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| Staff Writer |
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The 4YO Son of Tapit showcased a jaw-dropping performance in the Gr.1 Pacific Classic Stakes at Del Mar.
"He looked spectacular," Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott said outside his barn at Oklahoma. "To me, it was a Secretariat-type performance that we saw. There's not much more to say about it."
"Very impressive," fellow Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher said at his Oklahoma barn. "He hasn't been beat yet. Very impressive, for sure. I expected him to run well."
Flightline has won all five of his starts defeating Country Grammer by 19½ lengths. His next run will be the US$6 million Breeders' Cup Classic.
That is also the probable landing spot for horses trained by Pletcher and Mott.
Pletcher is targeting Life Is Good, who won the US$1 million Gr.1 Whitney Stakes to the Classic. Mott is hoping to run Olympiad, the bounce-back winner of the $1 million Gr.1 Gold Cup Stakes.
"Hopefully, (the Classic) is a successful one for us," he said. "I mean, we have tremendous respect for (Flightline). We also have a lot of confidence in how good we think Life Is Good is. I am looking forward to running in the Breeders' Cup Classic if Life Is Good runs well in the Woodward and keeps moving forward."
Mott said Olympiad will remain in Saratoga, where he will train him up to the Classic.
"We are leaning toward the Breeders' Cup Classic," he said. "Of course, the next question is going to be 'what about Flightline?' They usually run more than one horse in the race, and we'll probably be a participant. It's the end of the year with a big purse."