Life Is Good injured, will miss Santa Anita Derby

Life Is Good emerged from a fast work at Santa Anita on Saturday morning with an apparent hind-end injury and will at the least not run in the Santa Anita Derby on April 3, his trainer, Bob Baffert, said early Saturday afternoon.

"He came back to the barn after the work and was off when he turned," Baffert said. "We have to do more tests on him. It's nothing obvious, but he's out of the Santa Anita Derby."

Baffert said Life Is Good's status for the May 1 Kentucky Derby won't be known until more tests are done, but obviously this casts doubt on whether he will make that race.

Life Is Good worked six furlongs in 1:11.40 on Saturday morning, his first drill since winning the San Felipe Stakes two weeks earlier and the first of what was scheduled to be two works for him in advance of the Santa Anita Derby. Video of his work on XBTV shows him working straight coming through the lane, as opposed to how he drifted out in the San Felipe.

"He worked beautifully," Baffert said. "When he came back, he took a funny step. When he turns, you notice it a little bit. We won't know more until we do a nuclear scan on him."

:: KENTUCKY DERBY 2021: Derby Watch, point standings, prep schedule, news, and more

Life Is Good, by Into Mischief, has won all three of his starts and is the current favorite for the Kentucky Derby. His absence from the Santa Anita Derby figures to significantly increase the field size among local entrants for that race.

Life Is Good is owned by WinStar Farm and China Horse Club. Baffert said he had been in touch with Elliott Walden, the former trainer who is the president, chief executive officer, and racing manager of WinStar, and said there is the possibility Life Is Good could go to WinStar for further tests, but that the situation was being assessed Saturday and no decision had been reached.