So Happy was in fine fettle the morning after winning the Santa Anita Derby (G1) April 4 at Santa Anita Park.
"He ate good and looked great this morning," trainer Mark Glatt said. "He seems to be in good spirits."
So Happy won the 1 1/8-mile Santa Anita Derby by 2 3/4 lengths under Hall of Famer Mike Smith. The colt by Runhappy sat an ideal trip behind dueling leaders Potente and Robusta and then finished strong to earn his second graded stakes victory. Potente finished second while Robusta weakened to last.
So Happy's winning time was 1:49.01, which earned a 100 Beyer Speed Figure. The Santa Anita Derby was So Happy's second time racing around two turns. Previously, in the San Felipe Stakes (G2) going 1 1/16, So Happy was up close to a sharp pace and yielded late to finish third, 2 1/4 lengths back of the winner Potente.
"I think that was the biggest part of it, having that two-turn race under his belt," Glatt said. "I thought Mike rode a great race. We were a little more patient with him than last time. Maybe he would have won the San Felipe if he got that same kind of trip. But dealing with Brant that day, combined with first-time two turns and having not raced for a couple of months, it all probably caught up with him."
So Happy is owned by Norman Stables and Saints or Sinners. He was purchased for $150,000 at last year's Ocala Breeders Sale Company March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in training.
In addition to becoming a grade 1 winner, the Santa Anita Derby victory also earned So Happy a berth in this year's Kentucky Derby (G1).
When So Happy ships to Churchill Downs for the 1 1/4-mile race is still to be determined.
"That needs to be thought out a little more than I've had a chance to do at this point," Glatt said.
For Glatt, this was his first victory in the Santa Anita Derby. It was an especially emotional win for the 53-year-old native of Washington, as less than two months ago, Glatt's wife of 25 years, Dena, died of heart failure.
Glatt said he and the So Happy team had a celebratory dinner after the races to commemorate the achievement.
"We absolutely did," Glatt said. "We had a nice dinner at my house. It was a special day for us all."
Big Crowd for Big Race Day
Fans came out en masse for Saturday's Santa Anita Derby program, as the on-track crowd of 37,562 was the highest for Santa Anita Derby Day since 2018.
The day began with a sold-out Derby Day 5K, now in its third decade, and continued throughout the afternoon with attractions that included an infield carnival, high-end culinary experiences in the grandstand, Red Bull Sky Divers, and the Compton Cowboys, all helping to push the attendance up more than 9% over the 2025 number of 34,312.
The real stars, however, were on the racetrack with So Happy and Potente stamping their tickets to the Kentucky Derby via the Santa Anita Derby, and the Michael McCarthy barn running 1-2 in the Santa Anita Oaks (G2) en route to next month's Kentucky Oaks (G1).
This press release has been edited for content and style by BloodHorse Staff.
