It was an international 2-year-old double for RUNHAPPY on Thursday when his rising star Run This City stayed undefeated in Japan and Zing romped in Indiana.
Racing over a mile on the dirt, Run This City faced 15 other horses in his second start at Ohi. The colt was easily in third place a few paths off the rail just waiting for his turn to show his stuff.
That came with a quarter mile to go when he started to roll after the leader. The colt didn’t run away from the field like he had in his debut but wasn’t asked for much by his jockey. Run This City was given one tap in the final sixteenth and kept a half-length on the second place finisher in the end.
This afternoon at Indiana Grand, Zing was an easier victress in her second career start.
The Dunwoody Farm homebred saw her one-mile race switched from turf to dirt but quickly proved she could handle either surface. The filly took the lead immediately and didn’t seem to mind the pressure the horse stalking her kept trying to apply.
In the stretch, Deshawn Parker asked Rodolphe Brisset’s trainee for her run and the race was over just inside the final furlong. Zing won by five lengths with a two-horse dead heat behind her for second and the fourth place finisher over 15 lengths behind the winner.
Zing is out of the stakes-placed All Aces, a half-sister to multiple graded stakes winner Stanley Park and stakes winner Turf Melody in addition to the stakes-placed Shriek. Shriek is also the dam of multiple graded stakes winner and multiple Grade 1-placed Paid Up Subscriber.
RUNHAPPY’s 12 juvenile winners this year is tied with stallions such as Nyquist and Munnings. Overall, his 2-year-old winner count is the second most of any second crop sire this year. His four 2-year-old stakes performers in 2021 is also fifth best among all North American stallions.