2015 Eclipse Award Champion Male Sprinter

Runhappy was a brilliant champion sprinter who became the 2015 Eclipse Award Champion Male Sprinter. He was foaled in 2012 and was owned by Jim McIngvale, the Houston furniture store owner known to the country as "Mattress Mack." He was trained early in his career by Maria Borell and later by Laura Wohlers. His sire was the 2010 Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver, and his dam was Bella Jolie, a daughter of Broken Vow.

Runhappy was as fast as any horse of his generation. He showed his blazing speed on the racetrack right from the start, winning his early stakes and quickly stepping up to top company. As a three year old in 2015, he came alive in the late summer and fall. He won the King's Bishop Stakes at Saratoga in dominant fashion, beating top three year old sprinters. The win gave him a clear path to the Breeders Cup Sprint at Keeneland.

The 2015 Breeders Cup Sprint was the crowning moment of his career. Runhappy, ridden by jockey Edgar Prado, blasted off the gate and never looked back, winning by two and three quarter lengths in a track record time of 1:08.58 for six furlongs. The performance was one of the fastest in Breeders Cup history. He came back later in the fall and added the Cigar Mile Handicap at Aqueduct, beating older horses and stretching his speed out to a mile. He was named the 2015 Eclipse Award Champion Male Sprinter at year end.

He raced briefly as a four year old in 2016 before being retired due to injuries. He finished his career with 7 wins from 10 starts and earnings of over 1.5 million dollars. Runhappy went to stud at Claiborne Farm in Kentucky, where he stood for many years and produced a number of stakes winners. Runhappy is remembered as one of the fastest American sprinters of the 2010s, a horse with explosive speed and a true champion's touch.

Sources:

• Runhappy - Wikipedia

• Claiborne Farm - Runhappy

• Bloodhorse - Runhappy