Impressive maiden winner Life Is Good favored in Sham

The Grade 3 Sham Stakes for 3-year-olds at a mile on Saturday at Santa Anita has a projected field of five, all in search of their first stakes wins.

Life Is Good, winner of a maiden special weight race at 6 1/2 furlongs by 9 1/2 lengths in his debut Nov. 22 at Del Mar, will be favored against fellow maiden race winners Medina Spirit and Parnelli. Waspirant and Uncle Boogie, who have had mixed results in stakes, are the other expected runners.

Bob Baffert trains Life Is Good and Medina Spirit.

Waspirant has not raced since a fourth-place finish in the Grade 1 American Pharoah Stakes at 1 1/16 miles on Sept. 26 at Santa Anita, a loss preceded by a win in a maiden special weight race at a mile on Aug. 29 at Del Mar.

:: Want to get your Past Performances for free? Click to learn more.

Uncle Boogie, winner of a $32,000 claimer for maidens in his debut on Oct. 12 at Santa Anita, was a well-beaten second in the Grade 3 Bob Hope Stakes at seven furlongs on Nov. 15 at Del Mar.

The Sham Stakes is the first dirt stakes for 3-year-olds at the winter-spring meeting, and a race that leads to the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby on April 3.

Saturday’s Grade 2 San Gabriel Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on turf is led by Count Again and Next Shares, who were first and third in the Grade 2 Seabiscuit Handicap on Nov. 28 at Del Mar. Next Shares won the 2020 San Gabriel.

The other five expected runners in the $200,000 San Gabriel are the stakes winners Anothertwistafate, Bob and Jackie, Bowies Hero, Cleopatra’s Strike, and Multiplier.

Cleopatra’s Strike was second in the San Gabriel in 2019 and 2020 and was claimed for $62,500 by trainer Bob Hess Jr. on Nov. 17 at Del Mar.