Life Is Good shrugs off Speaker's Corner and draws off in John Nerud Stakes
ELMONT, N.Y. - Life Is Good did what he was expected to do - and perhaps a bit more - Saturday at Belmont Park, putting away an early challenge from Speaker’s Corner and drawing off under Flavien Prat to win the Grade 2, $250,000 John Nerud Stakes by five lengths.
Speaker’s Corner, winner of the Grade 1 Carter in April and third to Flightline in the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap three weeks ago, finished second, 2 1/2 lengths in front of Repo Rocks in third. Harvard was last in the field of four. War Tocsin scratched.
The victory, Life Is Good’s seventh from nine career starts, should set him up well for the Grade 1, $1 million Whitney Stakes on Aug. 6 at Saratoga.
Life Is Good was making his first start since he finished fourth in the Grade 1 Dubai World Cup on March 26. Trainer Todd Pletcher in mid-May said he felt the Nerud would be a good comeback race to get ready for the Whitney. He wasn’t necessarily expecting Speaker’s Corner to show up in this race, but it wasn’t going to alter his plans.
Saturday, Life Is Good broke sharply from the rail in the seven-furlong race and quickly took the front under Prat, subbing for a suspended Irad Ortiz Jr. Speaker’s Corner broke outward a step, but Jose Ortiz put him right off Life Is Good’s flank, pressuring him through a quarter in 22.19 seconds and a half-mile in 44.70.
Coming to the top of the stretch, Prat allowed Life Is Good to float a path or two wide, but at that point Speaker’s Corner was having trouble keeping up. Prat shook the reins and rode him almost all the way to the wire. Life Is Good galloped out well into the clubhouse turn.
Life Is Good, a son of Into Mischief owned by WinStar Farms and China Horse Club, covered the seven furlongs in 1:21.70, getting a 112 Beyer Speed Figure. He returned $2.40 as the 1-5 favorite.
“I was really happy when I saw him breaking that good,” Prat said. “We avoid some trouble by breaking well and getting ourself to the lead. Then, after that, I was traveling super and he responded well when I asked him to make a move.”
Pletcher said he was happy with Life Is Good’s performance and equally relieved to get the race behind him.
“There’s only one outcome that was okay and that was for him to win,” Pletcher said. “You run against a Grade 1 winner and draw the rail, you worry about all those things. But he broke sharp, high-cruising speed, and he kind of just kept going. Love the way he galloped out. Happy to get that under our belt and hopefully move forward to the Whitney like we planned.”