Life is Sweet returns in grassy San Gorgonio

Life is Sweet blew past her rivals in the stretch of the Ladies’ Classic (Jim Tyrell/Horsephotos.com) Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic (G1) winner LIFE IS SWEET (Storm Cat) will make her five-year-old debut in Saturday’s $150,000 San Gorgonio H. (G2) on the turf at Santa Anita. The John Shirreffs-trained mare will face eight rivals in the 1 1/8-mile affair, including multiple Grade 1 queen DIAMONDRELLA (GB) (Rock of Gibraltar [Ire]) and French Group 2 winner TREAT GENTLY (GB) (Cape Cross [Ire]). Life is Sweet raced exclusively over synthetic tracks in 2009, capturing the Santa Margarita H. (G1), La Canada (G2) and El Encino S. (G2) over the Pro-Ride at Santa Anita as well as her impressive 2 1/2-length Ladies’ Classic score, but she has past experience on turf. Previously conditioned by Bill Mott on the East Coast, the bay finished second in both the Sands Point (G2) and Calder Oaks on grass in 2008. She’s been training forwardly for her return to the races, recording a six-furlong bullet work at Hollywood Park on December 19, and will use the San Gorgonio as a prep for her next start in the February 14 Santa Maria H. (G2) on the Pro-Ride.

Regular rider Garrett Gomez will be in the irons, and Life is Sweet is the
122-pound co-highweight.

First Lady (G1) and Just a Game (G1) heroine Diamondrella will also tote 122
pounds. Unplaced in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint two starts back, the Gary Stevens
trainee exits a respectable third behind Ventura in the Matriarch S. (G1) on
November 28. Alex Solis will retain the mount on the six-year-old mare.

Treat Gently will make her first start Mott on the San Gorgonio. Formerly
trained by Bobby Frankel, the French import captured her U.S. debut at Belmont
Park in July and exits a sixth in the E.P. Taylor (Can-G1) at Woodbine. The
five-year-old mare will get a new pilot in Rafael Bejarano.

Other contestants include Grade 1-placed TEAMGEIST (Arg) (Mutakddim), a Group
2 winner on the turf in Argentina; CAT BY THE TALE (Tale of the Cat), who exits
third-place finishes in the Bayakoa H. (G2) and Las Palmas H. (G2); and Grade 3
victress CENTURY PARK (General Meeting).

Earlier on the program, Grade 2 winner NOBLE COURT (Doneraile Court) tops a
field of eight older horses in the $60,000

Impressive Luck H., which will be held on the about 6 1/2-furlong downhill
turf course.