Claiborne freshman sires RUNHAPPY and IRONICUS have their first starters entered later this week at Churchill Downs.
On Thursday, trainer Laura Wohlers will send out a filly by RUNHAPPY named Prettyhappy in the first race at Churchill Downs. Bred and owned by James McIngvale, also known as Mattress Mack and the exuberant owner of RUNHAPPY himself, she is out of the Stormy Atlantic mare Snow Lass.
“All of them have very good minds,” Wohlers said of the RUNHAPPY 2-year-olds in her barn, “how they react to things, and how smart they are, and how they pick up what we want them to do very quickly. Most of them are showing some speed, so we are pretty happy with the way they all are.”
Record-setting, medication-free champion sprinter RUNHAPPY has seen his 2-year-olds sell up to $475,000 at OBS March, and has 19 additional 2-year-olds cataloged at the rescheduled OBS Spring Sale in June.
IRONICUS also has his first starter entered this week on Friday’s first race at Churchill Downs. The Claiborne homebred Cuz is the first registered foal out of the winning Arch mare, Lope. He is trained by John Hancock.
IRONICUS was a multiple graded stakes-winning millionaire, and is the highest earner by Distorted Humor at stud. He set a new course record for 1 1/6th miles at Saratoga (1:38.54), and defeated 20 G1 winners in his career, including Constitution, Mshawish, and Tourist. He is half to four graded stakes winners from a stallion-making family that includes fellow Claiborne stallion FLATTER.