With the recent retirement of the 1st class winner Bell is the only one coach Neill Pessin may have found his next stable star at Lothenbach Stables’ happy americans .
Like ‘Bell’, who scored a top-level victory at the age of 4, Happy American is another Pessin student who has blossomed with age. The newly formed 5-year-old, 0-to-4 holding company before winning Tenacious Shares the day after Christmas, has now won consecutive black category events with its sensational win on the 21st. January in Louisiana Shares worth $146,000 (G3) in Fair Grounds Racecourse & Slots.
Despite his strong score, his late finish in Tenacious ahead of other Louisiana rivals Mr. Wireless , Forza Di Oro , chess captain and brave Heart bias lands on Barry and Joni Butzow .’s flashy December 17 grant winners Zozos , 10th in the Kentucky Derby (G1) last year. Zozos, part of the early scramble, lacked a kick for long periods and faded into fifth place.
According to Pessin, the happy American, “bigger and better” since Tenacious, took up his usual parking spot near the rear of the caravan as the Louisiana field was underway. Although Forza Di Oro passed with ease with slow initial speeds of: 25.08, :49.75 and 1:15.09, jockey James Graham remained undaunted on the great bay and allowed gelding to begin his customary closing rally after the yard returned home. Gobbling the ground from the center of the track, the Americans happily took down Forza Di Oro and Mr. Wireless.
As the finish line loomed, Happy American took down its nemesis in a final auction, one-shot ahead of the runner-up. Mr. Wireless preceded Forza Di Oro by another neck. It’s 3 3/4 back Classic run in fourth place.
Happy American, returning $10 from the $2 winning ticket, clocked 1 1/16 miles on the fast track with a time of 1:45.33.
Purchased by Lothenbach for $385,000 from breeder Claiborne Farm’s shipment for Keeneland’s September 2019 Annual Sale, Happy American made $437,376 with a 5-1-3 record in 16 departure times.
The Happy American was bred in Kentucky in addition to Quiet Americans mare Queen of America , producer of eight winners from 11 starters and 12 ponies. Her other classified bet winning descendants include Economic model and good Monied . She also has two other bet winners in addition to the classified rank.
Videotapes: Louisiana S. Presented by Relyne GI By Hagyard (G3)
Supervision, Gentle Soul, Shining Wave of Goodness
Earlier on the card, Big Chief Racing, Rocker O Ranch and Keith Desormeaux’s monitor took his talent to the next level with his third consecutive bet on the Fair Grounds oval of $97,000 Duncan F. Kenner Stakes. Trained by Desormeaux, son of Structure previously won the November 24 Thanksgiving Day Share and the December 26 Richard R. Scherer Memorial Share. With jockey James Graham back on board, Surveillance ($4.20) has started. was Kenner 5 1/2 feathers, which had previously been scheduled for grass but contested on the main track, with a final time of 1:04.05.
Duncan F. Kenner Stocktaking Supervisor
Martin Mueller, Don Ladd, Richard Reid, Joe Browley, and Arvydas Ciemins’ Magnanimity scored 9-1 when he beat the 1st class winner two Emmy Awards and favored Talk price in the $99,000 Colonel ER Bradley Share. Coached by Bret Calhoun and ridden by Reylu Gutierrez, Gentle Soul ($21.80) passed two Emmys by half the length in a final time of 1:48.82 in about 1 1/16 miles on a solid lawn.
In the mares and mares equivalent to Bradley, the $97,000 Marie G. Krantz Memorial Stock, Hernandez Racing Stable’s Waves of kindness ($13.40) dominates half the length for coach Armando Hernandez. Jockey Mitchell Murrill rides ‘s daughter Prince Cairo who stopped the stopwatch at 1:49.17.
