Officially he’s named after an old cowboy song.
Unofficially, he’s named after the old cowboy who sang it.
Happy Trails is also a horse who, according to his trainer, likes few things more than watching kids play on a trampoline.
On top of that, he’s one who can gallop better than most thorougbreds in training.
Happy Trails is one of the leading chances in Saturday’s Group Two Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes (1600m) at Moonee Valley – and if not for his wide barrier, trainer Paul Beshara might be rehearsing a victory speech.
“His form is brilliant,” Beshara said.
“He really is a very, very good horse.
“In fact, there aren’t a lot of horses in this country that can go with him over the last 400m.”
Happy Trails comes to the Valley weight-for-age race with form that, like his finishing burst, is also better than most horses in Australia.
Last time out he came from another wide barrier to finish second to Sincero in the Group Two Memsie Stakes and before that he had last week’s Makybe Diva Stakes and Caulfield Cup winner Southern Speed behind him in third place when he won the Spring Stakes at home in Adelaide.
In the autumn he also ran well in Sydney’s best open handicap, the Doncaster, when just over a length behind the winner More Joyous after coming from barrier 17 and last on the turn.
But to Beshara and his owners, Happy Trails is a lot more than a mere racehorse.
“People say it about horses all the time, but this bloke really is one of the family,” Beshara said.
“His stable is the first one outside my backdoor, he’s the first horse I see every day.”
Beshara says the family thing with Happy Trails works both ways.
“I think he wants to be one of us,” he said.
“He’ll spend ages with his head over the door of his box watching the grandkids bouncing on the trampoline in the yard.
“He’s intrigued by it, I reckon he’d like to give it a go.”
As gifted as he is as a galloper, and as well-loved by those closest to him, it could be that the most endearing thing about Happy Trails to the wider world is his name.
Beshara explained that he and the owners started with the name of his sire, Good Journey, and worked from there.
“We eventually came up with Happy Trails which was the theme song Roy Rogers and his wife used to sing at the end of their television show,” he said.
“That’s his official name, but at home we call him Roy.”
