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| Staff Writer |
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With three weeks remaining before the running of the Gr.1 Dubai World Cup, trainer Todd Pletcher is already active in preparing his Gr.1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes winner - Life Is Good for the raid.
Life Is Good, will line up with Gr.1 Saudi Cup runner up along with Midnight Bourbon who finished in third place.
"They are both (Gr.1 Saudi Cup Runner-Up Country Grammar and Life is Good) on schedule for Dubai at this point. They will both run there if all goes well between then and now and we'll see what happens, "WinStar CEO, president, and racing manager Elliott Walden said in an earlier interview. "Both horses deserve to run and I've always been of the position that you have to manage each horse in a way that's best for each horse. We'll let it all play out on the racetrack."
Al Shaqab Racing-owned Toro Strike was also nominated for the Dubai World Cup undercard, however, those plans changed. “We plan to keep Toro Strike in the U.S. We do not know what races yet,” said Pletcher.
The Into Mischief 4YO owned by WinStar and China Horse Club, trained by Todd Pletcher, has not raced since his 3 1/4-length victory over 2021 Horse of the Year Knicks Go in the Pegasus.
"Life Is Good is doing well," Walden said about the Gr.1 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (2021) winner. "He breezed Friday (on February 25, at Palm Beach Downs Training Center) and he'll breeze again this Friday. We're looking forward to taking him over there to Dubai."
Life is Good leapt to the top of TRCs Global Rankings after his dominant Pegasus World Cup display.
The Dubai World Cup was always one-half of his two-part plan for his 4YO champion. Raw speed has always been part of Life is Good’s biggest advantages and he destroyed the question of whether he could be coaxed into sustaining it around two turns.
“I think we made strides in that way,” Pletcher said after the Pegasus. “He settled and he showed in the Dirt Mile and in the Pegasus that he’s got a high cruising speed he’s able to keep going with. You don’t want to take him back, but you don’t want him doing too much. I think we’re finding that balance.”
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Under urging from jockey Irad Ortiz Jr., Life Is Good displayed breathtaking acceleration to ensure that the highly anticipated match race with all-but-certain Horse of the Year Knicks Go and Joel Rosario never materialized.
Life Is Good and Colonel Liam are scheduled to arrive in Dubai towards the middle of March in preparation for their Meydan debuts.
“At the moment our plan is to take both horses to Dubai,” Pletcher said in a previous interview. “Our only concern at the moment is that we are monitoring the track condition over there. Watching the prep races, the main track seemed deep and slow, and we’re not sure we’d want to participate with Life Is Good if that continues to be the case.”
“Colonel Liam was purchased by Jacob West at OBS. I have trained for the Lows for about 7-8 years now,” he said.
“Colonel Liam is very straight forward, uncomplicated and very professional. His biggest win was the Pegasus Turf and it was his first Grade 1 victory.”
Life Is Good makes his next start in the US$12m Dubai World Cup, while Colonel Liam runs in the US$5m Dubai Turf, trainer Todd Pletcher confirmed.
The Breeders’ Cup-winning conditioner began his career working for his father, Jake Pletcher, as a hot walker at the age of seven.
“My father was a horse trainer, and I always knew that’s what I wanted to do. We have been very fortunate to be around very talented horses and always keep what I do interesting,” he said.
The beat goes on for trainer Todd Pletcher, who was enshrined in the National Museum of Racing’s Hall of Fame last August in his first year of eligibility. His next should see him taking home the Gr.1 Dubai World Cup, a first for the leading American Conditioner.