Three-year-old Happy Mesa rallied from the back of the field to win Friday’s $100,000 Hilltop S. in near course-record time, the second stakes success for the daughter of Sky Mesa trained by Graham Motion.
Given a chance to settle early from her outside post in the field of seven by her rider Javier Castellano, Happy Mesa found her way to the inside as she had the entire field in her sights. Castellano switched her widest of all coming into the stretch and was running best of all late to garner the win.
Happy Mesa’s final time of 1:33.61 for the mile on the firm turf, just 0.19 seconds off the track record.
Owned by Great Point Stables et al, Happy Mesa won last year’s Selima S. and was most recently second beaten just a neck in the $100,000 Sanibel Island S. April 1 at Gulfstream Park. The dark bay filly upped her record to 3-2-0 in eight starts.
Happy Mesa was bred in Kentucky by Branch Equine and is the first foal out of the stakes-placed Broken Vow mare Happy Choice.
Happy Mesa joins Family Meeting and Sky Rant as Sky Mesa’s stakes winners since April 1st. The Three Chimneys stallion has 60 black type winners and 112 black type horses lifetime.
