(Life Is Good / Photo Courtesy of Santa Anita)
Editor’s Note:
Big weekend coming up.
Life Is Good — so impressive in his debut win at Del Mar — will take the next step in the G3 Sham Stakes at Santa Anita.
The Jerome Stakes — one of the oldest and most historic races in America racing history — will be held at Aqueduct on Friday.
Other top youngsters will turn 3 and have upped their morning workout schedules.
We will have more next week, but here’s our updated standings.
For now.
Stay tuned.
| Rankings | Horse | Sire | Trainer | Jockey | Last Race | Next Race | Career | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Essential Quality | Tapit | Brad Cox | Luis Saez | 1st G1 BC Juvenile @ KEE | TBD (Worked 1/2 at FG on 12-27) | 3/3-0-0 | Undefeated Son of Tapit / What’s Not to Like |
| 2 | Life Is Good | Into Mischief | Bob Baffert | Mike Smith | 1st in MSW @ Del Mar | Jan. 2: G3 Sham Stakes | 1/1-0-0 | Can He Duplicae Debut Masterpiece? |
| 3 | Prime Factor | Quality Road | Todd Pletcher | Irad Ortiz, Jr. | 1st in MSW @ GP | TBD (Worked 1/2 at PBD on 12-27) | 1/1-0-0 | Broke MSW by Nearly 9 / Cost $900K / Wow |
| 4 | Red Flag | Tamarkuz | John Shirreffs | Victor Espinoza | 4th in G2 Los Alamitos Futurity | TBD | 4/2-0-0 | Soundly Beaten at LA / Hmmm? |
| 5 | Keepmeinmind | Loaban | Roberto Diodoro | David Cohen | 1st in G2 KY Jockey Club @ CD | TBD (Last Official Work in Nov) | 4/1-2-1 | Has Shown Up at Oaklawn Park / Work to Begin Soon |
| 6 | Caddo River | Hard Spun | Brad Cox | Florent Geroux | 1st in MSW @ CD | TBD (Worked 1/2 at OP on 12-27) | 3/1-2-0 | Will Be Pointed to Derby Preps in Hot Springs |
| 7 | Hot Rod Charlie | Oxbow | Doug O’Neill | Tyler Gaffalione | 2nd in G1 BC Juvenile @ KEE | Jan. 30 — G3 Robert B. Lewis Stakes | 5/1-1-1 | Sold in Feb. 2019 for $17K / 2nd in BC @ 94-1 odds |
| 8 | Mandaloun | Into Mischief | Brad Cox | Florent Geroux | 1st in ALW @ CD | TBD (Worked 5F at FG on 12-27) | 2/2-0-0 | Closer Should Love Extra Ground Coming |
| 9 | Dr. Schivel | Violence | Mark Glatt | Flavien Pratt | 1st in G1 Del Mar Futurity @ DM | TBD (No Recent Works) | 4/2-1-1 | Has Won 2 In Row / Beat Spielberg in last |
| 10 | Petruchio | Into Mischief | Richard Mandella | Mike Smith | 3rd in G2 Los Alamitos Futurity | TBD | 5/1-1-3 | Rallied to Be 3rd in LA Futurity, But Beaten 31/2 / Mixed |
| 11 | Whiskey Double | Into Mischief | Steve Asmussen | Ricardo Santana, Jr. | 1st in MSW @ CD | TBD (Worked 5F at FG on 12-28) | 1/1-0-0 | To Prep for KY Derby at FG / Soon |
| 12 | Get Her Number | Dialed In | Peter Miller | Flavien Pratt | 1st in G1 American Pharoah | TBD (No Recent Works) | 3/2-0-0 | Speedster Won G1 AP at 11/16-miles in Sept. / Next? |
| 13 | Highly Motivated | Into Mischief | Chad Brown | Javier Castellano | 1st in Nyquist Stakes | TBD (Last Work on 11-1) | 3/2-1-0 | Won Nyquist on BC Undercard / Impressive / $240K Weanling |
| 14 | Prisoner | Violence | Todd Pletcher | Irad Ortiz, Jr. | 1st in MSW @ Belmont Park | TBD (No Recent Works) | 1/1-0-0 | Broke MSW on Debut / Came on 6-3/ What’s Up? |
| 15 | Jackie’s Warrior | Maclean’s Music | Steve Asmussen | Joel Rosario | 4th in G1 BC Juvenile @ KEE | Feb. 15: G3 Southwest Stakes | 5/4-0-0 | To Prep for KY Derby at OP, Too / Soon? |
| 16 | Brooklyn Strong | Wicked Strong | Danny Velazquez | Joel Rosario | 1st in G2 Remsen Staeks @ AQU | Feb. 6: G3 Withers Stakes | 4/3-0-1 | Remind Me, Again…How Many NY-breds Have Won KY Derby? |
| 17 | Vittorio | Ghostzapper | Simon Callaghan | Mike Smith | 1st in MSW @ Del Mar | TBD (No Recent Works) | 2/1-0-0 | Easily Whipped Petruchio In Debut Win / Impressive |
| 18 | Olympiad | Speightstown | Bill Mott | Junior Alvarado | 1st in MSW @ Saratoga | TBD (Worked 3F at Payson Park on 12-29) | 2/1-0-1 | Impressive Winner in Last / Eat Caddo River Easily in That One |
| 19 | Team Merchants | Nyquist | Doug O’Neill | Kendrick Carmouche | 1st in MSW @ Saratoga | TBD (No Recent Works) | 2/1-0-0 | Broke MSW Last Out at SAR in Sept. / Whipped Ten for Ten |
| 20 | Smiley Sobotka | Brody’s Cause | Dale Romans | Julien Leparoux | 2nd in G2 KY Jockey Club @ CD | TBD (Worked 1/2 at GP on 12-27) | 3/1-2-0 | Speedster Is Game / Easily Beat Roomate Sittin On Go in Last |
| 20A | Prate | Into Mischief | Brad Cox | Florent Geroux | 1st in FG MSW | TBD | 1/1-0-0 | Superstart in Making? |
| AE List | Horse | Sire | Trainer | Jockey | Last Race | Next Race | Comments | |
| 1 | Midnight Bourbon | Tiznow | Steve Asmussen | Ricardo Santana, Jr. | 3rd in G1 Champagne @ Belmont | TBD (Breezed 5F at FG on 12-28) | 4/1-1-2 | Beaten Over 14 in G1 Champagne / Beaten 21/2 in G3 Iroquois |
| 2 | Arabian Prince | Mshawish | Dallas Stewart | Tyler Gaffalione | 3rd in G2 KY Jockey Club @ CD | Jan. 16: G3 Lecomte Stakes | 3/1-0-1 | Beaten 21/2 Lengths in G2 KJC / Came Late / Likes Distance |
| 3 | Reinvestment Risk | Upstart | Chad Brown | Irad Ortiz, Jr. | 10th in G1 BC Juvenile @ KEE | TBD (Last Work on 11-1 @ Belmont) | 4/1-2-0 | Made No Move in BC Juv / Before That? Super Consistent |
| 4 | Greatest Honour | Tapit | Shug McGaughey | Trevor McCarthy | 2nd in MSW @ Aqueduct | TBD (Worked 1/2 at Payson on 12-19) | 3/0-1-2 | Lost by a Head to Known Agenda In Last / Beat 3rd by 21 |
| 5 | Restored Order | Tapizar | Todd Pletcher | Irad Ortiz, Jr. | 1st in MSW @ Saratoga | Dec. 19: Sugar Bowl Stakes | 3/1-0-1 | Not Raced Since Breaking MSW at SAR on 9-5 / Works? / Hmm |
| 6 | Ten for Ten | Frosted | Shug McGaughey | Junior Ortiz | 2nd in G2 Remsen Stakes @ AQU | TBD (Worked 1/2 at Payson on 12-31) | 4/1-3-0 | 2nd in G2 Remsen & G3 Nashua / Sold for $410K / Speedy |
| 7 | Girther | Brody’s Cause | Peter Miller | Ricardo Gonzalez | 2nd in G2 Best Pal @ Del Mar | TBD (No Recent Works) | 3/1-1-0 | 2nd by Neck in Best Pal / Speed-type / Sold for $20K |
| 8 | Sittin on Go | Brody’s Cause | Dale Romans | Corey Lanerie | 6th in G2 KY Jockey Club @ CD | TBD (Worked 1/2 at GP on 12-27) | 4/2-0-0 | Back-to-Back Poor Outings / Did Win G3 Iroquois @ CD / Mixed |
| 9 | Known Agenda | Curlin | Todd Pletcher | John Velazquez | 3rd in G2 Remsen Stakes @ AQU | TBD (Worked 1/2 at PBD on 12-27) | 3/1-1-1 | Beat Greatest Honour in MSW Win / Lost by 2 to Highly Motivated |
| 10 | Freedom Fighter | Violence | Bob Baffert | Drayden Van Dyke | 1st in MSW @ Del Mar | TBD Worked 1/2 at SA on 12-26) | 1/1-0-0 | Purchased for $120K at 2019 KEE Sept / Gearing Back Up / Distance? |
