From: Julie Burridge nee Barnicott [jbarnicott@hotmail.com]

Happiness Comes good in the end

Michael Lee
Friday, April 09, 2010

A wide trip did not stop the useful Happiness Come from coming up trumps at the end of the 1800m journey of the $75,000 Kranji Stakes C race on Friday.

Backers of the $13 favourite and his connections must have had their hearts in their mouths from the backstraight all the way to the home turn. Settled three wide at the tail of the small seven-horse field by jockey Oscar Chavez, Happiness Come came spiralling forward from the 800m to course out almost five wide upon straightening.

Leader Big Minako (Olivier Placais) soon became a spent force, and was swiftly taken over by Coppa Del Mondo (Barend Vorster) who was bidding for a three-on-the-trot.

Happiness Come (Oscar Chavez) on the way to his fifth success at Kranji.

A couple of lengths astern, the punters’ elect was not closing in as expected as he drifted out wider under pressure. At that juncture, it looked like the overtime put in covering extra ground was proving the telling factor.

But Chavez never gave up and kept riding him out to the line, and as Coppa Del Mondo shortened strides close home, Happiness Come suddenly got up to score by one length from the fast-finishing Daad’s The Way (Joao Moreira).

“It didn’t look good at the beginning. Three wide, four wide – I thought he couldn’t win, even at the 200m,” said Burridge.

“He was hanging out badly as he usually does under pressure, but Oscar was able to get him back inside.

“But he’s done a good job to still win despite the tough trip. He’s a tough customer and don’t forget he won his only race in Tasmania over 2255m!

“He loves the Poly and I will probably set him for a Class 2 race over 1700m next week as there aren’t any more Poly races after that.”

Chavez, who has now ridden Happiness Come to two of his five wins, said he was never concerned about travelling on the outer from a long way.

“He was always on the bit. I had my eye on the horse who I thought was my main danger - Daad’s The Way - and he was trapped on my inside,” said the Panamanian rider.

“If he had to come out he would have to go six wide and that was the plan.

“I had to click my horse up early as he would be caught flat-footed if I didn’t. In the straight, he kept giving and giving – very happy with that win.”

Happiness Come, a six-year-old by Anabaa has now amassed stakes money in excess of $250,000 for the Happiness Come Stable.

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