Life Is Good, Medina Spirit Exit Sham in Good Form

China Horse Club and WinStar Farm's Life Is Good continued on the path of 2020 Horse of the Year-in-waiting Authentic  when he won the Jan. 2 Sham Stakes (G3) at Santa Anita Park, although the three-quarter-length margin of victory wasn't as large as his odds of 20 cents on the dollar might have warranted.

But Bob Baffert will take it.

All was well Sunday morning as the two-time Triple Crown-winning trainer pondered his next move with both Life Is Good and Sham runner-up Medina Spirit, which he also conditions for Zedan Racing Stables.

"They both came back well so we're pretty happy about both of them," Baffert said as he embarks yet again on the Triple Crown trail.

Life Is Good picked up 10 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby for his Sham victory and Medina Spirit collected collected four points.

"The San Felipe (G2) is a race we're considering, but I might keep them separated," Baffert added. "I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet. It's a long way off, but they both ran really well.

"One might go out of town or they might stay here. I don't know yet. It's too far out. The important thing is they ran well and we thought they would and they ran fast."

The March 6 San Felipe, run at 1 1/16 miles, offers qualifying points for a spot in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) starting gate on a 50-20-10-5 scale to the top four finishers. 

Life Is Good led throughout in the Sham after breaking from the outside post position in a compact field of five. The bay Into Mischief  colt set fractions of :23.56, :46.67, 1:10.66, and 1:23.24 under Mike Smith, who had a four-length lead entering the stretch and never touched him with the crop, although he did have to show it to him when Medina Spirit closed the gap as his touted stablemate drifted out in the final sixteenth. Life Is Good completed the mile over the fast track in 1:36.63.

"I always tell Mike to try and save something," Baffert said. "Life Is Good wasn't as tired as I thought he could have been. He needs to learn to relax a little bit better, but he will. He'll mature, just like Authentic.

"When (Authentic) won the Sham last year, he was sort of puzzling, zig-zagging all the way down the stretch, but they're babies.

"Still, you can see their raw talent."