#US RACING: WATCH LIFE IS GOOD WIN THE 2022 WOODWARD STAKES

VIDEO REPLAY BELOW ARTICLE

Life Is Good lived up to his name and reputation in Saturday's Grade 1, US$500,000 Woodward (G1), withstanding a challenge at the top of the stretch to post a victory over a "sloppy" Aqueduct racetrack.

The 1-20 favourite in a field of four following the scratch of Thomas Shelby, Life Is Good rocketed away from his rail post to quickly assume a lead of about two lengths under jockey Irad Ortiz Jr in the 1 1/8 miles race.

The son of Into Mischief out of the Distorted Humor mare Beach Walk maintained a similar margin over Informative while drifting out to the three-path rounding the first turn and up the backstretch, carving out fractions of 48.60 seconds for the half mile and 1:13.07 for six furlongs.

Ortiz's brother, Jose, moved Law Professor up into the second spot entering the far turn and shifted to the outside of Life Is Good nearing the quarter pole and appeared to pose a serious threat to the Todd Pletcher-trained favourite entering the stretch. But Life Is Good dug in to repel his challenger and continued to find more through the stretch, repelling the game Law Professor by about 1 1/2 lengths at the wire.

The victory improved Life Is Good's record to 11: 9-1-0, and likely kept him on course for a meeting with Flightline and top 3-year-old Epicenter in the US$6 million Breeders' Cup Classic.