This year RUNHAPPY has flown to the top of his generation, leading all second crop sires by dirt earnings, stakes winners, and graded stakes earners.
The Champion Sprinter has seen his first crop of 3-year-olds and second crop of 2-year-olds come out running this year with 51.5% of his runners visiting the winner’s circle 76 times as of December 3rd. Among his successful first crop is Grade 2 winner and multiple Grade 1 placed Following, who leads RUNHAPPY’S five 2021 stakes performing 3-year-olds.
The horse who put RUNHAPPY in the headlines this week came from his second crop when Smile Happy romped home in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2) to put himself firmly on the Kentucky Derby (G1) trail. Smile Happy is part of a vintage second crop for his sire with five of juveniles performing at the stakes level – the same number as top sires Curlin and Constitution.
The stats get even better for RUNHAPPY when one looks athis four 2021 juvenile stakes winners. Second best of any North American sire, he is tied with stallions such as More Than Ready and Not This Time and has more stakes winners than Champion Sire Into Mischief, Quality Road, Munnings, Twirling Candy, Curlin, and others.
Frank Mitchell recently took a deep dive into the rise of RUNHAPPY and the value he provides on the Paulick Report. You can read that article here.