Life continues to be Sweet in Santa Margarita

Last updated: 3/14/09 9:13 PM

Life is Sweet earned a sweet win at Santa Anita
(Benoit Photo)

Pam and Martin Wygod’s homebred LIFE IS SWEET (Storm Cat) continued her
winning ways in Saturday’s $300,000

Santa Margarita Invitational H. (G1), rallying from last to first for a
convincing 2 1/2-length score. Winner of the La Canada S. (G2) and El Encino S.
(G2) at Santa Anita, the four-year-old filly extended her winning skein to three
when completing 1 1/8 miles in 1:48 3/5 over the Pro-Ride.

Forest Melody (Forest Camp) led the way through fractions of :23 3/5, :47 2/5
and 1:11 4/5 while Life is Sweet raced well off the pace in last in the
six-horse field. Garrett Gomez asked his mount to start picking it up on the far
turn, and Life is Sweet entered the stretch with a full head of steam. Santa
Teresita (Lemon Drop Kid) grabbed a short-lived lead in upper stretch, passing
the mile mark in 1:36 2/5 with a head advantage, and Life is Sweet powered clear
in the final eighth of a mile, finishing up under wraps.

Favored at even-money, the John Shirreffs-trained winner returned $4, $2.60
and $2.10. Santa Teresita easily held at 5-2 and paid $3.20 and $2.40. It was 1
3/4 lengths back to Model (Giant’s Causeway), who gave back $2.20 at 4-1 after
edging Magical Fantasy (Diesis [GB]) for third. Modification (Vindication) and
Forest Melody rounded out the order of finish, and Bel Air Sizzle (Unusual Heat)
was scratched. The $1 exacta paid $6.40, and the 2-6-7 trifecta yielded $13.10
for $1.

Life is Sweet spent the previous two seasons with Bill Mott, placing in the
Sands Point S. (G2) and Calder Oaks, and recorded a good fourth in the 2008
Ashland S. (G1). She returned off a lengthy layoff in January under the care of
Shireffs and promptly captured the El Encino. She followed that with a score in
the La Canada on February 15, and the filly’s line now reads 10-5-2-0, $540,810.

The Kentucky-bred lass is out of stakes winner Sweet Life (Kris S.), who ran
second in the 2000 Beverly Hills H. (G1) and has since produced juvenile and
yearling full sisters to the La Canada winner. Sweet Life is herself a
half-sister to 1995 Milady H. (G1) victress Pirate’s Revenge (Pirate’s Bounty).

Life is Sweet was preceded in stakes glory by another full sister, Sweet
Catomine, who was named 2004 champion two-year-old filly following victories in
that year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1), Del Mar Debutante (G1) and Oak
Leaf S. (G2). Sweet Catomine would go on to take the Santa Anita Oaks (G1) and
Santa Ysabel S. (G3) before ending her racing career with a fifth to the boys in
the Santa Anita Derby (G1).