now won twice in two turns and he has a win on the Kentucky Derby host circuit. Dark Bay aka the brown pony also handles a much more difficult task in the second start of going from maiden race (race where no horse has ever won a race) to race. The 11th Class 2 race promises to last 2 years. -yellow leaves.

Speed ​​figures: Smile Happy improved from the 91 Equibase Speed ​​Number for the first time in his career to the 96 Speed ​​Equibase Number for the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes win. It’s a nice incremental improvement similar to the jump from a 90 Brisnet speed rating for his debut to 98 for the Kentucky Jockey Club.

Smile Happy’s 90 Beyer Speed ​​for the Kentucky Jockey club is just four points short of the best a 2-year-old has earned in this year’s two-turn race, Echo Zulu’s 94 for having won the NetJets Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies on November 5 in Del Mar.

Running style: Smile Happy profile as a stalker. He has enough early speed to race for striking distances against the early leads but his mana reserve is a few chunks behind pre-launching his hit close to the ramp .

Connection: Mackin’s family Lucky Seven Stable now there is a pair of exciting Kentucky Prospect Derby in Claiborne Breeders ‘Futurity’ winner Rattle N Roll and Smile Happy, both trained by Kenny McPeek. McPeek has won more than 1,800 races in his career, including the 2020 Preakness Stakes with the Swiss skydiver and Belmont Stakes in 2002 with a 70.25-1 . ranged shot Sarava. McPeek purchased Smile Happy for $185,000 on behalf of Lucky Seven at the 2020 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky sale last October. Jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. was on Smile Happy in his first win, and companion in Kentucky Corey Lanerie ride it in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes.

Genealogical notes: Smile Happy is from the second season of 2015 the champion sprinter Runhappy in Pleasant Tap mare Pleasant Smile, who has won three of 12 races in his career, including one in the one mile and one at 1/16 mile. Pleasant Smile’s family produced the 2003 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Funny Cide as well as the 1st place winner Hail the Pirates.

Derby Potential: Smile Happy looked like a Kentucky Jockey Club winner from around midpoint on the last inning, and he finished impressively with a final 16-mile run in 6.24 seconds. While there may be some concerns about a Runhappy pony stretching up to 1/16 of a mile, it certainly looks like a comfortable and capable horse over longer distances. With a main track win at Churchill Downs and improved speed metrics, Smile Happy is sure to be one of the must-sees on the Triple Crown track in 2022.