My Happy Face, runner-up in the Frizette Stakes (gr. I) last year, is off the Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) trail with a virus contracted at Gulfstream Park, owner Michael Dubb confirmed March 1.
The 3-year-old daughter of Tiz Wonderful arrived at the Kentucky Equine Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation Center near Lexington March 1, and is expected to remain there for between 10 days and two weeks. In her only start this year, the Jan. 26 Forward Gal Stakes (gr. II) at Gulfstream, My Happy Face finished second by 5 1/2 lengths to Kauai Katie.
"It's not a big deal at all," Dubb said of the illness. "Her bloodwork was coming back a little off; she caught a virus at Gulfstream and the antibiotics we were giving her just weren't cutting it. We were spinning our wheels and she wasn't going to make the (March 30) Gulfstream Park Oaks (gr. II) because of the lost time so I said, 'Look, let's send her up to KESMARC where they can do nasal swabs and they can treat her better.' We wanted to get her into a sterile environment; there's been a lot of stuff going around down at Gulfstream this winter."
