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Baffert Pointing Life Is Good to Sham

Two-year-old sensation and ‘TDN Rising Star’ Life Is Good (Into Mischief) will likely make his next start in the GIII Sham S. on Jan. 2 at Santa Anita, reports trainer Bob Baffert. The one-mile event carries a purse of $100,000.

“If all is going well, it looks like the Sham will be his next race,” Baffert said. “It will give me a chance to stretch him out. Then I will decide on what’s next and look at races like the Rebel at Oaklawn.”

Owned by WinStar Farm and the China Horse Club, Life Is Good was purchased for $525,000 at the 2019 Keeneland September Sale. He made his debut Nov. 22 at Del Mar and instantly stamped himself as a contender for the 2021 Triple Crown with a 9 1/2-length win in which jockey Mike Smith never appeared to ask the horse for his best. His final time for the 6 1/2 furlongs was 1:15.50 and he earned a 90 Beyer figure.

In the first round of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager, Life Is Good was the top choice after the “all others” option. He closed at 5-1, putting him ahead of Essential Quality (Tapit). The winner of the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and the likely 2020 champion 2-year-old male, Essential Quality closed at 8-1.

Baffert noted that his 2020 GI Kentucky Derby winner Authentic (Into Mischief) also won at first asking during the Bing Crosby meet at Del Mar before winning the Sham in his second career start.

“You can’t get an allowance race for these horses to fill around here,” Baffert said. “I ran Authentic in the Sham last year after he broke his maiden at Del Mar. The Sham looks like a logical spot.”

Baffert said he is looking forward to finding out more about Life Is Good.

“He’s got a great sire and they way he ran was impressive,” he said. “He’s got raw talent like American Pharoah and Justify. I think Authentic had that raw talent, too. But he was just immature at the time. This horse gives us something to get excited about, but they’ve got to go two turns first. I didn’t know how good American Pharoah was until he did it.”

Should Life Is Good make it to the Kentucky Derby, he will be in position to give Baffert his third win in the race over the last four years and his fourth since 2015. With six Derby wins, he is tied with Ben Jones for most by a trainer.

“I train for all the big guys, like WinStar,” he said. “I’ve made it to point where these people send me good horses and that makes my job easier. And we’ve figured out what to do with them when we do get a good one.”

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Keeneland January to Include Dispersal of Pompa Stock

Keeneland will offer 39 horses in the Complete Dispersal of the late Paul P. Pompa Jr.–including Turned Aside (American Pharoah), winner of Saturday’s Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship S., and additional 2020 Grade III winners Country Grammer (Tonalist) and Regal Glory (Animal Kingdom)–during the 2021 January Horses of All Ages Sale, to be held Jan. 11-14. Lane’s End will serve as agent for the consignment, which consists of broodmares, foals of 2020, horses of racing age and broodmare or stallion prospects. The January Sale catalog is scheduled to be online at Keeneland.com on Dec. 8.

“Mr. Pompa’s industry involvement was admirable on every level,” Lane’s End Sales Director Allaire Ryan said. “He was dedicated to and ever enthusiastic about his investments as a breeder, owner and fan. He created strong relationships around a lifelong passion and never wavered from his philosophy to do right by his stock and enjoy the sport. The success of his breeding and racing operations is a direct result of his daily involvement with trainers, farm staff, agents and caretakers alike. We have valued the opportunity to care for his horses at Lane’s End and will be proud to stand behind his offerings at the January Sale.”

Eight mares in the Pompa Dispersal are in foal to Connect, a Grade I-winning son of Curlin who raced for Pompa and stands at Lane’s End.

Among the horses cataloged in the dispersal are these broodmares and foals of 2020:

Mary’s Follies, a Grade II winner by More Than Ready who is the dam of multiple graded stakes winners Night Prowler and Regal Glory as well as 2020 Japanese multiple Group 3 winner Cafe Pharoah.
A colt by Connect-Mary’s Follies foaled in 2020.
Sustained, a Grade III-placed daughter of War Front who is the dam of Turned Aside and is in foal to Connect.

These fillies of racing age:

Off Topic, a Grade I-placed 4-year-old filly by Street Sense.
Regal Glory, a Grade II-winning 4-year-old and ‘TDN Rising Star’ who has earned $773,884. Winner of the GIII Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf S. in her most recent race, Regal Glory also won the GII Lake Placid S. and GIII Lake George S. at Saratoga along with the Penn Oaks and Stewart Manor S.

These colts of racing age:

Country Grammer, a 3-year-old son who won this year’s GIII Peter Pan S.
Spirit Maker, a 2-year-old colt by Empire Maker who won his career debut Saturday at Aqueduct by 1 3/4 lengths.
Turned Aside, a 3-year-old colt who won the GIII Quick Call S. at Saratoga in July and captured Saturday’s Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship by 1 1/4 lengths. He has four wins in nine starts with earnings of $241,967.

“We have great respect for Paul–as a horseman, businessman and person–and were so saddened by his passing. Keeneland is honored to be given the responsibility of presenting the Pompa Dispersal,” Keeneland President-Elect and Interim Head of Sales Shannon Arvin said.

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Bravazo Joins Stallion Ranks at Calumet

Bravazo (Awesome Again–Tiz o’ Gold, by Cee’s Tizzy), who bankrolled over $2 million over the course of four seasons at the track, will enter stud in 2021 at his owner’s Calumet Farm. He will stand for $6,000.

Trained by D. Wayne Lukas, Bravazo was second in the GI Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity at two and earned his way onto the Triple Crown trail with an upset victory in the GII Risen Star S. in 2018. He would go on to finish second, beaten a half-length by eventual Triple Crown hero Justify (Scat Daddy) in the GI Preakness S., and hit the board in the GI Haskell Invitational S., GI Runhappy Travers S., GI Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile and GI Clark S.

“Bravazo was an iron horse on the track,” said Calumet’s Eddie Kane. “He was a fierce competitor with great resolve and determination. I’m confident he will establish this toughness in his progeny.”

The Calumet roster is topped by English Channel (Smart Strike), the number one turf sire by earnings with eighth individual black-type winners, five of those graded, including GISW and Eclipse Award candidate Channel Maker. English Channel stands for $27,500 in 2021.

Sire (Sire’s Sire) Fee
English Channel (Smart Strike) $27,500
Keen Ice (Curlin) $12,500
Oxbow (Awesome Again) $7,500
Ransom the Moon (Malibu Moon $7,500
Bravazo (Awesome Again) $6,000
Bal a Bali (Brz) (Put It Back) $5,000
Big Blue Kitten (Kitten’s Joy) $5,000
Real Solution (Kitten’s Joy) $5,000
War Correspondent (War Front) $5,000
Hightail (Mineshaft) $4,000
Mr. Z (Malibu Moon) $2,500
Optimizer (English Channel) $2,500
Producer (GB) (Dutch Art {GB}) $2,500
Raison D’Etat (A.P. Indy) $2,500

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Sequel NY Announces 2021 Stud Fees

Officials at Sequel Stallions New York have announced stud fees for its five-strong roster for the 2021 breeding season.

As was reported last week, ‘TDN Rising Star’ Honest Mischief (Into Mischief) is new to the Sequel breeding barn and will begin his stud career for an advertised fee of $6,500. He will be backed by a Sequel-led syndicate and his breeder Juddmonte Farm will also support the stallion.

Sequel’s perennial leading New York sire Freud (Storm Cat), the full-brother to Giant’s Causeway whose progeny have earned better than $65 million to date, commands a fee of $5,000, while Mission Impazible (Unbridled’s Song), Destin (Giant’s Causeway) and Union Jackson (Curlin) are each available for $2,500. All fees are Live Foal/Stands & Nurses. Multiple mare discounts are available as well as incentives for repeat breeders.

“It is a very tough climate in the sales market anywhere now, but especially in the regional markets. We want to give our breeders a chance to be profitable. The recent sales in Kentucky have clearly demonstrated breeding in Kentucky does not guarantee a profit. The lower stallion fees, no transportation or boarding costs coupled with the lucrative purse structure NYRA offers and resulting awards will give our breeders the opportunity to recover from the dismal 2020 season,” said Sequel owner Becky Thomas.

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