Blue-blooded Westwood wins first stakes in Runhappy

ELMONT, N.Y. – Westwood has overcome myriad physical issues in his career just to make it back to the races. Saturday, the patience and perseverance of his connections was rewarded with a stakes victory as Westwood took the $150,000 Runhappy by three-quarters of a length over Skyler’s Scramjet at Belmont Park.

Westwood is by Bernardini out of the champion mare Ashado, bred and owned by Sheikh Mohammed’s Godolphin Racing. Among his physical issues is a bit of deformed foot that kept him away from the races for more than a year between his debut at 2 and second start at 3.

“He’s had a lot of issues, he’s got almost a deformed foot and other things,” trainer Kiaran McLaughlin said.

Westwood also has speed, but his new jockey, John Velazquez, didn’t want to use it too early. So even after the speedy Green Gratto scratched, Velazquez was hoping to sit off another horse in the early stages of the Runhappy.

Skyler’s Scramjet provided that target as Trevor McCarthy gunned him away from the rail and opened up a one-length lead over Westwood after an opening quarter of 22.37 seconds.

Westwood stalked Skyler’s Scramjet to the top of the lane, took over in upper stretch and outfinished that one, who was attempting to come back on the inside. Skyler’s Scramjet finished second by three-quarters of a length over Always Sunshine. Great Stuff and King Kranz completed the order of finish.

“I didn’t want to overdo it going to the lead with him,” said Velazquez, who picked up his fourth win on the card through the first eight races. “Last time they sent him to the lead he didn’t finish. My plan was if somebody wanted to go to the lead I wanted to sit off somebody; that’s the way it worked out.”

Westwood covered the six furlongs in 1:09.45 and returned $7.40 to win. Westwood was given a 99 Beyer Speed Figure.

Noting that Westwood is a gelding, McLaughlin said he would not look to ambitiously place him, saying “hopefully we get to race him for a couple of years.”