WinStar Farm's freshman sire and four-time grade 1 winner Life Is Good sired a first winner from his first starter in the first race on the April 8 card at Keeneland.
Ten Broeck Farm's strapping bay filly named Waggley gave a dominant performance in the 4 1/2-furlong maiden special weight. After setting opening fractions of :23.02 and :46.29, jockey Joel Rosario gave her a hand ride to the wire. She won by 3 1/2 lengths as the 3-10 favorite.
"Joel has been on her many, many times at Payson Park and Palm Meadows and had a lot of confidence in her," trainer Wesley Ward said.
Bloodstock agent Ben McElroy picked Waggley out of the 2025 Keeneland September Yearling Sale for Ten Broeck, which paid $200,000 for her. She was consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency.
"From Day 1, what I've seen with her is she's highly intelligent. She has no quirks, no qualms," Ward continued. "Within a week we put someone on her, she was galloping around the field. Everything was straightforward, and she is as sound as they come. It looks like she is going to have a big, big future."
Ward said the filly will be aimed next for the $250,000 Kentucky Juvenile Stakes being run April 29 over 5 furlongs at Churchill Downs.
Liam O'Rourke, director of bloodstock services at WinStar, said the buzz surrounding this filly started early, and she more than lived up to the expectations.
"This filly gave an outstanding performance, geared down, and galloping out like a bear," he said. "Everything that could go right has gone right with the stallion. Of his first crop, we have been hearing that they are forward, great movers, and they love to train. We have been seeing a lot of consistency with their fluid movement. Plenty of size and strength in all the right places like he is."
Life Is Good is a son of multiple leading sire Into Mischief . He became a grade 1 winner in the 2021 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) at 3. He went on at 4 to win the Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1), Whitney Stakes (G1), and Woodward Stakes (G1). He retired with $4,541,700. He stands for $60,000.
While it is particularly good timing for a first winner to arrive ahead of the major Ocala Breeders' Sales Spring 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale being held April 14-17, O'Rourke said a significant portion of the stallion's progeny are in the hands of breed-to-race outfits and end users who bought the sire's first yearlings.
"We have a mix, but we know from the demographic of the buyers at the yearling sales they are in the hands of more end-user types," he said. "Hopefully it is another big sale for him and that they are showing ability early is a wonderful sign. We could not be more excited because we know there are more in the pipeline."
Fred Hertrich III and John Fielding bred Waggley out of the winning Malibu Moon daughter Lunar Empress, who also is the dam of grade 3-placed stakes winner Henry Q (Blame ). Lunar Empress is a half sister to stakes winners and stakes producers Silver Heart, Aspenglow, and Silver Cub, who is the dam of 2016 Chandelier Stakes (G1) winner Noted and Quoted.
