Life Is Good works six furlongs in San Felipe Stakes prep

ARCADIA, Calif. – When it comes to natural talent, there’s no better 3-year-old in California this year than Life Is Good. The key with him going forward, though, is trying to harness his inclination to go too fast too soon, and that’s what his morning lessons have been designed to teach in recent weeks.

Based on how he’s done in his last couple of drills, including Sunday morning here at Santa Anita, he seems to be getting the hang of it. In his final drill before Saturday’s Grade 2, $300,000 San Felipe Stakes, Life Is Good worked six furlongs in 1:12.20, but the key points are that he started off well under control, then galloped out a full mile. The work was reminiscent of what trainer Bob Baffert did with Arrogate and American Pharoah.

Life Is Good has started only twice so far, so he’s got a long ways to go to be put in the same pantheon as those two. He can take another step toward that in the San Felipe, in which he’ll try 1 1/16 miles for the first time when facing several other promising prospects for the Santa Anita Derby and the Kentucky Derby. The San Felipe offers 85 points overall, including 50 to the winner, for the May 1 Kentucky Derby.

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On Sunday, Life Is Good, working solo, went off as exercise rider Juan Ochoa pleased, finished well, and kept going.

“Just have to keep working on his mind,” said Baffert, who had Life Is Good begin his work at the 4 1/2-furlong pole. “I did that with Pharoah so he wouldn’t get too tough,” Baffert said.

Like American Pharoah, Life Is Good is an impressive mover, his action effortless.

“He just glides over the ground,” Baffert said.

Life Is Good defeated maidens sprinting in his debut on Nov. 22 at Del Mar, then came back and won the one-mile Sham Stakes here Jan. 2. Mike Smith, aboard him those two times, has the mount again in the San Felipe. Smith was out early Sunday to watch the work.

Medina Spirit, the Baffert trainee who lost the Sham by three-quarters of a length and then returned to win the Robert Lewis Stakes on Jan. 30, will also go in the San Felipe following a workout Saturday – six furlongs in 1:11.20 – that was an improvement over his drill the previous weekend.

“I wasn’t really happy with his work the week before. I went easy on him because he had a hard race. But he earned his way the way he worked yesterday,” Baffert said Sunday.

John Velazquez will ride Medina Spirit for the first time Saturday, replacing Abel Cedillo, who had been aboard for Medina Spirit’s first three races.

Cedillo will ride The Great One, who crushed maidens here on Jan. 23 in his lone start after narrowly losing the Los Alamitos Futurity to Spielberg.

Roman Centurian, second by a neck to Medina Spirit in the Lewis, is also expected for the San Felipe, along with Dream Shake, who won a loaded maiden race in his debut Feb. 7.