There were moments in Saturday’s USD1,000,000 G1 Whitney Stakes at Saratoga (USA) when high profile rivals thought they had the measure of Life Is Good. Firstly, it was G1 winner and USD5 million earner Hot Rod Charlie under jockey Flavien Prat who loomed with his challenge, then it was stablemate and fellow G1 winner Happy Saver surging under the guidance of John Velazquez.
But the time-honoured Whitney, which has been graced by many of America’s star performers over the last century, proved to be another accolade for Horse of the Year contender Life Is Good who scored by a comfortable two lengths.
“When I tipped [Hot Rod Charlie] out, I thought I was going to go by [Life Is Good], but the winner just re-engaged again,” said a gracious Prat post-race.
Velazquez (Happy Saver) was no less appreciative of his rival saying: “At the three-sixteenths pole (300m), I thought I had a really good chance. I think [Life Is Good] had another gear.”
It is arrogant to suggest the two-length winning margin didn’t flatter Life Is Good. But such is the profile the four-year-old, that expectations of wide margin wins are part and parcel of every performance.
Since launching his career in late November of his two-year-old career, the son of Into Mischief has contested 10 races, won on eight occasions, three at G1 level and only once in those eight wins was his winning margin smaller than Saturday’s Whitney Stakes – that was at his second career start in the G3 Sham Stakes over Medina Spirit who was first passed the post in the 2021 Kentucky Derby.
What that collection of facts fails to highlight is just how testing Saturday’s conditions were. Whitney Stakes Day 2022 was a day of heat and high humidity where mid-afternoon rain forced the track to be sealed for two races before it was harrowed before the feature event.
“When you feel like you’re bringing over the best horse, you worry about everything. Today we got the rain, the deep track, the heat and humidity,” Pletcher said.
“All those things can be concerning, but [Life Is Good] was able to overcome all of that and just show how brilliant he really is. To me [the G1 Whitney Stakes] is the premier older horse race in the country outside of the Breeders’ Cup Classic so it means a lot.”
It was the fourth triumph in the Whitney for Pletcher and one he savoured. However, there was a point mid-race when he became a little concerned before the natural abilities of Life Is Good resolved those flutters.
Life Is Good began to move down the back straight, earlier than either Ortiz or Pletcher had planned, extending his lead over his rivals and potentially testing his stamina reserves.
“I wanted to spread the race out at the three-eighths pole (600m), not the three-quarter pole (1200m). So, it had me a little nervous, but he just kept finding,” Pletcher said.
“[Life Is Good] put in such a long, sustained run but his ability to do that and keep going is what makes him such a special horse, such a rare talent.”
The USD6,000,000 G1 Breeders’ Cup Classic at Keeneland was reaffirmed as the season ending target for Life Is Good following his Whitney Stakes success. Pletcher is likely to only give him one lead-up run and is evaluating the merits of a selection of contests including the USD500,000 G1 Woodward Stakes at Aqueduct (New York) on 1st October.
It was the second G1 Whitney Stakes win for partners WinStar Farm and China Horse Club in the last three runnings with Improbable saluting in 2020 under Ortiz. Improbable win three successive G1s that season before finishing second in the G1 Breeders’ Cup Classic despite a torrid run. It was the final performance for the handsome chestnut who retired to WinStar Farm’s stallion roster in 2021.
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