Life Is Good goes fast early, stays in front in Whitney

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - There were moments during the running of Saturday’s Grade 1 Whitney Stakes when Flavien Prat, riding Hot Rod Charlie, and John Velazquez, aboard Happy Saver, thought they had a chance to reel-in the heavily favored Life Is Good.

But those thoughts proved fleeting as Life Is Good, who went fast early, still had something left in reserve late to win the $1 million Whitney Stakes by two lengths at steamy Saratoga.

Happy Saver, who altered course when Life Is Good veered-in during the stretch run, finished second by a head over Hot Rod Charlie as trainer Todd Pletcher sent out the top two finishers while winning his fourth Whitney.

It was 7 1/4 lengths back to Olympiad in fourth. Zoomer finished last. Americanrevolution was scratched to await the Jockey Club Gold Cup on Sept. 3.

The victory was the third from four starts this year for Life Is Good and eighth from 10 overall. The $535,000 first-place purse pushed his career earnings over the $4 million mark.

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The victory may not have been achieved with the same brilliance Life Is Good had shown winning last year’s Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile or this year’s Grade 1 Pegasus Invitational, but there may have been some variables in play that contributed to that fact.

Mid-day showers prompted officials to seal the track midway through the card, then harrow it again prior to the Whitney. Over a track that by many accounts has been demanding thus far this meet, Life Is Good broke on top and ran an opening half-mile in 46.84 seconds, opening up a four-length advantage with five furlongs remaining.

Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. said Life Is Good took off on him when the field turned up the backside.

“When he changed leads, he just took off and in two jumps he was gone,” Ortiz said. “After that, I don’t want to fight too much with him. He surprised me today. I just let him do his thing, it was a little early, but I could not fight too much with him.”

Pletcher, watching from the grandstand, grew a little concerned.

“I wanted to spread the race out at the three-eighths pole, not the three-quarter pole,” Pletcher said. “So, it had me a little nervous, but he just kept finding.”

Ortiz had Life Is Good in the five-path down the backside. Hot Rod Charlie was pursuing from the inside under Prat while Olympiad was stalking from the outside. Happy Saver was fourth, but only about five lengths off the lead.

Ortiz let Life Is Good drop in around the far turn, but approaching the head of the lane he let him drift out into the four-path as Hot Rod Charlie was making an outside bid and Happy Saver was rallying along the inside.

It was at that stage that both Prat and Velazquez thought they had a shot.

“When I tipped him out, I thought I was going to go by, but the winner just re-engaged again,” Prat said.

Said Velazquez: “At the three-sixteenths pole, I thought I had a really good chance. I think the other had another gear.”

At the eighth pole, Ortiz guided Life Is Good in front of Happy Saver, causing Velazquez to alter course. But Velazquez said Life Is Good was clear and did not impede him.

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“We just switched positions, that’s all it was,” Velazquez said. “He was that clear. When he went in, I went to the outside with no trouble at all.”

Life Is Good, a son of son of Into Mischief owned by WinStar Farm and China Horse Club, covered the 1 1/8 miles in 1:48.97 over a track labeled good and getting a 107 Beyer Speed Figure. He returned $3.70 as the favorite.

The biggest disappointment of the race was Olympiad, who brought a five-race winning streak into the Whitney. Jockey Junior Alvarado said when he went to ask Olympiad to move at the half-mile pole “he didn’t even give me two jumps of excitement,” Alvarado said. “I said let me just wait until the three-eighths pole and do it again. I tried picking it up again, nothing under me.”

The win earned Life Is Good a fees-paid berth into the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Keeneland on Nov. 5. It’s unclear whether Life Is Good would make a start before then.