NEWS
Streaking Life Is Sweet to start Santa Margarita
Posted: Wednesday, March 11, 2009 5:18 PM
LIFE IS SWEET
Benoit & Associates photo
by Jeff Apel
Grade 1 winners Magical Fantasy and Santa Teresita will try to prevent Life Is Sweet from earning her third consecutive graded stakes victory on Saturday in the $300,000 Santa Margarita Invitational Handicap (G1) at Santa Anita Park.
Multiple Grade 2 winner Life Is Sweet enters off a three-quarter-length victory over Magical Fantasy in the La Canada Stakes (G2) on February 15 at Santa Anita. Like the La Canada Stakes, the Santa Margarita Invitational Handicap is a 1 1/8-mile race for fillies and mares.
A Marty and Pam Wygod homebred, Life Is Sweet opened her four-year-old campaign with a victory in the El Encino Stakes (G2) on January 18 in her first start for trainer John Shirreffs. The El Encino also was Life Is Sweet’s debut on Santa Anita’s synthetic Pro-Ride surface.
Bill Mott previously trained Life Is Sweet, a runner-up on turf last year in the Sands Point Stakes (G2) at Belmont Park and the Calder Oaks.
Magical Fantasy earned her first stakes win in the 2008 Del Mar Oaks (G1). The Diesis (GB) filly made her first six North American starts on turf prior to switching to a synthetic surface for the La Canada Stakes.
Trained by Paddy Gallagher, Magical Fantasy finished second in the 2008 Senorita Stakes (G3).
Santa Teresita enters off a 2 1/2-length victory in the Santa Maria Handicap (G1) on February 14 at Santa Anita for trainer Eric Guillot. Model, who also is entered in the Santa Margarita Invitational Handicap, finished in a dead heat for second in the Santa Maria Handicap.
Model also finished second in the 2008 Juddmonte Spinster Stakes (G1) at Keeneland Race Course. The Giant’s Causeway mare was also a runner-up to champion Zenyatta in the 2008 Clement L. Hirsch Handicap (G2) at Del Mar.
Stakes winner Bel Air Sizzle, the runner-up in the 2008 Del Mar Oaks, is also entered in the Santa Margarita Invitational Handicap.
Jeff Apel is a Thoroughbred Times TODAY assistant editor
Santa Margarita Invitational H.
March 14, $300,000, 4yo & up, f&m, 1 1/8M, Santa Anita Park, 4:07 PM PT
| Post | Horse | Sire | Weight | Jockey | Trainer |
| 1 | Forest Melody 5, m. | Forest Camp | 113 | Mike Smith | Paula Capestro |
| 2 | Life Is Sweet 4, f. | Storm Cat | 120 | Garrett Gomez | John Shirreffs |
| 3 | Bel Air Sizzle 4, f. | Unusual Heat | 114 | Rafael Bejarano | Barry Abrams |
| 4 | Modification 4, f. | Vindication | 113 | Tyler Baze | Doug O'Neill |
| 5 | Magical Fantasy 4, f. | Diesis (GB) | 117 | Alex Solis | Patrick Gallagher |
| 6 | Santa Teresita 5, m. | Lemon Drop Kid | 117 | Joseph Talamo | Eric Guillot |
| 7 | Model 5, m. | Giant's Causeway | 116 | Joel Rosario | Neil Drysdale |
