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Life Is Good Puts Perfect Record on the Line in San Felipe

Unbeaten 'TDN Rising Star' Life Is Good (Into Mischief), the 7-1 individual favorite in Pool 3 of the GI Kentucky Derby Future Wager, will look to go three-for-three in Saturday's GII San Felipe S. The 1 1/16-miles contest offers 50-20-10-5 points on the road to the Kentucky Derby.

The blowout debut winner at Del Mar Nov. 22 set an uncontested pace while making his two turn-debut in the GIII Sham S. Jan. 2, and, after very confident handling beneath Mike Smith in the stretch, held a 3/4-length advantage over stablemate Medina Spirit (Protonico). The rail-drawn, 4-5 morning-line favorite tackles an additional sixteenth of a mile in the San Felipe.

Life Is Good, owned by CHC Inc. and WinStar Farm, is on the same trajectory, to this point at least, as another Bob Baffert-trained son of Into Mischief, the brilliant Authentic, who pulled off the Sham/San Felipe double in 2020 en route to a Horse of the Year campaign, which also included wins in the GI Kentucky Derby and GI Breeders' Cup Classic.

The bargain $35,000 OBSOPN buy Medina Spirit, meanwhile, proved his effort in the Sham was certainly legit with a refuse-to-lose, front-running tally by a neck after taking heat through fast fractions in the GIII Robert B. Lewis S. Jan. 30.

“He's a good horse and I could tell that Mike was just cruising out there,” Baffert said of Life Is Good after the Sham. “It reminded me a lot of Authentic last year, when he did the same thing, and he looked like a drunk out there coming down [the stretch]. I think Mike did a great job just sort of cruising around there and it was just the kind of race we were looking for. They ran pretty fast, these are two good horses.”

'TDN Rising Star' Roman Centurian (Empire Maker) closed from last of six and made a flashy, four-wide rally on the far turn to finish a strong second in a blanket photo after bumping with a rival in the stretch in his stakes debut in the Robert B. Lewis.

“He's a very talented horse,” trainer Simon Callaghan said. “I think the San Felipe will reveal a lot, but again, Roman Centurian is a very good horse. I'm happy with him and looking forward to the race.”

Dream Shake (Twirling Candy) heads straight to the deep end for trainer Peter Eurton following an eye-catching 'TDN Rising Star' debut score at 20-1–good for a 96 Beyer Speed Figure–going 6 1/2 furlongs at Santa Anita Feb. 7. The stacked field that day included the very hyped Baffert-trained firster Bezos (Empire Maker), who never fired in seventh.

The Great One (Nyquist), second, beaten a nose as a maiden in the GII Los Alamitos Futurity Dec. 19, enters off a blowout 14-length graduation for Doug O'Neill over three rivals at Santa Anita Jan. 23.

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Promising Baffert Trainee Life Is Good Headlines San Felipe

A winner of a Grade 3 stakes on Jan. 2, Bob Baffert's lightly raced Life Is Good heads an outstanding field of seven sophomores going a mile and one sixteenth in Saturday's Grade 2, $300,000 San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita.

A key prep for the Grade 1 Runhappy Santa Anita Derby on April 3, the San Felipe, which was won last year by Baffert's eventual Kentucky Derby and Breeders' Cup Classic winner Authentic, will be contested for the 83rd time, with Baffert bidding to win it for a record eighth time on Saturday.

Owned by CHC, Inc. and WinStar Farm, Life Is Good, a Kentucky-bred colt by Into Mischief out of the Distorted Humor mare Beach Walk, was making his second start in the Sham and was off as the 1-5 favorite. Although he opened up a four length advantage at the top of the lane, he narrowly held sway by three quarters of a length over stablemate Medina Spirit, who helps provide Baffert with a solid one-two punch on Saturday.

A 9 ½ length first-out maiden winner at 1-5 going 6 ½ furlongs on Nov. 22 at Del Mar, Life Is Good, a $525,000 Keeneland September Yearling, has been no secret and will likely go favored in his third start with regular rider Mike Smith up.

Baffert is also well-armed with Medina Spirit, who comes off a gutty neck win at even money in the Grade 3 Robert B. Lewis Stakes at a mile and one sixteenth on Jan. 30. A bargain $35,000 purchase at age two, Medina Spirit set a fast pace and was extra game in victory while prevailing over both Roman Centurian and highly regarded Hot Rod Charlie on the gallop out as well. A fast finishing second, beaten three quarters of length by his stablemate Life Is Good in the Grade 3 Sham on Jan. 2, Medina Spirit has shown tremendous heart in his last two races.

Owned by Zedan Racing, Stables, Inc., Medina Spirit is a Florida-bred colt by the Giant's Causeway stallion Prontonico, out of Mongolian Changa, by Brilliant Speed. A winner of two of his three starts, Medina Spirit will be ridden for the first time by eastern-based John Velazquez.

Second, beaten a nose by Baffert's Spielberg while still a maiden in the Grade 2 Los Alamitos Futurity Dec. 19, Doug O'Neill's The Great One came back to blitz maidens by 14 lengths in a one mile maiden race here on Jan. 23. A Louisiana-bred colt by O'Neill's 2016 Florida and Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist, The Great One has the benefit of ample seasoning, as he'll be making his sixth start and be going a route of ground for the fifth consecutive time.

A $185,000 purchase at age two, The Great One, who is out of the El Corredor mare Little Ms Protocol, is owned by Colorado Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson's ERJ Racing LLC, Train Wreck Al Racing Stables, Niall J. Brennan, Tom Fritz and William Strauss and is named for NHL hockey legend Wayne Gretzky.

A big second, beaten a neck by Medina Spirit in the Grade 3 Lewis Stakes Jan. 30, Simon Callaghan's Roman Centurian, who was an impressive maiden winner at the San Felipe distance two starts back on Jan. 3, rallied from well off the pace to come up a neck short in a three-horse Robert B. Lewis photo. Tractable early, this son of Empire Maker gives every indication he'll improve with added distance as he tries a mile and one sixteenth for the third consecutive time.

Bred in Kentucky by Don Alberto Corporation, Roman Centurian is out of the Bernardini mare Spare Change. Owned by Don Alberto and Qatar Racing Limited, he'll be making his fourth start and be handled by regular rider Juan Hernandez.

Although he's only run once, Peter Eurton's Dream Shake could not have been anymore impressive in breaking his 6 ½ furlong maiden by 4 ¾ lengths here on Feb. 7. Despite the fact he was ridden by Joel Rosario, Dream Shake, a Kentucky-bred colt by Twirling Candy, was off at a whopping 20-1, but won like an odds-on favorite.

Owned by Exline-Border Racing, LLC, SAF Racing and Richard Hausman, Dream Shake, who is out of the Street Cry mare Even Song, would appear to be taking a giant leap in his second start, but he retains the services of Rosario and therefore looms a serious threat with a 96 Beyer in-hand.

THE GRADE 2 SAN FELIPE WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 6 of 11 Approximate post time 2:30 p.m. PT

Life Is Good—Mike Smith—122
Dream Shake—Joel Rosario–120
Medina Spirit—John Velazquez—122
None Above the Law—Flavien Prat–120
The Great One—Abel Cedillo—120
Govenor's Party—Mario Gutierrez—120
Roman Centurian—Juan Hernandez–120

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Medina Spirit To Join Baffert Stablemate Life Is Good In San Felipe Lineup

Bob Baffert will double-team his opposition with varsity Triple Crown contenders Life Is Good and Medina Spirit in next Saturday's Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif. The San Felipe is a major steppingstone to the G1 Runhappy Santa Anita Derby on April 3.

“Life Is Good will work tomorrow and Medina Spirit worked today (Saturday),” said the two-time Triple Crown-winning trainer, who seeks to add to his record seven San Felipe victories.

Game neck winner in a three-horse photo of the Robert B. Lewis Stakes on Jan. 30, Medina Spirit went six furlongs in a bullet 1:11.20, fastest of 11 drills at the distance, the average time of which was 1:12.89.

“He worked well and if he comes out of it in good order, the plan is to run in the San Felipe,” Baffert said of the Protonico colt. “I'll run two in there.”

Baffert's previous San Felipe wins were recorded by Prime Timber (1999), Point Given (2001), Preachinatthebar (2004), Pioneerof the Nile (2009), Dortmund (2015), Mastery (2017) and Authentic last year.

Hall of Fame member John Velazquez, who piloted Authentic to victory in the Kentucky Derby en route to 2020 Horse of the Year honors, will ride Medina Spirit for the first time, while Mike Smith retains the mount on undefeated G3 Sham Stakes winner Life Is Good, a colt by leading sire Into Mischief. Medina Spirit closed to within three-quarters of a length of Life Is Good to be second in the Sham.

Baffert also is considering Mastering for the Santa Anita Handicap next Saturday. The son of Street Sense would be making his stakes debut in the Big 'Cap, which Baffert has won on five occasions, with General Challenge (2000), Misremembered (2010) and three times with Game On Dude (2011,2013, 2014).

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Callaghan: ‘Lots Of Blue Sky Ahead’ For San Felipe Candidate Roman Centurian

Roman Centurian was beaten 12 ¼ lengths by Life Is Good in his debut race last Nov. 22, but after an impressive maiden win and a bang-up second by a neck to Medina Spirit in the Grade 3 Robert B. Lewis Stakes on Jan. 30, Simon Callaghan is gearing up the son of Empire Maker for another go at Life Is Good in the G2 San Felipe Stakes on March 6.

“He's a very talented horse and I think the San Felipe will be a very interesting race,” said Callaghan, who conditions Roman Centurian for breeders Don Alberto Corporation, which also owns the colt along with Qatar Racing Limited. He was a $550,000 yearling purchase at the Keeneland September Sale.

“I think the San Felipe will reveal a lot, but again, Roman Centurian is a very good horse. I'm happy with him and looking forward to the race.”

Juan Hernandez, who rode Roman Centurian in the Lewis, will be back aboard in the San Felipe, Callaghan said.

Hernandez was in the irons today for a five-furlong workout in 1:00.40. “I was very happy,” Callaghan said. “It was a typical breeze for him. He moved good and finished up really well.”

Roman Centurian had an eventful trip in the 1 1/16-mile Lewis, trailing in the field of six after a half-mile, going five wide into the stretch, and bumping third-place finisher Hot Rod Charlie at the eighth pole.

According to the Equibase chart, Roman Centurian “could not get by the winner,” Medina Spirit, who, like Life Is Good, is trained by Bob Baffert.

“I think he's always going to have that style of closing,” Callaghan said, “but he definitely covered more ground in the Lewis and was kind of bumped; that didn't help him.

“It's five weeks from the Lewis to the San Felipe so we're going to see some progression in our horse. There's lots of blue sky ahead of him.”

The San Felipe is a major steppingstone to the Grade I, $750,000 Runhappy Santa Anita Derby on April 3 and offers 50 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the winner, 20 to the runner-up, 10 to the third-place finisher and five to the fourth. The race was won last year by Authentic, who would go on to be named Horse of the Year.

Life Is Good is the 7-1 individual favorite in Pool 3 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wagering, while Roman Centurian is listed at 41-1. The mutuel field is favored at 3-1.

Roman Centurian calls Santa Anita home along with fellow Triple Crown hopefuls Life Is Good, Freedom Fighter, Medina Spirit and Concert Tour for Baffert; Dream Shake for Peter Eurton; and Hot Rod Charlie and The Great One for Doug O'Neill.

Also working Saturday morning were Medina Spirit (six furlongs in a bullet 1:12.40); San Vicente winner Concert Tour (four furlongs in 47.20); and Louisiana Derby-bound Hot Rod Charlie and San Felipe contender The Great One (five furlongs in 1:02 and 1:01.20, breezing, respectively).

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