Pletcher: Dubai World Cup is not a sure thing for Life Is Good

Trainer Todd Pletcher long has pointed to the $12 million Dubai World Cup at Meydan Racecourse as part of a two-race plan for Life Is Good. Although his newly turned 4-year-old aced his first test when he dispatched Knicks Go by 3 1/4 lengths in the $3 million Pegasus World Cup on Saturday at Gulfstream Park, Pletcher sounds less certain about what the next step might be.

“Right now, we’re not committed to anything. We’ll see how he bounces out,” Pletcher said after his horses completed their morning training at Palm Beach Downs Sunday. “We’re obviously looking at the entire year. There’s always a risk in going to Dubai. You kind of give up a little time when you come back. We’ll let everybody get settled after the weekend and look it over and come up with a game plan.”

The journey to the United Arab Emirates from the U.S. has taken a physical and mental toll on many horses. Understandably, the Hall of Fame trainer is hesitant to do anything that might diminish the brilliance Life Is Good displayed during authoritative front-running tour de force in the Sept. 25 Kelso (a 5 1/2-length rout), Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (5 3/4 lengths) and now the Pegasus World Cup.

“It’s a long way to travel and a long way to come back. Historically, horses need a little bit of time once they get back. If you’re successful over there, it’s certainly worth it. But there is some risk involved. That will be part of the discussions that we will have.”

Pletcher went on, “There is no urgency to deciding right away. We’ll get him back to the track and see how he trains and come up with a plan, probably in the next couple of weeks.”

The distance of the Dubai World Cup itself – 2,000 meters, or about 1 1/4 miles – is not likely to be a concern for owners WinStar Farm and CHC, Inc. Not after the ease with which the Into Mischief colt handled the Pegasus, his first test at a mile and an eighth.

“It certainly gives us confidence. He was able to handle the mile and an eighth, and we’ve seen in his training – you certainly wouldn’t be concerned about distance limitations with the way he trains,” Pletcher said.

Raw speed has never been in question with Life Is Good. The question always has been whether he could be coaxed into sustaining it around two turns.

“I think we made strides in that way,” Pletcher said. “He settled and he showed in the Dirt Mile and in the Pegasus that he’s got a high cruising speed he’s able to keep going with. You don’t want to take him back, but you don’t want him doing too much. I think we’re finding that balance.”

Under urging from jockey Irad Ortiz Jr., Life Is Good displayed breathtaking acceleration to ensure that the highly anticipated match race with all-but-certain Horse of the Year Knicks Go and Joel Rosario never materialized.

“I didn’t think Life Is Good’s first step was great. If you look at the pan shot, he actually came away fourth,” Pletcher noted. “But the second, third and fourth jumps really got him going and he was able to clear off and that made a big difference.”

Defending champion Knicks Go, in the last start of his career before he becomes a stallion, is certainly unaccustomed to trailing. He never launched a serious bid while his unpressured rival completed the mile and an eighth in a comfortable 1:48.91.

In the race before the marquee event, Colonel Liam repeated in the $1 million Pegasus Turf for Pletcher even though he had not raced since last June.

“Both winners came out really well. They cooled out quickly and had great energy this morning,” said Pletcher, knowing that life does not get much better than that when dealing with fragile Thoroughbreds.