Tree, who trained at Beckhampton in Wiltshire[2] was reportedly motivated by having briefly owned Life Sentence and winning the Goodwood Cup with her half-brother Double Bore.
[1] Only for Life's first appearance as a three-year-old gave little sign that he had Classic potential as he finished a well-beaten third on heavy ground in the Greenham Stakes over seven furlongs at Newbury in April.
Ridden by Jimmy Lindley, Only for Life took the lead two furlongs from the finish but was overtaken by the Irish colt Ionian and appeared to be beaten before staying on again in the closing stages to cross the line apparently level.
Only for Life met Ragusa again in the Great Voltigeur Stakes at York in August and, racing on his favoured soft ground, produced a much better effort, running the Irish colt to a head after a strongly-contested finish.
[7] By September, the ground was much firmer, but Only for Life started second favourite the St. Leger Stakes at Doncaster, a race that was run amid tight security following a series of doping scandals.
[9] Before he left Europe he sired The Elk, who was trained by Jeremy Tree for Monica Sheriffe to win the Observer Gold Cup in 1968, and the filly State Pension who finished second in The Oaks.