Mark Glatt Mourns Stable Death While Sending So Happy to Saturday Race

California trainer Mark Glatt is balancing a double trajectory of loss and ambition as he prepares So Happy for Saturday’s San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia while mourning a recent tragic horse death in his stable. The situation comes weeks after the death of his wife, Dena Glatt, who died at age 57 on Feb. 12, 2026, in Arcadia.

So Happy gives Glatt a clear on-track target. The colt won the San Vicente Stakes on Jan. 10, 2026, with Hall of Famer Mike Smith aboard, and is owned by Norman Stables and Hans and Ana Maron. San Gabriel Valley Tribune coverage noted Glatt is preparing So Happy for the San Felipe Stakes “weeks after the death of his wife Dena,” placing Saturday’s race as the immediate test of the horse and the stable’s campaign.

The personal backdrop is stark. A winner’s-circle photo from Jan. 10 shows Dena Glatt in the front row as Mark Glatt stood at the edge of the circle; the photo caption credits Benoit Photo and links the couple to So Happy’s San Vicente victory. Los Angeles Daily News correspondent Kevin Modesti, quoted in San Gabriel Valley Tribune material, captured the day-to-day impact: “You have to try and keep yourself busy. But there are moments when you don’t feel like being here,” he said. “For now, it’s not the same. She was here almost every race day. She was in probably 90% of my win pictures. So it’s a void.”

News outlets covering the story have also flagged a separate stable loss described only as a “recent tragic horse death in his stable.” The existing reports do not identify the horse, date of death, or cause, leaving unanswered questions about the circumstances and any veterinary or steward follow up. Whittier Daily News highlighted broader industry concern in its horse racing notebook with the item title “3 horse deaths in one night shine light on Los Alamitos,” though that listing does not connect directly to Glatt’s stable in the supplied material.

Santa Anita’s racing landscape provides additional context for Saturday’s card. Benoit Photo captions in the same coverage recall other recent stakes winners at Santa Anita, including Vodka Vodka and jockey Kent Desormeaux in the Unusual Heat Turf Classic on Jan. 17, 2026, and Skippylongstocking with jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. in the Hollywood Gold Cup on May 26, 2025. Whittier Daily News material contains conflicting lines about Skippylongstocking’s status in the Santa Anita Handicap, alternately saying the horse “heads Santa Anita Handicap field of 7” and that “Skippylongstocking will skip Saturday’s Santa Anita Handicap,” underlining that official entries and declarations will determine final fields.

For Glatt, the immediate consequence is operational: So Happy’s San Felipe start will be the first public measure of his stable’s readiness after recent losses and grief. With Santa Anita Park in Arcadia hosting the race and photo documentation linking Dena to recent successes, Saturday’s San Felipe Stakes becomes both a sporting event and a moment of reckoning for one of Southern California’s leading thoroughbred trainers.