The Making of a Champion: Runhappy is Trained Like No Other

The stories behind some horses run deep, and for Runhappy, there are numerous layers that should be peeled back before you can fully appreciate his excellence on the racetrack. Controversies aside, the son of Super Saver is one of the more interesting horses to hit American soil in recent years. What follows is less about the soap opera, but rather more about an alternative way of thinking. As good as this colt is, and still could become, the bigger story may be a new way of training, or if you prefer, a very old way.

There has been a unique plan for Runhappy ever since he was plucked out of the Keeneland September Sale of 2013 for $200,000 as a yearling. Not long before, Bill Pressey met Jim McIngvale and Laura Wohlers, and the like-minded trio have been working together ever since. All three share a strong belief that the modern training techniques of today fall far short of what is best for the horse. Their ways of doing things may seem radical, but actually they prescribe to the old methods of training used by so many Hall of Fame conditioners of the past.

No drugs. A happy, healthy horse. In discussing their unique method of training with Pressey this morning, these are themes that the Exercise Physiology scholar came back to on several occasions. With that alone, he had my full attention.

Because their methods are counter to the current norm of doing things, McIngvale, Wohlers, and Pressey have had trouble in finding trainers that are willing to fully follow their program. Because of this, trainers have come and gone, none more famously than Maria Borell, the trainer of record for five of Runhappy’s victories, but the team will not waver in their steadfast belief that their method is best.

Runhappy was specifically selected by McIngvale and Wohlers as a conformationally sound horse. The team knew that they would need a horse, at the very least, durable enough to stand up to their program, and within their program, this type of horse could thrive in a way that has become nearly unheard of in modern American racing.

There is no benefit for these athletes not to be allowed to run fast often enough, according to Pressey. He believes that the training intensity of a thoroughbred race horse should be closer to the racing intensity. It seems simple enough. Prepare your horse properly for the task they are to perform, and the results will come. Pressey said the idea of hard training is a misnomer, rather he refers to the program that Runhappy has been on as an individualized exercise prescription.

Pressey went on to explain that sparse training methods of today are damaging to our horses. Injuries often happen when horses are asked to do things they are not ready to do. Training a horse to have strong muscles, ligaments, and tendons, and knowing what your horse is ready for, and not ready for, not only cuts down on the need for excessive use of pain medication, but also helps prevent injury.

Bleeding in racing will always happen to some extent, but Pressey says that most of it can be avoided by strong lungs, rather than Lasix. Lungs that are prepared for the exercise that they are about to undertake, are far less likely to produce blood. Work a horse consistently four furlongs in fifty seconds, and then expect them to run much faster and longer in races only creates problems. Because of their training methods, Team McIngvale is able to run their horses, like Runhappy, drug free.

Drug free, Runhappy exercises differently than other horses, but he also enjoys the benefits of being part of the McIngvale stable. Unlike other race horses, he is turned out four hours a day, and has regular massage therapy -- no expense is spared in making sure that their horse is kept happy. Happy to work fast and run fast.

Technology has come a long way, even in racing, and on Pressey’s recommendation, the McIngvale team uses an E-Trakka device to record and analyze their horses’ heart rate, as well as running characteristics such as speed and stride. The device is built into the saddle blanket, and tells Pressey everything he wants to know about Runhappy’s conditioning every time he exercises.

Without getting overly technical, Pressey analyzes a horse’s speed and intensity, while looking at his heart rate. Through this, the overall conditioning, or lack of conditioning, can be better understood. Therefore, they are looking for reasons to move forward, rather than is the practice of most trainers today, of looking for reasons to back off.

It goes without saying that Pressey is tickled pink, that in Runhappy, the team has found a horse that can play out their training regimen to perfection. He’s well aware that the winner of the Grade 1 King’s Bishop and Breeders’ Cup Sprint, and soon to be Eclipse Award Champion is a very special horse, but he is also pleased that one of only a handful of horses they have been able to train the way they want a horse to be trained, has proven to be such an amazing success story.

As for the future racing career of Runhappy, he will remain in Texas enjoying some time off, before getting back to training in March. The Grade 1 Met Mile, on Belmont Stakes day, is the first major goal of 2016, but Pressey expects the winner of 7-of-8 lifetime to probably make one start before that, which could come in the seven furlong Churchill Downs Stakes, on the first Saturday in May. It is by no accident that big races, on bigger race days would be on Runhappy’s dance card. Pressey believes that McIngvale desires Runhappy to be a horse of the people, and to show the star off to as many fans as possible.

When I asked Pressey which Breeders’ Cup race Runhappy would be pointed to in 2016, he said that the horse would let them know. Remaining consistent to the overall conditioning plan, before the Met Mile, the son of Super Saver will have eight furlong works. Works in the neighborhood of 1:36 to 1:38. In other words, as part of the program, Runhappy will train like an athlete does, and will not graduate to the next step (greater distance) until he satisfactorily passes the same test in the mornings.

He went on to say that if Runhappy progresses in his training and conditioning and can come back to a heart rate of approximately 130 beats per minute within two minutes after a high intensity workout at longer distances, then there will be no reason why the star runner will be limited to one-turn races. Even the Breeders’ Cup Classic at ten furlongs is not out of the question. Runhappy has the big stride and the breeding for it, according to Pressey. Of course, if he were to run in the Classic, he would have already proved that he can athletically handle the distance by working ten furlongs in preparation. If the numbers come back right after a work Pressey estimated in the 2:05 range, then they believe Runhappy will be prepared for the test of America’s richest race.

Happily, Pressey believes there is a good chance that a five-year-old Runhappy would continue to run in 2017, but he realizes there are breeding considerations that will arise. He calls McIngvale a sportsman, though, and as long as Runhappy remains happy and healthy, American racing could be graced by a throwback champion the likes of which has not been seen for years. The type of horse that could change the way horses are trained tomorrow, and for years to come.