Life Is Good and Olympiad go head-to-head for leader of the older horse division in G1 Whitney
At 10h29, on August 4, 2022 • By SARATOGA
Life Is Good and Olympiad are set to battle for sovereignty amongst the older horse division in Saturday’s 95th running of the Grade 1, $1 million Whitney on August 6 at Saratoga Race Course.
The Whitney, which will air live on NBC as part of a one-hour broadcast from 5 p.m. Eastern, is a Breeders’ Cup “Win And You’re In” qualifying event for the Grade 1, $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic on November 5 at Keeneland.
Whitney Day also features two other Grade 1 events with the $1 million Caesars Saratoga Derby Invitational for 3-year-olds going 1 3/16 miles over the Mellon turf and the $500,000 Longines Test for 3-year-old fillies at seven furlongs over the main track. Also featured on the card are the Grade 2, $250,000 Glens Falls for older fillies and mares travelling 1 1/2 miles over the inner turf and the $135,000 Fasig-Tipton Lure for 4-year-olds and upward over the Mellon turf.
One of three entrants for Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, a three-time Whitney winning conditioner, CHC Inc. and WinStar Farm’s Life Is Good was a five-length winner over Grade 1 winner Speaker’s Corner in the seven-furlong Nerud, which came after a fourth-place finish in the Group 1 Dubai World Cup in March – his only off the-board placing in nine career starts.
Life Is Good, made the favorite in all eight of his North American starts, boasts a consistent 9-7-1-0 record with $3,551,700 in earnings. He has been tabbed the 6-5 morning line favorite by NYRA oddsmaker David Aragona and will emerge from post 6 under three-time Saratoga meet leading rider Irad Ortiz, Jr.