If trainer Bob Baffert is going to win a record seventh Kentucky Derby on May 1, he’ll have to accomplish the feat without Life Is Good, injured Saturday while preparing for the Santa Anita Derby.
Life Is Good, unbeaten in three starts during his brief career, worked 6 furlongs in a bullet 1:11.40 (fastest of six at the distance) Saturday morning at Santa Anita, but he was off in his left hind leg when he returned to Baffert’s barn.
During a telephone interview, Baffert said that while the injury is not career ending, the Into Mischief colt will miss the Grade I Santa Anita Derby on April 3 and is off the Triple Crown trail.
“Every day when I wake up and go to work, there’s always that thought in my mind,” Baffert said. “But he’ll be fine. It’s just the timing is bad. It’s disappointing, but he’s going to be fine. We have to do more diagnostics on him, but once you’re going to miss a few weeks … it’s nothing really serious, but whatever it is, we caught it early and it’s not career threatening.”
Life Is Good stamped himself as the top 3-year-old on the West Coast on March 6, romping to an eight-length victory in the Grade II San Felipe Stakes under Mike Smith. He ran the 1 1/16 miles in 1:42.18, an excellent time over a main track that has not been known for fast clockings during the first half of the meeting.
“That’s a serious, serious time,” Baffert said in the winner’s circle after the San Felipe.
Life Is Good got over the track in a nice time Saturday as well, but the injury was discovered shortly after he returned to the barn. He was the 2-1 favorite when Pool 4 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager closed March 7.
“He’s so exciting, and he worked beautifully (Saturday),” Baffert said. “He’s such an exciting horse, but he’ll come back. He’ll still be exciting, but unfortunately with the (Kentucky) Derby there’s only one shot, one time.”
Baffert might have lost one major Derby contender, but he’s still got an impressive arsenal in line to show up at Churchill Downs on May 1.
Concert Tour, who won the Grade II Rebel Stakes by 4 1/4 lengths on March 13 at Oaklawn Park, will prep for the Kentucky Derby in the Grade I Arkansas Derby on April 10.
Medina Spirit, second behind Life Is Good in the San Felipe and the Grade III Sham Stakes on Jan. 2, is ticketed for the Santa Anita Derby, and Spielberg, an impressive second behind 2-year-old champion Essential Quality in the Grade III Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park on Feb. 27, is scheduled to run in the Grade I Florida Derby on March 27.
Baffert said Saturday he might have another colt to join Medina Spirit in the Santa Anita Derby.
“Defunded broke his maiden pretty impressively (March 6), so I might throw him in there,” he said.
But there will be no Life Is Good, who was in line to give Baffert his record 10th victory in the race.
“It’s part of the business that it happened,” he said. “But he’s going to be fine, and that’s more important.”
San Luis Rey Stakes
United made his 6-year-old debut a winning one, taking the lead from pacesetter Acclimate around the far turn and then holding off Say the Word and Masteroffoxhounds to win the $100,000 Grade III turf marathon by three-quarters of a length.
Ridden by the meet’s leading rider, Flavien Prat, and trained by Hall of Famer Richard Mandella, United ran the 1 1/2 miles over a firm turf course in 2:25.51 while scoring his eighth victory in 18 starts and padding his career earnings to $1,513,549. He’s won 5 of 10 over Santa Anita’s turf course.
“The exercise rider that rides him weighs about 250 pounds, so putting little Flavien Prat to go a little further isn’t going to matter,” Mandella joked.
Prat won five races Saturday after riding six winners March 12.
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