A son of Sidesteps, Youonlyliveonce is a runner that has, during his first two seasons at least, lived up to his name – by making the most of his existence and winning races. He hit the ground running as a youngster, when he was successful at Jagersro in Malmoe and at Bro Park outside Stockholm. He followed up with a third trip to the winners' circle as a three-year-old, when he was successful once more at Bro Park. Then, in 2021, came the drought. Youonlyliveonce failed to win last year. Then again, he only raced four times du to an injury interrupting his campaign, so the opportunities were not really there. Can he bounce back this year?

Fresh opportunities await, as he has joined Annike's strong team, after having been trained by Ylva Brandt and Lars Kelp in Sweden. Youonlyliveonce had a brief look at Ovrevoll in his first season, when he ran unplaced in Norsk Kriterium. That effort told us little to suggest whether he will be suited to the courses in Norway. That he has done well over different tracks in Sweden augurs well, however. It's not a given that Ovrevoll will be to his liking but he appears to be more adaptable than most horses.

His first win came in maiden company at Bro Park in the early autumn of 2019. Tacking 1200 metres over a good turf course, he beat Garcia readily by 2 ½ lengths that day. Fast forward almost three months, right to the tail end of the season, and he stepped up on his maiden winning form to capture the Manoustieloepning at Jagersro, this time showing sharp form on dirt – again racing over 1200 metres. Jan-Erik Neuroth was in the irons and he he steered Youonlyliveonce home for a comfortable 6-length win worth 100,000 kronor. Maid had to settle for a non-threatening second, while subsequent Derby winner Bullof Wall Street finished third. It was a taking performance by the winner but also a run that meant expectations would be high in his three-year-old season.

He trained on well into his sophomore days and proved up to winning in tough company again that autumn, taking a highly competitive Guldhandicap over 1400 metres at Bro Park, ridden by Jacob Johansen. Youonlyliveonce produced yet another game effort to pip Lush Lashes in a tight finish, as Miss Maybach was a close third. Lush Lashes, who carried 3.5 kg less than Youonlyliveonce, is a winner of nine races and a well known horse in Sweden. That Youonlyliveonce was up to beating this accomplished rival came as no big surprise though; after all he had been a good runner-up in Mischa Khans Minnesloepning seven weeks earlier, splitting Hot Bagatelle and Globemaster in a race where Swedish 2,000 Guineas winner Everest Voice checked in fourth. The distance was 1600 metres on dirt.

Lush Lashes and Youonlyliveonce met also last season, when Lush Lashes gained revenge in a Guldhandicap over 1400 metres / turf at Bro Park. This time, Youonlyliveonce had to concede 7 kg and it turned out to a bit too much. He was the best horse on the day, however, going down by just a length, narrowly ahead of the third placed My Motivate Girl, who was a length better than Herewegodandy, a Norwegian raider taking fourth place in the contest.

Youonlyliveonce has quite an international pedigree. Bred in France, he is sporting Australian lines in his top half with European lines in the bottom half. His sire, the Exceed and Excel son Sidestep, was a high class two-year-old down under, where he won the Pago Pago Stakes (G2) and ran second in the prestigious Golden Slipper Stakes (G1), both over 1200 metres at Rosehill. Youonlyliveonce's dam, Feelin Foxy, is a daughter of high class sprinter Foxhound. Feelin Foxy was a very useful, and incredibly durable, sprint handicapper in England, winning 9 of her 83 races and finishing second or third on no fewer than 32 occasions. She is also the dam of Karaktair, a mile winner by Olympic Glory, and Feelin Dickie, a sprint winner by Dick Turpin. Feelin Foxy's half-brother Josh (Josr Algarhoud) was a smart sprinter who won twice, ran placed twice in Listed company and was officially rated 100. There's a lot of speed in Youonlyliveonce's immediate family but he has himself shown good form at up to 1600 metres. Proven on dirt and turf, this is a horse that has plenty of options and it will be interesting to see how he gets on during the 2022 season. GS 220207