It’s been anything but a happy year for trainer Mark Glatt, whose wife of 25 years, Dena, died Feb. 12 from cardiac arrest at 57.
But Glatt could at least gain a moment of joy on a warm Saturday afternoon in Arcadia when his 3-year-old colt, the heretofore ironically named So Happy, pulled off an upset victory in the Grade 1 $500,000 Santa Anita Derby.
“It’s pretty hard to describe,” an emotional Glatt said in the winner’s circle. “We have had an overwhelming amount of support, and it’s helped us get through this very, very tough time. She got that horse there today.”
The win pushed So Happy into fourth place on the Kentucky Derby points list with 115. The top 17 North American points leaders will be eligible to start in the May 2 race at Churchill Downs. Runner-up Potente, trained by Bob Baffert, moved into the top 10 with 100.
A 7-1 longshot ridden by Hall of Famer Mike Smith, So Happy won by 2 3/4 lengths and paid $16.60 after his first win around two turns and third win overall in four career starts. The final time of 1:49.01 for 1 1/8 miles might not answer questions about possible distance limitations for the son of Runhappy, who was a champion sprinter, but that’s to worry about another day.
Glatt was just happy to be able to celebrate the win with two of the couple’s three children.
“It’s the Santa Anita Derby,” he said. “If you can’t get excited about that … but obviously there’s a little more meaning to it, given the recency of our lives.”
Vitruvian Man passed a tiring Intrepido late for third place. Start the Ride was fifth and Cherokee Nation, the second choice, broke slowly and was never a factor.
Earlier in the afternoon, the final two major prep races for the Kentucky Derby were held at Keeneland and Aqueduct, with each likely producing a pair of starters.
In the $1.25-million Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland, odds-on favorite Further Ado powered to an 11-length runaway win over Ottinho, the largest margin of victory in that race since Sinister Minister won by 12 3/4 lengths in 2006. Further Ado, trained by Brad Cox, is second in the standings with 135 points; Ottinho, trained by Chad Brown, is 15th.
Form did not hold in the $750,000 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct, where Albus, an 11-1 longshot trained by Riley Mott — whose father, Bill, won last year’s Derby with Sovereignty — outfinished 38-1 Right to Party to earn his first stakes win in just his fourth start. Albus is in the top 10 in points while Right to Party moved into 12th.
McCarthy scores again
Trainer Michael McCarthy didn’t have a starter in the Santa Anita Derby, one year after winning the race with Journalism. But he still didn’t have a bad day as his pair of 3-year-old fillies, Meaning and Brooklyn Blonde, finished 1-2 in the Grade 2 $200,000 Santa Anita Oaks. He also ran second with Yellow Card in a $400,000 race at Keeneland.
The two entered the stretch together before Meaning, the 9-10 favorite ridden by Juan Hernandez, pulled away for a two-length victory. Brooklyn Blonde, at 10-1, was 13 3/4 lengths clear of Bank Shot in third. The top two finishers will be pointed for the Kentucky Oaks, though Brooklyn Blonde is 21st in the points standings, with only 14 starters permitted (Meaning is first).
“Obviously these are prestigious races in their own right,” said Aron Wellman, president of Eclipse Thoroughbreds, which owns Meaning with Bridlewood Farms, which are also part of the Journalism ownership group. “The Santa Anita Oaks is the Santa Anita Oaks, but you know that the major goal is a month away. Hopefully this program, the space between races, sets her up for the first Friday in May.”
Baffert, who had won the Oaks the last three years, saw his best hope vanish barely 100 yards into the race when jockey Mike Smith pulled up Forced Entry, the 5-2 second choice. Smith said the filly “broke really well but she must have hit herself leaving the gate. She was real choppy and didn’t feel comfortable.” Baffert said the filly appeared OK but would undergo diagnostic tests to be sure.
Notes
The day got off to an ominous start when Cosmic Heat broke her left front leg entering the stretch in the first race and had to be euthanized. The 3-year-old filly, trained by Peter Eurton, was making her sixth career start, the last three in turf races. It was the eighth racing or training fatality of 2026 at Santa Anita compared to three at this time last year and seven in 2024. Jockey Antonio Fresu was unhurt.
Fiorello, winless in eight starts since winning his debut 11 months ago, edged Thirsty Rebel to win the first of two $125,000 stakes for Cal-breds, the Eddie Echo. The 3-year-old gelding paid $39.80 for Fresu and trainer Steve Knapp. The other stakes race, the Evening Jewel, was won by the favorite Mohaven ($3.20), with Emisael Jaramillo riding for John Sadler.
Earlier in the afternoon, Smith also won the fifth and final of Saturday’s stakes races, the $100,000 Monrovia, with an even larger surprise than the Santa Anita Derby. Spirited Boss, at 18-1, held off Amorita as well as defending champion and odds-on favorite Queen Maxima, to win for trainer Jose Francisco D’Angelo.
Santa Anita announced that the crowd of 37,562 was largest for Santa Anita Derby day since 2018.
Santa Anita’s “Classic Meet” ends Sunday with a 10-race card beginning at noon. After a brief break, the “Hollywood Meet” begins April 17 and runs through June 14.
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