Life Is Good The Main Man at Meydan

[Wandering Eyes]

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES — In a Thursday morning presser at Meydan Racecourse, Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher suggested that a good deal of the allure of running in a race like the G1 Dubai World Cup is that it brings together a smorgasbord of horses from a variety of jurisdictions with patriotic pride at play.

“I think part of it is the international competition aspect of it,” he offered. “I said this when Coal Front (Stay Thirsty) won the [G2 Godolphin] Mile [in 2019], it almost takes on an Olympic-type feel and when the announcer says, 'Coal Front is winning for the US,' it's a great feeling.”

Indeed, Saturday's 26th running of the 2000-metre event has attracted 10-furlong gallopers representing no fewer than five countries, including a quartet of runners from the United States that is topped by the outstanding 'TDN Rising Star' Life Is Good (Into Mischief).

The $525,000 Keeneland September purchase has tasted defeat just once in his eight career trips to the races, a desperately unlucky second to champion Jackie's Warrior (Maclean's Music) in the seven-furlong GI H. Allen Jerkens S. in August being his lone blemish. A victory Saturday makes him a top-level winner at eight (Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile), nine (Pegasus World Cup Invitational) and 10 furlong, an accomplishment not many horses can boast of.

Pletcher said, “He's a remarkable horse in that there are a few horses that have that ability where, if you were looking at the Breeders' Cup card–if he were to run in the Sprint, he'd probably be favored, he could run in the Dirt Mile and be favored and if things go well from here, he could run in the Classic and be favored. He's just one of those horses that can go super fast and keep going. I don't think I've had one better than him.”

Pletcher admits that Saturday's trip is the great unknown, and while he said that connections are 'optimistic' the colt will continue to stretch out, there are many in the field with already proven form over the 10 furlongs. One of those is his compatriot Hot Rod Charlie (Oxbow), the GI Pennsylvania Derby winner who placed in the GI Kentucky Derby and GI Belmont S. and shipped to Dubai early to swamp his rivals in the G2 Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 going 100 metres shorter Feb. 5. He'll not be far away in the run and will attempt to outstay Life Is Good, whom he has yet to face.

Hot Rod Charlie knows Midnight Bourbon (Tiznow) all too well, having beaten him in the Keystone State after causing the Steve Asmussen trainee to go to his knees in the GI Haskell Invitational S. six weeks prior. The latter arrived here from Saudi Arabia off a good third in the G1 Saudi Cup Feb. 26, where he finished 1 1/2 lengths behind the second-placed Country Grammer (Tonalist), whose three starts for Bob Baffert includes a narrow success in the GI Hollywood Gold Cup. A win from him would give trainer Baffert a fourth World Cup, still well short of the nine won by trainer Saeed bin Suroor.

The Rest of the World…

Four other countries are represented in this year's World Cup, including last year's second- and third-place finishers. Chuwa Wizard (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}) flies the Japanese flag and got the ideal prep for this when rolling home by four lengths in the Feb. 2 Listed Kawasaki Kinen, while the dirt-bred, French-based Magny Cours (Medaglia d'Oro) is one of two in the race for Godolphin. He will need to return to last year's form to be any sort of a factor, having finished well down the field in Riyadh four weeks ago.

Among those based locally, Bin Suroor had an option for the G1 Dubai Turf with Real World (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), but rolls the dice in the big race, despite a nil-for-five record on dirt. Hypothetical (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}), by contrast, has won four of his nine starts on the main track, including an all-the-way defeat of Remorse (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) in the G1 Al Maktoum Challenge R3 on Super Saturday Mar. 5. The waters are considerably deeper on this particular Saturday.

Brazilian-bred, but Uruguay-based Aero Trem (Brz) (Shanghai Bobby), last year's winner of the G1 GP Latinoamericano over his home track at Maronas in Montevideo, covered himself in glory in his first start in these parts, running on well to fill fifth spot in the Saudi Cup. The slightly longer World Cup trip figures to suit him right down to the ground.

Grocer Jack (Ger) (Oasis Dream {GB}) was withdrawn from the World Cup Thursday evening.

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