Life Is Good, Mind Control likely to try BC Dirt Mile
ELMONT, N.Y. – Trainer Todd Pletcher could have two top contenders for the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile on Nov. 6 at Del Mar after weekend stakes victories by Life Is Good and Mind Control.
Life Is Good did what was expected of him in Saturday’s Grade 2, $250,000 Kelso Handicap when he scored a 5 1/2-length front-running victory as the 1-20 favorite.
Mind Control won for the first time around two turns when he battled back after being passed by Silver State to capture the Parx Dirt Mile by a head.
Life Is Good, a 3-year-old son of Into Mischief, rebounded from his first career loss, a head defeat to Jackie’s Warrior, in the Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens. In the Kelso, he seemed more relaxed under Irad Ortiz Jr. than he was in the Jerkens when making his first start in 5 1/2 months.
“I was very pleased with the way he handled everything,” Pletcher said Sunday. “He didn’t break quite as sharply as he did in the Jerkens but he recovered quickly and what I liked was he went 23-and-a-couple, 46-and-a-couple and looked like he was responsive to Irad taking a little hold of him, slowing him down a little bit.
“When he asked him to go down to the rail he did and kicked on when he asked him and [Irad] took him in hand late. So, I thought it was everything we could have hoped for.”
While Pletcher believes Life Is Good has the ability to get the Breeders’ Cup Classic distance of 1 1/4 miles, he’s not sure it is the right race for the 3-year-old this year.
“He missed a good portion of the middle part of the year,” Pletcher said. “I do think the horse will run the Classic distance, but the setup maybe is not ideal this year.”
Mind Control was a multiple Grade 1 winner in seven-furlong races. In his only previous try around two turns, Mind Control finished seventh in the 2018 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Churchill Downs.
Saturday, he sat a nice trip under John Velazquez, then dug back in when passed by Silver State in deep stretch to get the head victory. Mind Control earned a 104 Beyer Speed Figure, the first triple-digit number of his 23-race career
“I thought he ran great,” Pletcher said. “I know Johnny knows him very well and was concerned he made the lead too soon. It looked like Silver State had a head of steam and we weren’t going to be able to get there. But it was impressive he was able to fight back like that.”
Rick Sacco, racing manager for Brunetti Stable, which co-owns Mind Control with Sol Kumin’s Madaket Stable, said Mind Control would be under strong consideration for the BC Dirt Mile and/or the Grade 1 Cigar Mile on Dec. 4 at Aqueduct.