For a horse that was never supposed to “make it big,” Underpressure sure did.
This chestnut colt bred in Louisiana came to owner Mallory Greiner by surprise. As a 2-year-old he was moved by previous owner James McIngvale to Greiner and trainer Chris Richard in late 2016. McIngvale at that time was focused on Breeders’ Cup winner Runhappy and was not going to be running horses in Louisiana. McIngvale was familiar with Richard as he had given him his first training job.
Underpressure instantly found success, winning his first start and going on to win multiple stakes races on his way to earning the title of the Louisiana “Champion 3-year-old Colt” in 2017.
With 18 career starts, Underpressure has earned nearly $330,000.
“Underpressure exceeded our expectations,” said Richard. “When we first started with him we never thought that he would become as good or productive as he has, but over the years he has gotten much better.”
Underpressure is much more invested in training than he was at a younger age, Richard added.
This is the first season at Canterbury for Richard and Greiner so they brought Underpressure along and he quickly found his way into the winner’s circle. Last Friday Underpressure, ridden by Orlando Mojica, scored the horse’s first victory here in the last race of the evening.
It is clear that Underpressure puts in a lot of energy and effort into each race. That is why Richard says he often gives Underpressure plenty of time between races.
“I like to really space his races out,” Richard said. “Not all horses need the same amount of off time, but this is a horse that gives it all he’s got.”
“Underpressure is very eager to get back to the track, but he needs the proper amount of time to fully recover,” said Greiner.
According to Richard, the horse is currently “thriving up here and is doing really well.” This is a horse that likes to train and “loves his job,” Richard added.
Richard says that he is hopeful of what is to come at Canterbury Park and believes this meet “will be a good stepping stone on the way to Louisiana in the fall.”
