Four-time grade 1 winner and first-crop yearling sire Life Is Good had eight yearlings enter the ring during The Saratoga Sale, Fasig-Tipton's select yearling sale, and Mike Repole made no secret of his confidence in the stallion with three purchases.
The final of those purchases Aug. 5 was the most expensive, Repole going to $1,025,000 for Hip 209, a filly consigned by Mill Ridge Sales, agent.
"I'm really high on Life Is Good," Repole said. "We're excited to have them. They look great, we bred five or six mares ourselves. Next year, I'm probably going to have 10 Life Is Goods at the track."
However, there was an extra amount of top blood that piqued Repole's interest. Bred in Kentucky by Audie Otto under the Jamm Ltd banner, the bay filly is out of the stakes-placed Smart Strike mare Smart Shopping. Smart Shopping is the dam of Seize the Grey , winner of the 2024 Preakness Stakes (G1) and Pennsylvania Derby (G1).
A son of the late Arrogate, Seize the Grey stood his first season at Gainesway this year for a $30,000 fee. Life Is Good stood at WinStar Farm for $75,000. Repole owns shares in both stallions, and sees the combination of their blood in this filly as an exciting broodmare prospect.
"My team liked her a lot," Repole said. "We own part of the whole family anyway. It's definitely a filly that we want to win grade 1s, but we also see a potential broodmare."
