But after CHC and WinStar Farm's Life Is Good sped to a two-length victory in the $1 million Whitney Stakes on August 6 at a sweltering Saratoga Sprint Course, it appears to be a two-horse race to the finish line for championship honours.
When asked which Horse in America was the best, Walden, WinStar's CEO, president, and the racing manager, responded, "He's one of them. "He and Flightline are no longer together."
Life Is Good entered Saturday's test placed third behind the unbeaten Flightline in the most recent Longines Breeders' Cup Classic rankings on a day when 39,478 spectators attended Saratoga, and the all-sources handle was $40.2 million. Even though he only faced four opponents in the Whitney, one of them was Olympiad, who finished second in the BC Classic poll and had won four straight graded stakes races.
The Whitney brought some clarity to the Horse of the Year competition while again vividly illuminating just how special of a talent trainer Todd Pletcher and the connections have in Life Is Good by seeing him win for the eighth time in ten career starts on Saturday with Olympiad slumping to fourth.
Life Is Good, a son of Into Mischief who has amassed earnings of $4,086,700, was the Horse that sprang to mind for God to consider because he "simply flies," according to Walden. Life Is Good was bred by Gary and Mary West. We're incredibly proud. He made himself known (today). He is a unique horse. It's a good thing.
A champion of the Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes and the Big Ass Fans Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, The excellent performance of Life Is Good, presented by 1/ST BET, has highlighted why Teo Ah Khing and the China Horse Club's involvement in American racing.
According to King, whose organisation held a portion of Triple Crown winner Justify, the trip has been "extremely thrilling" since we have been active in American racing with WinStar. Horses like Justify and Life Is Good to inspire foreigners who follow American racing to get involved in it.
Life Is Good's next start is still up in the air, but his whereabouts on November 5 was set in stone thanks to the Whitney victory that earned him a free entry into the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic. Life is Good will have a second chance at a 14-mile course in the year-end showdown after finishing fourth in his first attempt in the Dubai World Cup Sponsored by Emirates Airlines on March 26. This race might be a confrontation between Life is Good and Flightline.
"You worry about everything when you think you're bringing over the best Horse. We experienced rain, a deep track, heat, and humidity today. According to Pletcher, all of those things can be worrying, but he overcame them all to demonstrate his brilliance. "Except for the Breeders' Cup Classic, I consider (the Whitney) the best race for older horses in the nation. It, therefore, means a lot.
When jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. used Life Is Good's early solid speed to go out of the gate with the 0.85-1 favourite and establish a comfortable lead by the time the field reached the first turn in the one 1/8-mile test, the Whitney played out very similarly to the Pegasus World Cup.
Life Is Good led third betting pick Hot Rod Charlie by 3 12 lengths after covering the first half of the mile in 46.84 on a good, sealed surface. The chances of catching him were fading. After six miles in a speedy 1:10.93 and despite runs from Happy Saver and Hot Rod Charlie at the top of the stretch, he still led by two lengths. The 4-year-old made a move when in the lead in the period, but Ortiz had more than enough Horse to fend off his rivals and finish in 1:48.97.
He was powerful. After that, I didn't want to argue with him too much, and today he shocked me. I began to let him carry out his tasks. Even though it was early, I managed to get a slight grasp of him. I can't fight him too much," Ortiz remarked. I was aware (in the stretch). I glanced and stooped a little. I am confident he would give me more runs if he sensed someone. The track is not that quick, and I know he is beginning to retrace his steps. If he feels someone, he will fight. Because I am aware that he will struggle, I was searching.
Hot Rod Charlie came in second place by a head behind Pletcher-trained Happy Saver, a son of Super Saver. By finishing third, Hot Road Charlie increased his earnings to $5,251,200.
"He was moving great, then (jockey Junior Alvarado) stated he wasn't giving him what he gave him in the past leaving the five-eighths pole," Mott said.
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