It took him 30 years- 30 long years of near misses and struggles before Mark Glatt finally qualified for the Kentucky Derby. And yet he had to do it without his biggest supporter, his wife. She was there for every step of his rise from a promising trainer to someone who has become a constant presence in the winner’s circle. But when he finally achieved his ultimate goal, his biggest supporter wasn’t beside him.

For the 53-year-old, Dena Glatt wasn’t just his wife; she was his partner in the truest sense of the word. Not just in life but in horse racing as well, because while she didn’t work the track, Dena was very involved. And when she passed away in February earlier this year, the entire racing community felt her loss. None more so than the man married to her for 25 years, though.

“She didn’t work on the track, but she was very involved,” Glatt told Horse Racing Nation. “Not only were we husband and wife, she rarely missed a race day that I had horses running, at least. It wasn’t like we weren’t together all the time, because we were.

“That makes it even more difficult. It’s not like when other people are going through something like this, when they go to their job or profession. Maybe they can get away from it momentarily because there isn’t that constant reminder of having lost your wife. But in my particular case, that really isn’t so.”

It is arguably the biggest story at the 152nd Kentucky Derby, especially given the history behind So Happy and Glatt himself, because the 53-year-old has never qualified for a Triple Crown Race before this. Not the Preakness Stakes, not the Belmont Stakes, and never the Kentucky Derby. That’s because Mark Glatt spent his nearly 30-year career without ever having a horse capable of qualifying.

He trained great horses, but they’ve all been sprinters or turf specialists. Thus, they’ve never been good enough to make it on the classic trail. That is, until So Happy turned up, although before the colt, Glatt did train Dr. Schivel in 2021. A great horse yet again, but a pure six-furlong horse. Thus, while Dr. Schivel won several Grade 1 races during his peak, he never quite had the stamina to go beyond that.

That’s because, as a pure six-furlong horse, Dr. Schivel had incredible speed. But the length of the Derby trail would have exposed him horribly. Thus, luck was never quite on Glatt’s side until he took a risk on So Happy, even if he didn’t quite dazzle the world.

“We were pretty high on the horse really from day 1,” Glatt explained. “He was a little bit absent-minded early. He didn’t necessarily tell himself for certain in any of his workouts prior to his debut, but he always acted with a certain amount of quality.

“He never would really let himself get outworked, but on the other hand, he never did anything to razzle or dazzle you.”

However, he wasn’t the only one to take a risk on So Happy; Leverett Miller did, too. The 94-year-old has a similar story to Glatt, as So Happy is the son of the last horse he owned with his late wife, Linda. Overcoming a fear of horses, Linda and Miller became prominent breeders of racehorses. But she tragically passed away from cancer in March 2021.

But before she passed, the couple took a chance on So Cunning, a 2010 Breeders’ Cup winner, and bred her with Runhappy. He was once a champion sprinter, but one who had failed to produce any talented offspring. The rest is history, and then So Happy won the 2026 Santa Anita Derby, living up to his historic lineage, leaving Glatt in mixed emotions.

Mark Glatt reflects on So Happy winning the Santa Anita Derby

Yet, So Happy’s successful start and his derby win don’t come as a big surprise. Because the colt’s lineage is like reading the horse racing history books. After all, his grandsire is Super Saver (2010 Kentucky Derby winner), but that isn’t the shocker. What is shocking is the fact that it also contains A.P. Indy, Bold Ruler, Northern Dancer, Secretariat, and Seattle Slew.

That’s two Triple Crown Winners (Seattle Slew and Secretariat), while the other three have won all three Triple Crown races combined. There’s even more, but it’s why Mark Glatt and Leverett Miller decided to risk it all on So Happy’s future, and it clearly worked out. So much so that So Happy’s Santa Anita win rendered Glatt nearly speechless and inconsolable.

“I don’t know if I can describe it,” Glatt, nearly in tears, told NBC Sports. “It’s the biggest win of my life, and I know my wife had a big part in this today. I am just very thankful to the owners for giving me the opportunity, and I’m glad he proved he could run around two turns, and you know, I’m kinda speechless right now.”

But it’ll be the toughest thing that Mark Glatt and So Happy will ever attempt, especially given that he is the fourth-ranked horse in the race. Not only that, the bookies have given the colt 15-1 odds while favorite Renegade has 9-2 and Further Ado sits slightly behind with 5-1.

Even then, Glatt is hopeful and is not willing to trade places with anyone.