Betting With, and Against, Smile Happy, in the 2023 Stephen Foster Stakes

Smile Happy wins the Kentucky Jockey Club S. 2022 (Photo by Coady Photography/Churchill Downs)

June 28th, 2023

A total of eight talented handicap runners will vie in the lucrative $1 million Stephen Foster S. (G1) at Ellis Park on Saturday. The nine-furlong event is led by smashing Alysheba S. (G2) winner #5 Smile Happy (3-1) for conditioner Kenny McPeek. By Runhappy, I have been a fan of the four-year-old colt dating back to his brief but impressive juvenile season in 2021, and he appears to be thriving in advance of this contest.

The dual Grade 2 victor always looked like a winner in defeating a trio of standout performers at Churchill Downs in his latest showing, and any improvement off of that race will make him a formidable foe on Saturday. Smile Happy has versatility in running style and 1 1/8 miles seems ideal for him, as he boasts a 3-1-2-0 mark at the distance. Corey Lanerie will be in the silks and will have the Kentucky-bred tracking the pace from the second flight to the top of the lane.

#6 West Will Power (7-2) finished third at 3-5 odds in the Alysheba but can easily rebound off of that performance for trainer Brad Cox. The six-year-old son of Bernardini has been excellent since joining this outfit in August in compiling a 7-3-3-1 mark for these connections. Bred in the Bluegrass State, the fleet bay was a fine runner-up in the Clark S. (G1) in his lone prior effort at the top level, and he also ran big in his only try on the Ellis Park surface, as well. Flavien Prat will be in the silks.

McPeek’s #4 Rattle N Roll (4-1) has strung together a trio of Grade 3 wins in succession and will have a solid early tempo in which to rally into against this field. The chestnut son of Connect ran down clear leaders in two straight, and while he faces a tougher assignment in this spot, the four-year-old will also have a more advantageous voyage to the top of the lane. Brian Hernandez takes the reins once again.