ELMONT, N.Y. – Life Is Good and Speaker’s Corner have different goals for the upcoming Saratoga meet, but Saturday’s Grade 2, $250,000 John Nerud at Belmont Park is viewed as the right spot for both of them to prepare for those objectives, setting up an intriguing matchup in this seven-furlong race. Trainer Todd Pletcher views the Nerud as a good spot to bring Life Is Good back from a 99-day layoff to prepare for the Grade 1, $1 million Whitney on Aug. 6. Trainer Bill Mott views the Nerud as a good spot to run Speaker’s Corner to prepare for the Grade 1 Forego on Aug. 27 at Saratoga. Speaker’s Corner is running back just three weeks after he finished third behind Flightline in the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap. Life Is Good and Speaker’s Corner have similar front-running styles. Life Is Good faced a similar scenario when he met Knicks Go in the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational in January at Gulfstream Park, but Life Is Good made a relatively comfortable lead and was never headed, winning by 3 1/4 lengths. Speaker’s Corner used his early foot to win three straight races, including the Grade 1 Carter at Aqueduct in April. He beat Flightline out of the gate in the Met Mile, but ultimately gave way, finishing 8 3/4 lengths behind that undefeated horse. :: Get up to 50% off on DRF's premium products, including Past Performances, Clocker Reports, Betting Strategies, Picks, the Digital Paper, and DRF Plus Pro! Mott said Speaker’s Corner came out of the Met Mile with a minor foot issue. It quickly resolved, and the colt’s five-furlong work here in 59.60 seconds last Saturday prompted Mott to target this race regardless of competition. “Sitting in the barn isn’t always the best option,” Mott said. “If you wait for the Forego, you’re going to run against Jackie’s Warrior” the reigning champion sprinter. “There ain’t no easy spots. If you’re afraid to run, then take your toys and go home.” Speaker’s Corner drew nicely on the outside in this five-horse field. That should give jockey Jose Ortiz an idea of how well Life Is Good breaks from the rail post. Ortiz replaces Junior Alvarado who is at Churchill Downs to ride Olympiad in the Stephen Foster. Life Is Good is making his first start since he finished fourth in the $12 million Dubai World Cup on March 26. Pletcher said the “very deep, very demanding” Meydan surface had more to do with Life Is Good failing to see out the 10 furlongs than the distance itself. After a freshening at WinStar farm, Life Is Good rejoined Pletcher in mid-May and has worked brilliantly for this. Pletcher isn’t delighted to the draw the rail, but he has no issues with the potential for a wet track given an ominous forecast. Like Mott, Pletcher also has to make a rider change as Flavien Prat takes over for Irad Ortiz Jr., who is on suspension from an infraction at Royal Ascot. :: Bet the races on DRF Bets! Sign up with code WINNING to get a $250 Deposit Match, $10 Free Bet, and FREE DRF Formulator. “I don’t think that’s a real complicated strategy, we’re going to come away from the rail and be forwardly placed and it’s going to be up to Speaker’s Corner really as to how fast the pace is,” Pletcher said. In between Life Is Good and Speaker’s Corner, the remaining trio of horses are Repo Rocks, Harvard, and War Tocsin, the latter having finished third to Jackie’s Warrior in the Grade 2 True North. The Nerud, named for the Hall of Fame trainer of Dr. Fager, Ta Wee, and Gallant Man, goes as race 4 (2:34 p.m. Eastern) on a 10-race card.