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| Staff Writer |
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Flightline was bred to succeed, as he is the product of the cross of the early-winning graded-stakes horse Feathered and the legendary stallion Tapit. It wasn't until September of his fourth year that people started to seriously consider what he was capable of, and now he is widely considered to be the favourite to win the Breeders' Cup Classic (Gr.1).
This John Sadler trainee has had a spectacularly perfect start to his career, thanks in large part to the efforts of his breeders, Summer Wind Equine, Hronis Racing, Siena Farm, and West Point Thoroughbreds, all of which own shares in the horse. When he made his debut in a maiden special weight race at Santa Anita in April 2021, he immediately became a household name among horse racing enthusiasts. He was the 9-10 favourite, which is significant given the money almost any Baffert trainee takes in California. He even beat out a pair of Bob Baffert's first-time starters. Flightline complied, establishing a tense early lead before pulling away for a 13 14-length victory. After nearly five months away, he returned to racing at Del Mar in a first-level allowance, when he was bet down to 1-5 odds. On that particular day, though, the introduction took a slightly different form, as he displayed stalking equipment. Still, the end outcome was the same. Despite the fact that the rest of the pack appeared to be running a different race down the lane, Flightline easily prevailed, winning by a margin of 12 and three-quarters lengths. Next, we visited a stakes company. As his third year came to an end, he ran in the Malibu (Gr.1) and finished last out of the start, but he cleared swiftly. As expected, Flightline breezed to victory in the stretch, leaving his rivals gasping for breath. He won by 11 1/2 lengths. His talent impressed even the Eclipse voters. He only needed to compete in three races and one stakes against horses of his own age to be considered for champion sprinter.
He came in second; Jackie's Warrior, who had more experience, was declared the winner. But Flightline established himself as 2022's most talked-about horse. It's been a rough start to the year thus far. The San Carlos (Gr.2), a seven-furlong race at Santa Anita and his first test against older stakes horses, was expected to be his season opener as a four-year-old. However, he was unable to participate because of a strained hock. Instead, he focused all of his training on the Met Mile (Gr.1). It had been five and a half months since his last race. Even though the race only had one turn, it was his first at a mile in distance. He had never left the state of California before. With older horses with stakes experience like Happy Saver, Speaker's Corner, and Breeders' Cup Sprint (Gr.1) winner Aloha West, this race was the most challenging of his career.
A horse's career as successful as Flightline's is the stuff of legends and a dream come true for most people. Aside from the Classic mile and a quarter, he has never even looked like a loser in any of his other races. In the Breeders' Cup Classic, there will be even more fish in the sea, with competitors like Life Is Good, Epicenter, Taiba, Hot Rod Charlie, and Rich Strike. Horseplayers want to see if any of Flightline's rivals can compete with him, or if this will be the first time in his career that he has a downturn. In the Classic, he faces some tough opposition from the likes of Epicenter and Taiba, both promising 3-year-olds who may be worth a gamble at attractive odds. As of yet, however, Flightline has not disappointed with a performance that fell short of our lofty expectations.