Life Is Good Leads Pletcher Breezers Toward Pegasus Day

China Horse Club and WinStar Farm's Life Is Good , dominant winner of the Big Ass Fans Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) in his most recent start, continues to train forwardly toward a Jan. 29 showdown with Knicks Go   in the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1) at Gulfstream Park.

The return of the Pegasus World Cup and $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational Stakes (G1T) and the debut of the $500,000 Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf Stakes (G3T) headline a program that features seven graded-stakes worth $5.2 million in purses. All three Pegasus races are for older horses.

Life Is Good was among two dozen horses breezing for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher Jan. 8 at Palm Beach Downs. The Into Mischief   colt was clocked 1:00.41 for five furlongs.

"He's a phenomenal work horse. He's a very talented, gifted animal that when you watch him breeze you kind of look at your stopwatch and it doesn't look like what you'd expect to see when he's doing it. He's doing it so easily," Pletcher said. "He continues to train very impressively. We're three weeks out and we're happy with where we are."

Graded winner Fearless , a possibility for the Pegasus, worked a half-mile in :50.04 Saturday. Repole Stable's Fearless exits a four-length victory in the Dec. 18 Harlan's Holiday Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream, where he also won the WinStar Gulfstream Park Mile Stakes (G2) last February.

"Fearless continues to train really well. Happy with him," Pletcher said. "We haven't decided. I talked to Mike Repole and right now we're leaning toward the mile race that day on the undercard."

That race is $150,000 Fred W. Hooper Stakes (G3) on the main track.

Pegasus Turf candidates Colonel Liam  and Never Surprised  also breezed. Robert and Lawana Low's Colonel Liam, the defending winner, went five furlongs in 1:00.46 while Repole Stable's Never Surprised, winner of the Dec. 26 Tropical Park Derby at Gulfstream, had a half-mile move in :51.01.

The Lows also own Sweet Melania , who earned her third career graded stakes triumph in the Dec. 18 Suwannee River Stakes (G3T) Dec. 18 at Gulfstream and is being pointed to the Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf. The American Pharoah   mare worked four furlongs in :50.32.

"Colonel Liam, very good breeze with him again this morning. We're on a tight schedule, but everything has gone right so far and I think we're approaching the race the way you'd hope. Never Surprised bounced out of the Tropical Derby very well, just a maintenance breeze this morning. Happy with him," Pletcher said. "Sweet Melania, she was good this morning, too. So far, everything's gone according to plan."

Pletcher said Donegal Racing's Mo Donegal , last-out winner of the Dec. 4 Remsen Stakes (G2) at Aqueduct, will make his sophomore debut in the $250,000 Holy Bull Stakes (G3) Feb. 5.

Mo Donegal worked five furlongs in 1:00.46 Saturday at Palm Beach, his third breeze since arriving in South Florida.

"Very good work, happy with him," Pletcher said. "He's right on schedule for the Holy Bull."

Pletcher also provided an update on WinStar Farm and Siena Farm's Emmanuel , a 3-year-old More Than Ready   colt that debuted with a front-running 6 3/4-length triumph in a one-mile maiden special weight Dec. 11 at Gulfstream. Pletcher scratched him from a one-mile, 40-yard optional claiming allowance Jan.7 at Tampa Bay Downs after the colt spiked a temperature.

"He's fine, he's going back to the track tomorrow," Pletcher said. "Now we've just got to regroup and find out we're going to come back."