SARATOGA SPRINGS — Life Is Good’s streak of by no means having a foul day continued very first thing within the morning on Saturday along with his last breeze earlier than subsequent Saturday’s Whitney.

He coated 4 furlongs in 48.25 underneath common train rider Amelia Inexperienced in one other flawless exercise at 5:45 a.m.

“One other very spectacular transfer,” coach Todd Pletcher stated. “He gave the impression to be simply skipping over the bottom, tremendous gallop-out. We have been happy.

“I haven’t seen one [bad day]. It’s fairly uncommon. He loves what he does, and goes on the market with enthusiasm daily. We’ve by no means actually needed to take the handbrake off in a breeze.”

It was Life Is Good’s third breeze on the Saratoga fundamental monitor, and though his uncooked printed instances might not catch the attention, the way in which the Whitney’s prime contender glides over the monitor with out showing to be expending extra vitality does.

“I used to be anticipating one other excellent work. That’s what we’ve been accustomed to,” Pletcher stated. “We have been solely going a half as a result of we knew he would gallop out strongly. I began telling Amelia on the radio to begin easing him up over on the flip, and he was nonetheless going. She needed to attain up and seize him on the half-mile pole to essentially make him pull up, ?”

Pletcher will even ship Blissful Saver, a runner-up to Flightline within the Met Mile, to the Whitney, and can be contemplating Stephen Foster runner-up Americanrevolution, with a choice coming quickly about possibly coaching Americanrevolution as much as the Jockey Membership Gold Cup later within the meet.

Blissful Saver and American Revolution labored 4 furlongs in firm with one another, Blissful Saver on the skin, in 49.75 after the 8:30 fundamental monitor renovation break.

“I assumed they each went precisely as I’d count on them to,” Pletcher stated. “It was simply sort of a upkeep half-mile breeze. Each have been head-and-head in firm, and each seemed good.

“They’d be strong workhorses, they wouldn’t be the kind of horse that breezes the way in which Life Is Good does. However they’re each in good type.”

SUNDAY STAKES

If Saturday’s Jim Dandy suffered from a brief area, the opposite graded stakes for 3-year-olds this weekend is not going to, because the Grade II Amsterdam at 6 1-2 furlongs has drawn 9 entries coming from quite a lot of angles.

The 5-2 morning-line favourite is undefeated Corniche, who received the 2021 Eclipse Award for Juvenile Male, however he hasn’t raced since successful the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Del Mar on Nov. 5. Additionally since then, he has been transferred from Bob Baffert’s barn to Pletcher’s.

Pletcher additionally skilled Corniche’s sire, High quality Highway, when he set the monitor document within the 2009 Amsterdam that also stands, at 1:13.74.

“He’s skilled nicely and I assumed watching his breezes that they’re in line with what I’ve seen watching movies of his breezes when he was with Baffert,” Pletcher informed the New York Racing Affiliation. “He’s a strong workhorse, nevertheless it additionally seems like he’s one which is aware of the distinction between the morning and the afternoon.”

Corniche was 3-for-3 throughout his championship season, however didn’t race longer than a mile and a sixteenth, so Pletcher stated he was searching for one thing on the shorter facet for Corniche’s comeback after not having raced in over eight months.

“There aren’t any gentle spots to land with a horse like him that’s already received three races, so we’re hoping we’ve got him prepared sufficient for a very good displaying in right here,” Pletcher stated. “We didn’t wish to run him in a race just like the Jim Dandy or the Curlin off a prolonged layoff going 9 furlongs.”

The Amsterdam area additionally consists of Pinehurst, one other former Baffert trainee who was final seen attempting to make it to this 12 months’s Kentucky Derby through the UAE Derby in Dubai.

He took a clod of dust within the eye in that March 26 race, was eased to the again of the sector by jockey Flavien Prat and hasn’t raced since.

The 7-2 second alternative within the Amsterdam is Accretive, who has been a exercise accomplice of Preakness winner Early Voting for coach Chad Brown. Accretive has raced simply as soon as, however was a formidable debut winner at Belmont Park in June.

The 2021 Hopeful winner at Saratoga, Gunite, comes into the Amsterdam off a win within the Maxfield at Churchill Downs on July 3.

Additionally on the cardboard, Arklow will make the primary begin of his 8-year-old season because the 2-1 favourite within the Grade III Bowling Inexperienced at a mile and three-eighths on the turf.

He hasn’t raced since a fifth to Rockemperor within the Turf Basic Invitational at Belmont in October. Arklow has raced 36 instances in his profession for simply shy of $3 million in purse earnings.

“He’s proven the flexibility to run massive races off the layoff, so we’ll want him to be at his finest,” coach Brad Cox stated. “He actually doesn’t appear like he’s 8 years outdated. He seems wonderful.”

Classes: At The Observe, Sports activities