No. 1 in NTRA poll: Life Is Good or Concert Tour?

In this week’s National Thoroughbred Racing Association top 3-year-old poll, Essential Quality stayed on top by a narrow margin over a pair of Bob Baffert runners. However, for this voter the big decision was: Which unbeaten Bob Baffert runner, Life Is Good or Concert Tour, should be placed in the No. 1 position?

For Monday's poll, 39 media members sent in their votes, and the results were very close between Essential Quality and Life Is Good, with Concert Tour moving up to No. 3. The voting for the top spot showed Essential Quality with 20 No. 1 votes and 372 total points, Life Is Good (17) with 365 points, and Concert Tour (2) and 306.

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I was a bit surprised that Concert Tour did not receive more first-place votes because for me the credentials between the two Baffert 3-year-olds are similar in so many ways.

Life Is Good

• Life Is Good, who was a $525,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase, made his debut on Nov. 22 as a 2-year-old in a maiden special weight at Del Mar going 6 1/2 furlongs and won that race by 9 1/2 lengths, earning a Beyer Speed Figure of 91 as the .20-1 favorite.

• As a newly turned 3-year-old, the son of Into Mischief notched a victory in the Sham (G3) at Santa Anita by a diminishing 3/4 of a length but received a 101 Beyer.

• Owned by CHC Inc. (China Horse Club) and Win Star Farm (both have won a Kentucky Derby with Baffert already), Life Is Good romped in the San Felipe (G2) by 8 lengths, which translated to a 107 Beyer.

• The perfect 3-for-3 record has earned him 60 Derby points and a spot in the starting gate on the first Saturday in May. His next start is likely to be in the Santa Anita Derby (G1) on April 3.

Concert Tour

• Concert Tour did not begin his career until Jan. 15 as a 3-year-old at Santa Anita going six furlongs and won that race by 3 1/2 lengths as the even-money favorite, earning an 88 Beyer Speed Figure.

• The son of Street Sense also stepped up to a stake in his second start with a victory in the seven-furlong San Vicente (G2) by a half-length that got a 94 Beyer.

• Concert Tour made his third start in the Rebel (G2) at Oaklawn Park for the owner and breeders Gary and Mary West. He overwhelmed a quality field to post a 4 1/2-length score as the 8-5 second choice andthat was given another 94 speed rating.

• His perfect three-race record gives Concert Tour 50 qualifying points and a spot in the Kentucky Derby. He likely will race next in the April 3 Arkansas Derby (G1).

My No. 1 vote went to Life Is Good just because he is a faster horse. His three speed figures are a lot higher than Concert Tour's, and the fastest horse usually is the winner on the track. However, Concert Tour has been a much more professional horse in his three races, and it is worrisome that Life is Good was erratic down the stretch of his last two starts. If all goes well, these Baffert 3-year-olds will meet on fhe First Saturday in May as the Hall of Fame trainer goes for his seventh Kentucky Derby victory.

On Saturday, a trio of the top 10 3-year-olds will be in action in the $1 million Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds.