Underpressure has gone from practical buy to stable star

If it had not been for the exploits of champion Runhappy, owner Mallory Greiner and her husband, trainer Chris Richard, would not have had the life-changing horse Underpressure.

Underpressure, who has chance to pass $700,000 in career earnings in Saturday night’s $70,000 Owner Appreciation Cup at his base of Delta Downs, was a private purchase at 2 from Runhappy’s owner, Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale.

Richard, who through the years has trained horses for McIngvale, said the owner was campaigning Runhappy at the time and was focused on a schedule of races on both coasts. The situation led to the availability of Underpressure, a son of Birdstone who was bred in Louisiana by McIngvale.

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“When he was a 2-year-old, they had Runhappy and they were going out to California for the Breeders’ Cup and he was already paid up in the Pegasus,” Richard said. “They were going to go from California to Florida, and here was this Louisiana-bred. They said, ‘We’ll sell him to you guys to take and run him against Louisiana-breds.’ They were really focused on Runhappy.”

It was an easy sell.

“Mallory saw one picture of him and she had to have him,” Richard said. “He ended up being a once-in-a-lifetime horse. We never thought he would have gone on and accomplished what he’s accomplished.”

Richard said at the time of purchase, Underpressure was just an average 2-year-old.

“That lightbulb had not come on with him,” he said.

Underpressure won his maiden late in his 2-year-old season, for a claiming price of $50,000 in November 2016. He would go on to win two Louisiana-bred stakes at 3 and was named his division’s champion by the Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders Association. At 4, Underpressure won the $150,000 Louisiana Champions Day Classic at Fair Grounds and, most recently, the $150,000 Louisiana Premier Night Championship on Feb. 8 at Delta.

It was the sixth Louisiana-bred stakes win for Underpressure. The success has placed McIngvale in the forefront among the state’s breeders and in 2018 he was recognized as the LTBA’s leading breeder by percentage of stakes winners.

Underpressure has been on something of a comeback trail since being gelded last summer at 5. Richard said the horse was castrated after he and Greiner decided a stallion career was not a viable option and that when the horse is retired he will become their stable pony. The castration went as planned, but about three weeks later the horse began showing signs of soreness behind, Richard said. He was found to have an infection for which he underwent surgery to remove damaged tissue.

“We were very proactive about it,” Richard said. “It took about 45 days to heal up before we could kind of go back to training.”

Underpressure returned to action in November at Delta and won an allowance. His win a few starts later in the track’s Premier Night Championship led to one of his best Beyer Speed Figures, a 90. It was the 12th career victory from 35 starts for Underpressure, who so far has earned $693,382.

Underpressure will be part of a stable of 10 to 12 horses Richard is bringing next week to Oaklawn, where he won a race Sunday. The horse’s plans beyond Delta call for targeting the $60,000 Star Guitar on March 28 at Fair Grounds.