she tied up after her work at hollywood and they just retired her healthy...

That's surprising. Was that her last drill before being scheduled to ship to Dubai?

Life Is Sweet retired
By Steve Andersen

Barbara D. Livingston
Life Is Sweet cramped up after a work and has been retired.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Life Is Sweet, the winner of the Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic at Santa Anita last November, was retired on Saturday after suffering muscle cramps following a workout at Hollywood Park, owner Marty Wygod and trainer John Shirreffs said.

Life Is Sweet will be bred to Smart Strike, Wygod said.

Life Is Sweet had suffered muscle cramps at times in the past, including on the day of a scheduled start in the San Gorgonio Handicap at Santa Anita in January. The incident on Saturday, which Shirreffs described as minor, led Wygod to retire the 5-year-old mare.

"She came back to the barn from the workout and tied up a little bit," Shirreffs said. "We don't want to compromise her at all."

Bred by Wygod and his wife, Pam, Life Is Sweet won 6 of 16 starts and $1,820,810.

Life Is Sweet was expected to make her next start against males in the $10 million Dubai World Cup on March 27. Saturday, she breezed six furlongs in 1:14.

"It's unfortunate," Wygod said. "If she can't run at her best, I don't want to. He got her right for the Breeders' Cup. She was compromised in most of her races because of her tying up. We don't want to take a risk with her.

"She's totally sound but she does have a problem with tying up."

Life Is Sweet began her career in 2007 with trainer Bill Mott. She made seven starts for Mott, highlighted by a second in the Grade 2 Sands Point Stakes at Belmont Park in May 2008.

Life Is Sweet joined Shirreffs in California in late 2008, and made eight starts in 2009, winning four stakes, including the Grade 2 El Encino Stakes, Grade 2 La Canada Stakes, and Grade 1 Santa Margarita Handicap during the Santa Anita winter-spring meeting. She later finished second to stablemate and 2009 older female champion Zenyatta in the Grade 2 Milady Handicap, and third against males in the Hollywood Gold Cup.

After finishing fourth behind Zenyatta in the Clement Hirsch Stakes at Del Mar and the Lady's Secret Stakes at Santa Anita, Life Is Sweet rebounded to win the BC Ladies' Classic by 2 1/2 lengths, closing from last in a field of eight.

"She ran by those horses like they were standing still," Shirreffs said. "It was special. She was a really, really nice filly."

Life Is Sweet made one start this year, finishing second to St Trinians in the Grade 2 Santa Maria Handicap at Santa Anita on Feb. 13.