Life Is Good bids to confirm his rating as the world’s top horse

The American horse Life Is Good is the best thoroughbred on the planet, according to Longines. That assessment will be put to the test in Saturday’s Dubai World Cup at Meydan racecourse.      

Formerly with Bob Baffert but now trained by Todd Pletcher, Life Is Good is the hot favourite to add this rich prize to the large cheque his owners received for winning the Pegasus at Gulfstream Park in January.

The big question surrounding Pletcher’s horse is whether the ground will be fast enough for him. Speed is his game and he’ll also be going a furlong further than before.

There is also considerable confidence about another American challenger, Country Grammar, now an 8-1 chance in the market. Baffert’s charge had been sidelined for nine months before last month’s $20m Saudi Cup so his second placing — beaten just half a length by Emblem Road — was a top performance.

Pundits point out that the nine furlongs of the Saudi Cup was on the sharp side for Country Grammar, but there is also the worry that the Dubai race comes only four weeks after his big comeback run. The Baffert inmate boasts a win in 2021’s Hollywood Gold Cup at Santa Anita.

US trainer Doug O’Neill will saddle Hot Rod Charlie,  the 11-4 second favourite in the ante-post market.

O’Neill’s assistant, Leandro Mora, told reporters: “Charlie left the US on January 17 and he’s adapted really well. He has the stamina to do it. Life Is Good is a super, super horse but he ruled the speed in Florida [Pegasus] and what I like over here is that our horse can come from off the pace.”

Another runner with claims is the locally trained Al Nefud, who boasts a win over Desert Wisdom, the horse who captured the grade 3 Burg Nasheer on Super Saturday.

He was beaten by Hot Rod Charlie in a World Cup prep race in February, but connections feel their runner can turn the tables on the American horse this time.

To say that Russia is in the headlines is the understatement of the year, yet the country has the favourite, Azure Coast, in one of the supporting feature races, the UAE Derby. The horse is three from three and stayed on powerfully to win the recent UAE 2000 Guineas and will be hard to peg back if there is a strong pace.

• ITV Racing in the UK has revealed the audience figures for last week’s four-day Cheltenham meeting. Average daily viewing was 967,000 compared with 922,000 in 2020. They stated that the figures were the “highest for over 10 years”. The Cheltenham Gold Cup was shown in the US for the first time with Fox Sports broadcasting Friday’s big race to about 55-million homes.

The UK flat racing season kicks off at Doncaster on Saturday and trainer William Haggas, a regular visitor to SA, has four entries for the Lincoln Handicap headed by unbeaten three-time winner Mujtaba.

Other horses who feature in ante-post betting on this race include Modern News (Charlie Appleby) and Notre Belle Bete (Andrew Balding).