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Gallery Racing/Runhappy expands NYRA partnership

by Pat Mckenna

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) today announced an expanded partnership with Gallery Racing - the connections of champion sprinter Runhappy - with new sponsorships covering the Aqueduct winter and spring meets as well as the Belmont spring/summer meet.

Gallery Racing/Runhappy will present the pre-race handicapping show Talking Horses, hosted by Andy Serling, at Aqueduct Racetrack and will be featured partners in NYRA's national and regional live racing broadcasts throughout 2018.

This year at Belmont Park will also see the first running of the $150,000 Runhappy Stakes, formerly the Diablo, a six-furlong sprint to be contested on Saturday, May 12.

Runhappy, by Super Saver, currently stands at Claiborne Farm with his first foal born at Ashview Farm on January 14. The 2015 Eclipse Award-winning champion sprinter won seven of his 10 career starts from 2014-16, all while drug free, including the 2015 Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Sprint. He also captured that year's Grade 1 King's Bishop (now known as the H. Allen Jerkens) by four lengths against an 11-horse field at Saratoga Race Course, finishing seven furlongs in 1:20.54 for the fastest running in the race's history.

"NYRA represents the very best in thoroughbred racing, and we are pleased to broaden our 2018 relationship to include Belmont Park and Aqueduct Racetrack," said James McIngvale, owner of Gallery Racing. "Runhappy's effort in the King's Bishop will always be one of my favorite memories in racing and we're excited by the prospect that he'll be associated with NYRA racing deep into the future."

As part of the agreement, Gallery Racing/Runhappy sponsorship elements will be displayed across NYRA's digital and simulcast platforms during the 2018 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, highlighted by the 150th running of the Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes on June 9.

"Few horses have thrilled fans the way Runhappy did at Saratoga in the summer of 2015, electrifying the Spa on Travers Day while capturing the King's Bishop in style," said NYRA CEO and President Chris Kay. "NYRA is proud to work with James McIngvale of Gallery Racing, one of the most dynamic and creative minds in horse racing and business, to find new and innovative ways to promote racing. It's an honor to be associated with someone like Mack, who has done so much for Houston, its residents and all the first responders who contributed to the Hurricane Harvey relief efforts."

The expanded partnership builds on the success of 2017, when Gallery Racing/Runhappy, along with Claiborne Farm, served as presenting sponsors of Saratoga Live, NYRA's critically acclaimed flagship show available in 75 million households.