So Happy wins $200,000 San Vicente Stakes under 60-year-old Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith

“I was really happy with the way he handled the seven-eighths because usually that’s a pretty good indication they will go two turns,” Smith said. “I was really happy with the way he did things.”

So Happy won his debut also coming from just off the pace at Del Mar on Nov. 22 at 38-1 odds. This time, he surged to the lead inside the final furlong and held off the late charge of 1-2 favorite Buetane.

“He backed up that first race with an awesome performance,” winning trainer Mark Glatt said.

Buetane, trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, returned $2.10 and $2.10. Acknowledgemeplz was another 2 1/4 lengths back in third and paid $2.80. Thirsty Rebel was fourth and Greenwich Village finished fifth.

So Happy, a son of Runhappy, was purchased for $150,000.

"We liked the horse quite a bit,” Glatt said. “We asked a lot of him first time out. He had to ship down to Del Mar the day he was in. He’s kind of a looky-loo in the morning. As a matter of fact, we train him in blinkers every day because he wants to look at everything. I just thought maybe he’s a horse that may need to race a little bit.”

So Happy is two for two and is expected to be pointed toward the Santa Anita Derby on April 4.

In the $100,000 Santa Ynez Stakes, Explora romped to a 5 1/4-length victory to give Baffert a potential candidate for the Kentucky Oaks in May.

Ridden by Juan Hernandez, Explora accelerated from last to blow past her rivals in the stretch in the race for 3-year-old fillies. She ran seven furlongs in 1:22.05.

La Wally was second, and Revera was another 1 1/4 lengths back in third. Himika, also trained by Baffert, finished fourth after leading early.

Explora paid $2.10 and $2.10 and La Wally paid $2.60 to place. There was no show wagering because of the small field.

Explora was coming off a second-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies in October at Del Mar. She has three wins in five career starts and earnings of $625,000.

AP horse racing: https://apnews.com/hub/horse-racing