Cal-Bred Make Happy Makes Light Work of Cattleya Sho

[Wandering Eyes]

Sent off the overwhelming favorite at 2-5, Kazuko Yoshida’s 2-year-old filly Make Happy (Square Eddie, saddle cloth 14) successfully built on a 10-length debut victory over Toyko’s metric mile with a 2 1/2-length score in Saturday’s $172,679 Cattleya Sho going the same course and distance.

One of the first to break the line, the $650,000 Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream acquisition drifted back to a position in the clear and just ahead of midfield as her fellow U.S.-bred Seiun Kobe (Congrats, SC 5) and Evacuant (Street Boss, SC 2) eyeballed one another up front. Coddled along on the turn and into the lane by Christophe Lemaire, Make Happy was roused to the front four off the fence at the 200-meter pole and felt a single right-handed crack of the whip en route to the win. Godolphin’s Kingen (Jpn) (Gold Allure {Jpn}, SC 6), the 11-1 fourth choice, slipstreamed the eventual winner into the straight and stayed on nicely for second, just ahead of 169-1 outsider Johann (Jpn) (Johannesburg, SC 8). Washington Tesoro (Curlin, SC 3), himself a nine-length winner on debut and the second best-backed of the American-bred quartet, was locked away inside throughout and came home 10th, while Evacuant and Seiun Kobe weakened out to finish 12th and 13th, respectively, in the field of 14.

Bred by Reddam Racing LLC, the daughter of Silar Rules (Ten Most Wanter) is a full-sister to GI Hopeful S. winner Ralis and to MSW & MGSP B Squared. Make Happy was consigned to the Gulfstream sale by Ciaran Dunne’s Wavertree Stables and was purchased by Shadai Farm after breezing a furlong in :10 flat.

Make Happy earned 10 points on the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby. The next race in the series, the Dec. 19 Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun at Kawasaki Racecourse, is contested over a two-turn mile going left-handed and offers 20 points to the winner.

Saturday’s Results:
CATTLEYA SHO-Cond., ¥19,490,000 ($172,679), Tokyo, 11-24, 2yo, 1600m, 1:38.3, ft.
1–MAKE HAPPY, 118, f, 2, Square Eddie-Silar Rules, by Ten
Most Wanted. ($650,000 2yo ’18 FTFMAR). O-Kazuko Yoshida;
B-Reddam Racing LLC (KY); T-Koichi Shinkai; J-Christophe
Lemaire; ¥10,343,000. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, ¥17,343,000.
2–Klingen (Jpn), 121, c, 2, Gold Allure (Jpn)–Japanese Whisper
(UAE), by Machiavellian. ¥4,098,000.
3–Johann (Jpn), 121, c, 2, Johannesburg-Must Buy Item (Jpn), by
Afleet. ¥2,549,000.
Margims: 2HF, 1HF, 3/4. Odds: 0.40, 11.40, 169.20.

WATCH: Make Happy stays perfect in the Cattleya Sho

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