Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
All eyes will be on Life Is Good
DEL MAR, Calif. – He was brilliant in the spring, he’s been brilliant this fall. Little has changed with Life Is Good on that front. New trainer, same high expectations, same high level of performance.
Life Is Good will be heavily favored to win the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile on Saturday at Del Mar. He is 4-5 on the track’s official morning line, set by Jon White, and even money on the line set by Brad Free, who made the prices for the Saturday Breeders’ Cup races for Daily Racing Form. Not much difference there, either.
Life Is Good will be making his third start for Todd Pletcher, who took over as trainer of the colt when his owners, WinStar Farm and CHC Inc. – previously known as China Horse Club – moved him from Bob Baffert’s care in the aftermath of the Kentucky Derby. When he was based in California, Life Is Good was a sight to behold when he worked, showing superior talent. Pletcher said it has been nothing different since Life Is Good came into his care.
“He’s an impressive horse to watch train,” Pletcher said at Del Mar earlier this week. “His breezes are eye-catching.”
So are his races. Life Is Good won his first three starts for Baffert, and he’s run two terrific races for Pletcher. He lost by a neck to the top sprinter Jackie’s Warrior in the Grade 1 Allen Jerkens when making his first start in more than five months, then rolled to a 5 1/2length victory against older horses in the Grade 2 Kelso at Belmont Park last time out as a 1-20 favorite.
“It was his race to lose,” said Pletcher, who thought the win was “more relief than anything.”
“He settled, won handily, hopefully it brings him forward,” said Pletcher, who believes Life Is Good “has trained exceptionally well” in the weeks since.
This 3-year-old crop has turned out to be exceptional. Essential Quality, Hot Rod Charlie, and Medina Spirit all have strong chances in the Breeders’ Cup Classic later Saturday. Jackie’s Warrior will be favored in the Sprint, also Saturday. Life Is Good, adjudged by many the best of this crop in the spring, had his Derby hopes derailed by a minor injury, which makes the Breeders’ Cup paramount to top his 2021 résumé.
Life Is Good has brilliant early speed. He’s on “go” from the time the gates open. It will be up to jockey Irad Ortiz Jr., who took over as his rider following the Jerkens, to dole it out over this two-turn race.
Life Is Good won a pair of twoturn races earlier this year, the Grade 3 Sham and Grade 2 San Felipe, both at Santa Anita. And he owns a victory at Del Mar, where he ran to advance notice with a breathtaking maiden win on debut 50 weeks ago.
Seven horses are entered against Life Is Good, including a pair from Steve Asmussen’s barn – Met Mile winner Silver State and the admirable Snapper Sinclair – and Del Mar specialist Ginobili, who was sharp in two races here this summer and since was purposely pointed to this race without a prep.
Silver State’s victory in the Met Mile marked his sixth straight win, including three in stakes going two turns at Oaklawn. He has lost his last two, including a second-place finish last time out in the Parx Dirt Mile after breaking poorly and then rallying to the lead in deep stretch. Ricardo Santana Jr. rides him back after appearing to handle Silver State overconfidently in the late stages of the Parx Dirt Mile.
“We plan on correcting that,” Asmussen said.
He said Silver State “has picked up his work the last three weeks.”
“I love his chances,” Asmussen said.
Snapper Sinclair – fourth in this race in 2019 at Santa Anita – would be a win in part for the home team, as he is owned by Bloom Racing, run by Jeff Bloom, a former jockey who grew up in San Diego County.
Snapper Sinclair, 6, has earned more than $1.8 million during a 34-race career in which he’s shown proficiency on turf and dirt, going short or long.
“He’s a Swiss Army knife,” Asmussen said.
Ginobili has the home-field advantage. He added blinkers this summer at Del Mar and overpowered a first-level allowance field going a mile while earning a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 104, then cut back to seven furlongs and won the Grade 2 Pat O’Brien. He’s in career-best form.
Eight Rings was fourth in the Pat O’Brien, and subsequently won a second-level allowance at Santa Anita going 1 1/16 miles with a career-best Beyer Figure of 98. He starts from the outside stall and figures to be used early to establish position under new rider Juan Hernandez.
Japan is represented by Jasper Prince and Pingxiang, both of whom have enough speed to be prominent early but are likely to be pace casualties. Jasper Prince was fast enough in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Keeneland to lead for the first quarter-mile before stopping to finish last of 14. He is 1 for 6 since then. Pingxiang won at Tokyo and Hanshin in his last two starts, both at 1,400 meters, the equivalent of seven furlongs. This will be his first try going two turns and beyond 1,400 meters.
Restainedvengence, like Snapper Sinclair a 6-year-old with 34 career starts, has made a good living against lesser competition. He comes off a win in the Downs at Albuquerque Handicap. He’s won 10 races, but he’s never faced dirt horses of the caliber of Life Is Good or Silver State.