Life Is Good leads gate to wire for a dominating victory in the Pegasus World Cup

What was billed as a highly anticipated showdown involving two of the premier thoroughbreds in the country turned into a one-horse show.

Life Is Good didn’t just defeat Knicks Go in Saturday’s $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Gulfstream Park. He laid waste to the likely Horse of the Year for 2021.

Life Is Good shot out of the starting gate like a rocket, opened up a surprisingly wide lead on Knicks Go and the rest of the field, and crossed the wire first by 3 1/4 convincing lengths.

“I thought it was going to be a match race,” winning jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. said.

So did the betting public, which sent the two horses off identical odds of 4-5.

That Life Is Good won the race wasn’t as surprising as the manner in which he achieved the victory. While most assumed that Knicks Go would jump out to the lead, per his trademark style, it was Life Is Good that surged on top in the 1 1/8-mile stakes. And stayed there.

Knicks Go never threatened, racing well back and settling for second in what was the final race of his career before heading off to retirement.

“The plan was to sit second — or maybe on the lead, close to Knicks Go,” Ortiz said of the pre-race strategy. But going into the first turn, my horse was so fast, so I just let him do his thing.”

Said winning trainer Todd Pletcher: “He has that unique ability to go really fast and just keep going. We ran so many scenarios through our heads about how it could unfold. [In the end], we decided we were committed to allowing Life Is Good to run his race. There was a risk that if Knicks Go and he got into a speed duel, that something would have to give. But today, he was just too fast and too good. Really a special performance and fun to watch.”

Knicks Go was riding a four-race win streak entering Saturday, including victories in the Breeders’ Cup Classic in November and the Pegasus World Cup a year ago. He was on the lead at every call in all of his wins. But in his bid to win the Pegasus a second straight year, Life Is Good refused to yield.

“[Life Is Good], he ran off the TV screen,” said Knicks Go’s trainer, Brad Cox. “The plan was definitely to go [to the lead]. I wanted to. We just got outrun.”

Life Is Good, previously trained by Bob Baffert, was a leading Kentucky Derby prospect last spring before an injury forced him to the sidelines. He never ran in any Triple Crown event. But after WinStar Farm turned him over to Pletcher for a fall campaign, the colt capped off his season with an easy win in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, the same day Knicks Go won the longer 1 1/4-mile Classic.

Compounding matters for the Life Is Good team was a painful knee injury to Ortiz earlier in the Gulfstream meet. He wasn’t sure he would be healthy in time to take part Saturday. But Ortiz went through intensive rehab over the last several weeks and was able to accept the ride on Life Is Good.

Still, even Ortiz was a bit mystified that when the starting gate opened, Knicks Go wasn’t in his vicinity.

“I looked inside — Knicks Go was the horse to beat — and I never thought I was going to be in front like that,” Ortiz said. “When I looked around, I don’t see nobody.”

What encouraged Ortiz, though, was how effortlessly Life Is Good seemed to be running.

“On the backside, he relaxed so well, and I couldn’t wait to let him run,” Ortiz said. “I knew I had some horse. He was going a little fast, but he was going the right way, so I was confident.”

Knicks Go was challenged at the top of the stretch but managed to hold on for second.

“They were quicker than me right away,” Knicks Go jockey said of Life Is Good and Ortiz.

Stilleto Boy was third, a length behind Knicks Go.

While Knicks Go is headed off to the farm and stud duty, Life Is Good will remain on the track and could take part in the Dubai World Cup in March.

WinStar and Pletcher have time to schedule a plan, though. On Saturday, they only wanted to celebrate Life Is Good’s biggest win.

“To take on the champ like that and kind of beat him at his own game, it just shows how brilliant Life Is Good is,” WinStar CEO Elliott Walden said.

In Saturday’s other major stakes on the Gulfstream card:

▪ Colonel Liam did something no horse has ever done: win the Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational for a second straight time. It took a determined effort from the 5-year-old horse to pull off the repeat, though, as he had to battle past his stablemate, Never Surprised, for the one-length victory in the $1,000,000 stakes.

Colonel Liam, who is trained by Pletcher, was ridden by Ortiz.

Colonel Liam was coming off a nearly 8-month layoff Saturday, but looked sharp in defeating Never Surprised, who led most of the way in the 1 1/8-mile grass stakes before giving way in late stretch and holding on for second.

▪ Regal Glory proved much the best in winning the $500,000 Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Invitational as the odds-on favorite.

The 6-year-old mare, ridden by Jose Ortiz, came from off the pace to defeat Alma by 2 1/2 lengths.

“I was a little nervous early on because she didn’t break that well, which she does sometimes,” winning trainer Chad Brown said. “Thankfully, Jose knows her so well and she’s so good that she was able to overcome it. He rode a beautiful Plan B type of race.”