CHC Inc. and WinStar Farm’s brilliant 4-year-old colt Life Is Good completely dominated Saturday’s $1 million Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1) at Del Mar, rolling to a 5 ¾-length, front-running victory.
After missing the summer racing season, Life Is Good has come back with a very narrow loss to Jackie’s Warrior in the Allen Jerkens S. (G1) and a blowout victory in the Kelso H. (G2). His overall record now stands at 5-1-0 in six outings, with earnings of $1,059,200.
The strategy for Saturday’s Mile was to let Life Is Good use his considerable speed and dare his opponents to challenge him. Eight Rings was his closest pursuer early, a length behind Life Is Good after a half-mile in a very swift :44.94. Ginobili took up the chase on the turn, but Life Is Good shook him off at the top of the stretch and pulled away with complete authority to finish up in 1:34.12 on a fast main track.
“We were hoping for that, expecting that based on the way that he’s been training, but it’s always great to see it actually happen,” said trainer Todd Pletcher. “He took it to them. Just too much horse.”
Bred in Kentucky by Gary and Mary West, Life Is Good is by Into Mischief and out of the Distorted Humor mare Beach Walk. He was a $525,000 purchase at the Keeneland September sale.
Life Is Good also has stakes wins in the San Felipe S. (G2) and Sham S. (G2) as a 3-year-old.
