WinStar Farm and CHC Inc’s multiple Grade 1 winner Life Is Good justified his odds-on favoritism in the Woodward S. (G1) on Saturday, Oct. 1, winning the $500,000 affair by 1 ¼ lengths for trainer Todd Pletcher.
Fresh off consecutive stakes scores in the John A. Nerud (G2) in July at Belmont Park and the Whitney S. (G1) at Saratoga in August, Life Is Good broke sharply under jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. He showed the way early in the compact field of four, carving out fractions of :24.40 for the opening quarter and :48.60 for the half-mile over the sloppy and sealed main track.
Briefly challenged by Law Professor in the lane, Life Is Good shrugged off the bid and powered home to win for the sixth time in his last seven starts, stopping the timer in 1:49.57 for the nine furlongs.
“He’s quick out there,” said Ortiz. “There was not too much speed in the race and the first part of the race, there was a lot of water—we got a lot of rain. I wanted to get off the rail and was able to do it. He broke fast, and he stayed there [on the lead] the whole time.
“The way he relaxed today, he can do anything,” he added. “That’s the good thing about him. He’s getting older and his mind is doing much better. I asked him pretty good from the quarter-pole to the wire, but he responded well.”
In capturing his eighth career graded win, Life Is Good improved his overall record to 11-9-1-0 and he will now point to the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) on Nov. 5 at Keeneland. His bankroll now stands at $4.36 million.
“You could tell going into the first turn he had his ears straight up and was really relaxed,” Pletcher said. “That was good, but it also maybe plays against his strength a little bit to be that turned off. Part of his brilliance is being able to go fast and keep going. It was the logical tactics for today, but I don’t think it’s his preferred running style. His real weapon is his high cruising speed and the ability to keep going.”
Bred in Kentucky by Gary and Mary West Stable and a $525,000 Keeneland September Sale graduate in 2019, Life Is Good is a son of Into Mischief out of the Distorted Humor mare Beach Walk.