Life Is Good off to fast start: Waggley scores in debut to become promising prospect

The WinStar stallion had his first runner and first winner at Keeneland with a filly who dominated from wire to wire

Waggley won very easily at Keeneland / KEENELAND

LEXINGTON, KY (Special to Turf Diario)— There was no waiting, no doubt, and no transition. Life Is Good began his career at stud in the best possible way: with a winner from his very first starter. He did it with authority, presence, and everything the market expects to see.

The star of the show was Waggley, who justified her 3-10 favoritism with a commanding performance in a 900-meter (4 1/2-furlong) maiden special weight at Keeneland. Setting the pace from the start, she handled the task without incident. Under Joel Rosario, the filly posted fractions of :23.02 and :46.29 before being hand-ridden in the closing stages to cross the wire 3 1/2 lengths clear, making it evident the result was never in question.

"Joel knows her very well; he’s worked her many times at Payson Park and Palm Meadows and had a lot of confidence in her," explained trainer Wesley Ward.

Purchased for $200,000 at the Keeneland September Sale by Ten Broeck Farm, Waggley had shown uncommon ability early on. "From day one, what I saw was that she’s very intelligent. No bad habits, no problems. Within a week, we were riding her and she did everything naturally. She’s very sound and seems to have a huge future," Ward added. Her next target is already set: the Kentucky Juvenile Stakes on April 29 at Churchill Downs.

From the stallion shed, the response was immediate. "This filly gave an outstanding performance, virtually unextended, and continued galloping out like it was nothing," noted Liam O’Rourke, WinStar’s director of bloodstock. "Everything we are seeing from the first crop is very positive: they are precocious, they move well, and they have the physicals. There is a lot of consistency."

A son of Into Mischief, Life Is Good was an elite competitor, winning the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1), the Pegasus World Cup (G1), the Whitney (G1), and the Woodward (G1), retiring with over $4.5 million in earnings. Standing at WinStar for $60,000, he is already beginning to deliver on expectations.

The timing is ideal, as his first winner arrives just before the Ocala 2-year-olds in training sales, where several of his progeny will be featured. But beyond the commercial timing, the most important part is done: Life Is Good has stepped onto the track and won on debut.