Happy My Way flies in Vosburgh drill
ELMONT, N.Y. – Happy My Way reintroduced himself to the Belmont main track Thursday morning by blazing five furlongs in 58.59 seconds in preparation for the Grade 1 Vosburgh here Sept. 27. It was the fastest of 10 works at the distance.
Happy My Way had not been on Belmont’s main track since last October, when he was training here. In two career starts over the main track, Happy My Way won a maiden $65,000 claimer in September 2012 and was a well-beaten fifth in the Gygistar Stakes in May 2013.
Happy My Way is a totally different horse than he was then. This year, Happy My Way has 3 wins and 2 seconds from 5 starts. He won the Grade 3 Maryland Sprint Handicap on Preakness Day at Pimlico, then, after 2 1/2-month layoff, he finished second to Palace in the Grade 1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt at Saratoga. Palace came back to win the Grade 1 Forego at Saratoga on Aug. 30 and is being pointed to the Vosburgh.
“He may have needed that race when Palace beat him,” said Joe Orseno, the trainer of Happy My Way. “I was tickled to death when Palace came and won. My horse wasn’t quite ready. Now he’s ready because he’s trained now. I’m stepping him up. I didn’t want to peak in the last one. It’s okay if he gives me a great effort [in the Vosburgh] because I know he’ll have got another one in him in November, and that’s what I’m shooting for.”
Orseno was referring to the Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Santa Anita on Nov. 1.
In addition to Palace and Happy My Way, others pointing to the Vosburgh include Dads Caps, Private Zone, Ribo Bobo, Salutos Amigos, and possibly Vyjack.