Milestones galore in Get Happy Mister's San Simeon victory
ARCADIA, Calif. - Pick a participant involved with Get Happy Mister’s win in Sunday’s $100,500 San Simeon Stakes at Santa Anita and there was a milestone to celebrate.
The Grade 3 San Simeon was the first stakes win, and first graded stakes win for trainer Mark Tsagalakis; the first California stakes win for owner Annette Brown of Lakewood, Col..; the 5-year-old gelding’s first graded stakes win; and a career-best ninth stakes win at a Santa Anita winter-spring meeting for jockey Tyler Baze.
Get Happy Mister won for the 11th time in his 14-race career. The $60,000 winner’s share of the purse increased Get Happy Mister’s career earnings to $384,928, a record for a Colorado-bred. The previous mark of $342,783 was held by the 10-time stakes winner Cut of Music compiled in an 87-race career from 2002 to 2009.
Get Happy Mister ($27.20) was the second-longest shot in a field of established California turf sprinters in the San Simeon on the hillside turf course, and had an ideal ride from Baze to beat 5-2 Holy Lute.
Get Happy Mister was third on the hillside, tracking Sweet Swap and Pure Tactics, who dueled through quick fractions of 22.16 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and 43.84 seconds for the first half-mile.
Baze guided Get Happy Mister to the inside after crossing onto the main turf course, took the lead in the final sixteenth and won by a length, finishing about 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:13.11.
“He was nice to ride,” Baze said. “I’d never been on him. It looks like he can do anything.
“I had a beautiful trip. I knew they were flying and I took my time. He’s big and strong and he has a huge stride.”
Holy Lute finished a length in front of Home Run Kitten, the 2-1 favorite. Outside Nashville was fourth, followed by Sweet Swap, Pure Tactics, and U S Citizen.
Get Happy Mister has been in training with the 52-year-old Tsagalakis in Southern California since January. Tsagalakis typically has less than 10 horses in training. He has run two horses this year, and won with both of them.
Get Happy Mister had not raced since winning the Arapahoe Classic Stakes last August, his fifth consecutive win at that venue in 2014 for trainer Butch Gleason.
“This horse would be here if I didn’t have Mark,” Brown said. “I’m amazed he did as well as he did. It’s down to Mark. He took his time.”
Brown said in the winner’s circle that Get Happy Mister will return to Colorado, and Gleason’s stable, for the Arapahoe Park meeting, but could return to Southern California in the fall.