Glad to see an update
Wow, Life is Good at $100K introductory fee! I guess I shouldn’t be surprised; he’s a Mile winner from Into Mischief.
I like this horse. I wouldn’t have traded the Cody’s Wish story for anything, but I suspect Life Is Good could have repeated had he run in the Mile instead of the Classic.
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FWIW, the farm I worked at many years ago was sent a mare with a fractured pelvis. She went out days, came in at night (albeit slowly). She ended up being a nice children’s hunter as I recall. Her fracture occurred during a polo match. I never saw radiographs (tough place to image), and have no idea how her injury compares to Domestic Spending. Just saying there can be a positive outcome in some cases.
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Paulick has a good article on it, currently posted on thier Facebook page
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I linked to it last night, a few posts up in case no one wants to bother with FB.
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Just to put another take on the classic
“According to Equibase, before he finished fifth, Life Is Good laid down early fractions as impressive as Flightline’s final time. His opening quarter of :22.55, half-mile in :45.47, and six furlongs in 1:09.62 were the fastest among 51 races at 10 furlongs run at Keeneland since 1991.”
I haven’t seen updated/corrected times for the last few splits, but going to assume they were also speedy.
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I think so too, but for the sake of sport, I’m glad he didn’t.
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From what I’ve read the cost to insure him had he continued racing would have been astronomical.
Can ya tell I’m not reading all the posts …
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Lanes End has announced that Flightline has joined their lineup
To his new home and all tucked in. Man, how do you clean a stall with that much straw?
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Not sure why but I feel sort of weird about this horse - he came and went so quickly, was he real or did I imagine him? He flew around Keeneland for two minutes, and then before we can fully absorb the race, he’s off the trailer and gone to his new world.
I get the money part, but the real excitement of watching a really good horse is gone - its too short to be enjoyed. Personally, I think racing should up the purses on the filly and mare stakes - they are the ones who deserve it because we will see them over multiple years. IMO the best race of the weekend was the Distaff.
I like Flightline, I’m glad he won so convincingly. He’s definitely fast. But you cant really put him in the “greatest” category after only 6 races?
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When we visited Coolmore last June, Justify pooped in his stall just before he was brought out. A worker immediately went into the stall, picked up the pile with his hands (!) (admittedly, within a big mass of straw) and discarded it out of sight. I suspect that the stalls are cleaned/picked out so often, the poop does not even have a chance to cool.
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I feel something close to this. I used to be obsessed with racing. When it was actually covered by ESPN, heck even before cable. I saw my first Kentucky Derby in 1965. I was at a retail store, where my mom was working. I was about 12 years old. I have only missed one since then and that is because I was at an out of town horse show.
I used to subscribe to Thoroughbred Times. I live in a state with no online gambling which is good cause I suck at picking winners, I just to like to watch them run. Then there was cable and more racing on tv. I used to watch TVG all day. But since they have split up racing to various channels, some I have some I don’t, it is nmore difficult to watch.
I do understand that they cannot risk the stallions, but how did they run 40 or 50 times back in the 30’s and 40’s? Things are so much better now for taking care of the horses and yet they are so much more fragile.
I would also love to see Flightline again but sadly, they made the right call for him
I remember a long time ago, a horse, (Isvestia?) won the Canadian triple crown, and his owners kept him in racing. This was a long time ago, but as I remember it, he was injured in a race, Rothman’s International and was euthenized.
Horses come and go so quickly. I used to love to watch Garrett Gomez then he fell off the wagon and subsequently died. I cannot imagine what it must be like to be a jockey and have to watch every morsel of food you eat for fear of gaining a pound.
I have hardly watched any racing at all this year so this was my first time to see Flightline. Sad that I won’t get to see him again.
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Ditto. The average person has only seen him race one time and he’s better than Secretariat?
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Haha, I have emailed/social media posted almost this exact comment to NBC for years after every BC. How in the world do they not understand the irony of leaving out the sire and dam? Makes me miss the Wide World of Sports coverage I grew up with. Glad to see someone else feels this way too!
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I am making no statement on who is best but man, I enjoyed watching Flightline. I think I started watching him after seeing the Met Mile. He didn’t even get his way at the start of that race. Then the Pacific Classic 
. That was Secretariat-esqe. I have been watching some of his workouts on YouTube prior to the Breeder’s Cup and he is a super efficient mover. His feet barely disturb the dirt. Almost like he levitates when he runs 
.
I understand the economics and safety of sending him to the shed. He is a great one…even with only 6 races. The greatest…I don’t think so but highly enjoyable to watch.
Susan
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I’m sorry, and I’m sure I’ll irritate some people here, but I agree with you! I feel weird about this horse, and to me, one can not consider him great when we discuss greatest in terms of Secretariat, Citation, Seattle Slew, Ruffian, Zanyetta, Man O’ War, etc.
I grew up in the era of handicap racing when horses carried 132 pounds and still competed in 2.00 1 1/4-mile races. Remember Forego? He had to carry to 130 numerous times, sometimes for 2 miles he gave away 10 pounds to competitors and !!! That is great! After Seattle Slew and Spectacular Bid, GREAT in the handicap horse category was lost for many reasons ( some economic).
We’ve seen a lot of incredibly talented/great mares, sprinters, and turf horses, but not many great handicap horses or 3-year-old colts. I recall where many called Justify “great,” to which many of us had to laugh!!! Was Authentic great??? Was American Pharaoh great ???
I watched Flightline and with the exception of Authentic, he could outrun most of the colts and handicap horses that we have seen over the last ten years going backward. And let us not over-exaggerate whom he was running against! Nice horses, but in NO way were they, Superstars of the sport,
In addition, some of the horses had running styles **that would make them not competitive in a race with him. If your running style hinders you from running well against him, then short of racing luck, of course, you are going to lose! I note that the most talented horses pulled up. What would have happened if Epicenter could have been competitive? I think Flightline still would have won, but not by just dancing away as he did.
Sorry, three races as a 4-year-old and 3 races as a three-year-old no matter how amazing, do not make one great. But boy, is Flightline a reminder of what our old racehorses were like and what they could do. Sorry to see him go.
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We need another Super Gelding to come along and wow the world. A Kelso, Forego, or John Henry. Wise Dan was a favorite of mine but he didn’t get much attention from the “regular” press, like Cigar did, possibly because he was a turf horse.
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YES! I grew up following Kelso’s career, then later Forego and John Henry.
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