By Liane Crossley
Special to NKyTribune
The Lyster family had high hopes for a cocoa-colored Thoroughbred born on their Ashview Farm in Woodford County late in the winter of 2012. Those hopes were fulfilled beyond expectations in 2015.
Better known as Runhappy, the colt is among the three finalists for Horse of the Year honors that will be announced on Jan. 16. While the ultimate honor will go to Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, Runhappy is a favorite to be named outstanding sprinter.
The Lysters no longer own Runhappy after selling him in 2013, but they gained more than accolades and satisfaction from his championship-worthy season that included victory in the prestigious Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Keeneland.
Bargain beginning
Runhappy’s connection to the Lysters began two years before he was born when Gray Lyster was intrigued by a young racehorse named Bella Jolie. Lyster and his brother Bryan manage Ashview Farm, a 350-acre operation in Versailles founded by their parents Wayne and Muffy in 1978.
Lyster remembered Bella Jolie as a pretty racing prospect at the 2008 Keeneland September yearling sale and he liked her lineage. But she failed to live up to her beauty and yearling price tag of $220,000. As a three-year-old in the summer of 2010, she was competing in low-level claiming competitions in which horses can be purchased from particular races. Bella Jolie became available for a mere $5,000 and by autumn was acquired by the Lysters.
Lyster cites the nation’s economic downturn as a prime factor for her bargain price.
“(She was racing) right after the recession and there was a lot of value in the claiming ranks for broodmare prospects,” he said. “I called it a ‘scared market.’ People really did not know what (Thoroughbreds) were worth.”
No one could have predicted that her four-figure value would skyrocket to seven figures five years later.
In 2012, Bella Jolie gave birth to her first foal, a son of Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver eventually named Runhappy. Lyster remembers him as a handsome creature with slight flaws in his lower legs and a confident and kind personality. His limbs became sturdy and he blossomed just in time for his public debut at the 2013 Keeneland September yearling sale. The Ashview Farm team was pleased but not surprised when he brought a final bid of $200,000 from current owner James McIngvale.
The huge profit foreshadowed even better days ahead while epitomizing the family’s teamwork. Gray became aware that Bella Jolie was on the market and Bryan suggested the mating to Super Saver. Their father provided the finances and their mother is the “the glue that keeps everything together” according to Gray Lyster.
“Every bit of it is a partnership,” he said.
Doing business as Runhappy
In his first career start, Runhappy lived up to his potential by romping to victory at Turfway Park in Northern Kentucky on Dec. 28, 2014 but went to the sidelines after a disappointing finish in his next start at New Orleans’ Fair Grounds Race Course in early 2015. In his return this past summer, he was a clear winner at Indiana Grand Race Course in what would be the first of six consecutive victories.
The Lysters still had a vested interest in Runhappy’s career as owners of his dam. With every triumph, Bella Jolie’s resale value rose. On July 31—one day before entries were due for Keeneland’s November auction—Runhappy won at Ellis Park in western Kentucky. The best was yet to come.
In August, Runhappy captured a top shelf race at the storied Saratoga Race Course in central New York and then Keeneland’s historic Phoenix Stakes in October. Three days before Bella Jolie’s date at auction, Runhappy surged to a hard-fought victory in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Keeneland. Bella Jolie, who had no takers when offered for sale via claiming races for less than $25,000 several times, now was one of the most sought-after horses on the planet.
With the Lysters seated in the sale pavilion, Bella Jolie strolled into the ring and presented herself admirably during the auctioneer’s chant. She left as a $1.6-million purchase. For the Lysters, the moment was the equine equivalent of hitting the lottery.
Immediately after the transaction, Wayne Lyster spoke with a group of reporters and was quick to note that the event meant more than the obvious monetary gain.
“It is not all the price, it is not all the money,” Wayne Lyster said. “That is important but for me to be able to co-breed this (likely) champion sprinter with my two sons, there is no value to put on that.”
Two months later, life is pretty much the same for the Lysters albeit with support from a hefty financial cushion. They have one final tie to Bella Jolie and another chance at a generous payday with her yearling colt who is targeted for Keeneland September sale.
“(Runhappy) secured the financial future of the farm and will help put the grandchildren through college,” Gray Lyster said. “We know we are so fortunate and so lucky that we are just enjoying every second of it. And to do it with your family is very special.”
Runhappy
Sire: Super Saver
Dam: Bella Jolie
Born: March 4, 2012 in Kentucky
Race record: 7 wins in eight starts
Track earnings: $1,481,300
Breeder: Wayne, Gray and Bryan Lyster
Owner: James McIngvale
Best races won: Breeders’ Cup Sprint (Keeneland), Malibu Stakes (Santa Anita), King’s Bishop Stakes (Saratoga), Phoenix Stakes (Keeneland)
Liane Crossley is a Lexington-based freelance writer