Smile Happy, Tiz the Bomb working as team for McPeek toward Kentucky Derby preps

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Smile Happy, a 3 1/4-length winner of the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes at Churchill Downs in late November, will continue breezing every Saturday at Gulfstream Park ahead of his 3-year-old debut in the Holy Bull as trainer Ken McPeek plots out a course for his Kentucky Derby hopefuls.

Smile Happy has breezed each of the last two Saturdays (Jan. 1 and 8) alongside Tiz the Bomb, with the latest being a half-mile team work in 48.80 seconds.

“They’ll be workmates at least the next few weeks,” said McPeek.

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Tiz the Bomb, runner-up in the Nov. 5 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf off wins in the Kentucky Downs Juvenile and Bourbon Stakes, definitely will be tried on the Derby trail, said McPeek. The Hit It a Bomb colt made his first two starts on dirt, including an easy maiden win at Ellis Park in early July.

“He handles it,” said McPeek.

McPeek has four Derby hopefuls, more than he’s ever had in one season in 37 years of training. Dash Attack, winner of the Jan. 1 Smarty Jones at Oaklawn Park, remains at Oaklawn with assistant Victor Morales and goes next in the Jan. 29 Southwest. Rattle N Roll, withheld from the Nov. 5 BC Juvenile with a minor ailment after winning the Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland in early October, “is a few weeks behind the others but is definitely still in the picture,” said McPeek.

Sandstone and Park On the Nile, both Kentucky Oaks Prospects, will return to action fairly soon at Gulfstream, said McPeek. Meanwhile, his top older horses Envoutante, Crazy Beautiful, King Fury, and Camp Hope all will return in the next week or so to his care at Gulfstream after getting short breaks at his Silver Leaf Hills Farm training center in Ocala, Fla.

◗ Entries were drawn Wednesday at Gulfstream for the Saturday co-features, the $75,000 Sunshine Classic and $75,000 Sunshine Sprint for Florida-breds. The Jan. 22 co-features, also for statebreds, are the $75,000 Sunshine Turf and $75,000 Sunshine Filly & Mare Turf.