Runhappy scaring ‘em away from Ack Ack

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The heavy lifting is over for Runhappy after he was sent through his final breeze Sunday at Keeneland in preparation for his eagerly awaited return to racing Saturday at Churchill Downs.

Runhappy will be a huge favorite in what is shaping up as a very short field for the Grade 3, $100,000 Ack Ack, and racing officials were having a difficult time finding a sufficient number of opponents for him in the one-mile race. Entries were to be taken Wednesday for the Ack Ack and the two other stakes to be run Saturday, the $175,000 Lukas Classic and the $100,000 Jefferson Cup.

Before dawn Sunday, Runhappy went five furlongs in 58.60 seconds over a fast track at Keeneland with Marcus O’Donnell aboard and trainer Laura Wohlers looking on. It was the fifth breeze for the 4-year-old colt since he returned to serious training following a delay initially caused by a foot problem and then by a diagnosis of mild bone bruising.

“We’ve got him fit, we’ve got him sharp,” said Wohlers. “Hopefully, this will be enough to get a good prep into him before the Breeders’ Cup.”

Runhappy is being pointed to the Nov. 4 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile at Santa Anita, which happens to be the site of his most recent race, a Dec. 26 victory in the Grade 1 Malibu. The 2015 Eclipse Award-winning sprinter has won seven of eight career starts.

As of early this week, only Schivarelli and The Truth Or Else had been confirmed as opposition for Runhappy in the Ack Ack. There are 24 nominees, but most have run recently or have different races in their plans, including Tom’s Ready for the Oct. 8 Kelso at Belmont Park.

Meanwhile, the 1 1/8-mile Lukas Classic is expected to feature an alluring matchup between multiple graded winners Noble Bird and Bradester. The Jefferson Cup, for 3-year-olds at a mile on turf, could have Surgical Strike as the favorite for trainer Ben Colebrook.