“Unfortunately Algiers won't be able to run in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile,” the Crisfords' Gainsborough Thoroughbreds tweeted on X (formerly Twitter). “He is going to have to miss a few days training due to a minor foot issue. He will now be prepared for a winter in Dubai.”

The Shamardal gelding enjoyed a fruitful Dubai campaign beginning in January. The G2 Al Maktoum Challenge Round 1 went his way that month, as did the G2 Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 in February. He was 2 3/4-lengths behind GI Breeders' Cup Classic runner Ushba Tesoro (Jpn) (Orfevre {Jpn}) in the Dubai World Cup proper in March and was last seen taking second in the G3 Durham Cup S. at Woodbine on Oct. 7.

Added Ed Crisford at Santa Anita on Wednesday morning, “It's really annoying to have lost Algiers from his race, he had bruising on his right front leg. It doesn't look serious.”

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Practical Move collapsed suddenly while jogging back along the outer rail in the stretch and was immediately tended to by the onsite veterinary team as well as his trainer Tim Yakteen.

A statement from Breeders' Cup read, “Breeders' Cup is saddened to report the loss of Practical Move after what is suspected to be a cardiac event while returning from his gallop this morning at Santa Anita Park. His rider was uninjured, and the horse was immediately tended to by veterinarians from the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB), 1/ST Racing, and Breeders' Cup.”

“Heartbroken,” Yakteen texted.

Forced to miss the GI Kentucky Derby after developing a slight fever just two days out, Practical Move returned from a six-month layoff in style with a dominating performance against older horses at Santa Anita Oct. 6.

A $230,000 OBS April purchase (:10 1/5 breezer) by Leslie and Pierre Amestoy and Roger Beasley out of the Eisaman Equine consignment, Practical Move posted a career record of 8-5-1-2 and earnings of $923,200. In addition to his game nose victory in the Santa Anita Derby, his resume also included wins in the GII Los Alamitos Futurity and GII San Felipe S.

Bred in Kentucky by four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown and Sol Kumin's Head of Plains Partners, Practical Move previously RNA'd for $90,000 as a KEESEP yearling. From the second crop of promising young sire Practical Joke, Practical Move was produced by the grassy, multiple stakes-placed, New York-bred Ack Naughty (Afleet Alex), who brought $500,000 from Chester and Mary Broman in foal to Upstart earlier this year at Keeneland January.

Update from Will Farmer on Practical Move pic.twitter.com/QdT1YCTxJF

— TVG (@TVG) October 31, 2023

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“He just looked very effective over a mile and a mile-and-one at Meydan and he has a lot of speed,” explained Ed Crisford.

“I'm not saying he doesn't stay the 10 furlongs, it's just that we felt at Santa Anita a mile may play to his strengths more.”

An impressive winner going a mile in the G2 Al Maktoum Challenge R1 in January, the 6-year-old stretched out successfully to take Meydan's main World Cup prep in February before finishing runner-up in the 1 1/4-mile marquee test for route horses. Given time off following that effort, he returned to be second in the 8 1/2-furlong GIII Durham Cup over Woodbine's Tapeta surface Oct. 7.

Having bounced out of his North American debut, the Rabbah Bloodstock-owned runner will have one final piece of work before departing for California.

“It was like a racecourse gallop to be honest, but he has come out of it super well,” reflected Crisford. “He's had that run now and has come out of it fresh and well and looks great. He is going to have a good gallop under James Doyle before he leaves and hopefully, that will be him set for the race next weekend.

“James knows him and what he can do and what is under the bonnet. He rides the American tracks really well and it should be perfect.”

According to Crisford, G2 Rockfel S. winner Carla's Way (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) will accompany Algiers on the trip Stateside. The juvenile filly is expected to start in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf.

“She is in good form and won well at Newmarket,” added Crisford. “She can quicken off a quick pace which is what you need in America and that track should suit her well, a two-turn mile on quick ground.”

“We opted not to go for the Fillies' Mile because that mile at Newmarket on soft ground wouldn't really be for her, but she's got a lot of ability and is progressing with each run and looks like a filly who could be a lot of fun for the future.”

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While there was no beating Flightline (Tapit) that day, Life Is Good threw it down with his undefeated competitor, forcing Flightline to chase him through blazing early fractions of :22.55 and :45.47. The Classic marked only his third defeat, but Life Is Good was far better than good in his final career start.

“It was a tough decision to decide which was the right race for Life is Good on Breeders' Cup Day,” said his trainer Todd Pletcher. “We felt like with his body of work and his success leading into it, he deserved a chance for champion older horse and Horse of the Year. We let him do his thing with his running style, which is a high cruising speed, and he took it to Flightline. I think he went out in style.”

Campaigned by China Horse Club and WinStar Farm, Life Is Good was the winner of nine races from 12 career starts. A 'TDN Rising Star' on debut at two, the eye-catching bay remained in graded stakes company from there, earning eight graded victories over his career. His resume includes four Grade I wins, starting with a definitive score in last year's edition of the Big Ass Fans Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile and then this year adding the Pegasus World Cup Invitational S., Whitney S. and Woodward S.

“What made Life Is Good so special is that he had that unique ability to go fast and carry that speed over a distance of ground,” Pletcher reflected. “From a trainer's perspective, he was very healthy, very sound and just loved his job. Every day he came out, he trained exceptionally and had a great attitude.”

Last year's edition of the GI H. Allen Jerkens Memorial S., where Life Is Good ran second by a neck to the season's eventual Champion Male Sprinter Jackie's Warrior (Maclean's Music), is a race that WinStar's Elliott Walden remembers as one of the colt's most impressive performances.

“That race, to me, was one of his best,” Walden said. “He was just beat coming off a 170-day layoff. I think when people remember Life Is Good as a racehorse, they will remember that he participated in all the big races. We were not afraid to run him at distances that maybe didn't suit him best, whether it was seven furlongs against Jackie's Warrior or a mile and a quarter against Flightline. He's one of the greats that we've had at WinStar.”

Life Is Good arrived at WinStar Farm the morning after the Breeders' Cup and received a warm welcome from his WinStar and China Horse Club connections. Todd Pletcher also stopped by to send off his pupil, who was known as 'Scooter' around the barn.

“He was such a huge part of our stable for almost the last two years that literally our schedule was built around his schedule,” Pletcher explained. “We're going to miss him a lot, but at the same time we're really pleased that he's able to retire to a farm like WinStar and get an opportunity to prove himself as a stallion. We look forward to seeing his babies.”

The son of Into Mischief was bred by Gary and Mary West Stable and sold for $525,000 as a yearling in 2019. His dam Beach Walk (Distorted Humor) is out of the multiple Grade I-placed Mineshaft mare Bonnie Blue Flag, whose family includes multiple Grade I winner Diamondrella (GB) (Rock of Gibraltar {Ire}), Group 3 victor Spectroscope (Medaglia d'Oro) and multiple graded stakes-placed runner Highest Honors (Tapit).

Life Is Good gets his fourth Grade I score in the Woodward S. | Sarah Andrew

“He's about 16'1, so he's a little bigger than Into Mischief,” Walden said. “He has a little bit more scope and range, but all the parts of a fast-looking horse. You can see when he moves how he just springs off with great, quick action that should translate to athletic foals. The Into Mischiefs have a real desire to run and Life Is Good showed that he wanted to compete at every level, every race and every work. Being by Into Mischief and also having Distorted Humor on the bottom, he gets a double dose of that competitiveness.”

Life Is Good's initial stud fee of $100,000 will be among the highest of this year's incoming crop, however Walden said that they have been conservative in their selection process as they begin filling the young sire's first book.

“We plan to breed him to about 160 mares,” Walden said. “We have a lot of requests each week, but we're not taking every mare. We're thinking about where each mare would fit into his whole group. We're making him worthy of a $100,000 stud fee, so we've turned down a lot of mares and are being very critical on that.”

He continued, “I think from a standpoint of what we've had here at Winstar, he would be at the very top as far as the great horses that we've had. Being by Into Mischief and with his physical presence and athleticism, we're super excited about his next career.”

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“We had to contend with a trip to the Middle East and back,” said Brad Cox. “He seemed to recover really well. We were pointing him for the race at Lone Star in the [GIII] Sexton Mile [May 31], but with the defection of Charlatan, it gave us enough confidence to put our name in the hat for the Met Mile. I think this will be a good experience for the horse. He breezed extremely well Sunday [May 30] [Churchill Downs, 5f, :59.80] and had a huge gallop out. I feel like we're in a good spot with him and going the right way.”

Joel Rosario retains the mount from the outermost post 6.

Cash is King and LC Racing's Mischevious Alex (Into Mischief), undefeated in three starts this term, exits an impressive 5 1/2-length score in the seven-furlong GI Carter H. at the Big A Apr. 3.

Prior to that, the Saffie Joseph Jr. trainee annexed a Gulfstream optional claimer Jan. 10 before adding a win in the GIII Gulfstream Park Sprint S. Feb. 13. During his sophomore season, he also won the GIII Swale S. and GIII Gotham S. while under the tutelage of trainer John Servis.

“In my opinion, he's the leader of the sprint division, but we run a mile this time, so it's going to be a big test,” said Joseph, Jr. “This is the time to try it and if he's able to accomplish it, it will be a great thing for his resume as a stallion.”

In regards to the distance, Joseph Jr. added, “I'm cautiously optimistic. He's lethal at six or seven furlongs because he can make the lead or sit if he needs to. At a mile, I feel it's within his reach and he's capable of it, so we'll give it a try. The way he won last time gives you optimism, but he has to go over and do it to make me a believer.”

Also riding a winning skein heading into Saturday's test, Silver State (Hard Spun) gets a class test while trying top-tier company for the first time. After closing out 2020 with a pair of seven-eighth victories in Kentucky, he kicked off 2021 with a narrow score in Oaklawn's Fifth Season S. Jan. 23 before adding the Mar. 13 Essex H. Stretched to nine panels for his latest in the Apr. 17 GII Oaklawn H., the 4-year-old came home a narrow winner Fearless (Ghostzapper). Regular pilot Ricardo Santana Jr. rejoins the Steve Asmussen trainee Saturday.

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