Runhappy's first winner makes stakes debut in race named for sire

By Jennie Rees/Ellis Park Communications

Owner James “Mattress Mac” McIngvale can get some of his sponsorship money back with his 2-year-old colt Libertyrun in the $100,000 Runhappy Juvenile on Sunday’s Runhappy Ellis Park Derby card at the Runhappy Summer Meet at Ellis Park. McIngvale campaigned Runhappy, who won an Ellis Park allowance race in a 3-year-old season that culminated in winning the 2015 Breeders’ Cup Sprint and the Eclipse Award as outstanding male sprinter.

Libertyrun became the first son or daughter of the Claiborne stallion Runhappy to win a race, powering to a 6 1/4-length victory in his July 8 debut at Indiana Grand on the Indiana Derby undercard. Now he’ll try to become Runhappy’s first stakes-winner.

The performance at Indiana Grand at 23-1 odds, and after breaking from post 12, was an emotional one for the Runhappy camp.

“He’s homegrown, and it was very unexpected,” said Laura Wohlers, who trains Libertyrun for McIngvale, her brother in law, and who was involved extremely with Runhappy’s training. “First Runhappy winner, all that adding up makes for an emotional day.”

Libertyrun could take advantage of being foaled in the Pelican State in the restricted $60,000 D.S. “Shine” Young Futurity on Aug. 29 at Evangeline Downs, where he’d face fellow Louisiana-breds.

“This race is a good race in between,” Wohlers said. “And this race will give us an idea of where he is and which direction we head next…. It would be awfully fun to have a Runhappy win the Runhappy Juvenile, but he’ll have to improve quite a bit to step up and win. But, hey, you never know. He’s doing very well. He surprised us when he won first out in Indiana, and he might surprise us" Sunday.

Libertyrun will be ridden again by Miguel Mena. “He put in a good effort, did it the right way and was very professional," the jockey said. "He showed some speed, got in a good position. When I asked him, he picked it up. He galloped out well, too. I worked him here a couple of weeks three-quarters of a mile, and he got over the track really well. He’s got some talent.”

Wohlers said that Libertyrun shares his dad’s characteristic of sleeping a lot.

“He’s a little bit more energetic,” she said. “Runhappy was always a very calm horse. This horse is very, very calm in the stall. But when you get him out of the stall, he’s just full of energy. So he’s a little different in that aspect. But he seems to have a very good mind, just kind of does everything right for us.”

“If he wins tomorrow, it would absolutely make our year,” she said Saturday. “Then we’ll decide if we want to take him to a bigger stakes, like the Runhappy Hopeful at Saratoga. That would probably the goal if he wins.”

The even-money favorite is the Steve Asmussen-trained Cowan, who won his debut at Churchill Downs in good time (4 1/2 furlongs in 51 3/5 seconds) but stretches out of 7/8 of a mile in his first start in 2 1/2 months.

Medicine Tail, a snappy maiden winner at Ellis Park in his third attempt, could add to a strong meet for trainer Dane Kobiskie and owner PTK LLC, who brought a meet-leading six wins into Saturday’s racing. Joe Rocco is back aboard the 3-1 shot in the morning line.