Was he truly the best of the year? The best of the year means the entire racing season. Based on consistency, competition, and performance. When looking at the overall season, A win in 2 allowence races and 2 stakes races is FAR from impressive. Epicenter had the best record for the overall season. I am not a big fan of Baffert, but I recall at one time many in the media and sport were calling Taiba GREAT based on his race in California prior to the Derby. I think he has a similar record to that of Flighlight.
I am sure there are others here on this site that can think of other horses with far more impressive race records for the year. This might be a year where an undefeated sp[rinter gets the title. It has happened in the past.
Yes, undoubtedly Fighltine was the best of the year IMHO. Taiba had nowhere near the form, nor the race record that Flightline had. Though Taiba was great in the S.A. Derby and won the Pennsylvania Derby, in his first and only time racing Flightline (in the Classic) he was soundly beaten by 2 1/2 lengths. I don’t intend to disparage Taiba,his Penn Derby was well won, his S.A. win was great but he won against not as great competition as he was against in the Penn. I don’t see that Flightline and Taiba can be compared.
Flightline; 6 races 6 wins. Four (G1s) all by 2 1//2 lengths or more.
Taiba ;6 races 3 wins, 2 (G1s)
Great S.A. Derby but I just don’t see any comparison between the two when I see them race. Flightline has an incomparable gallop. His contemporaries are unlucky to be racing against him.
Not disputing yours or anyone’s choice for HOY. Disputing West’s logic.
Don’t get his argument that he will not vote Flightline because the horse is not the one of the greatest of all time.
2021 HOY: Knicks Go
2020 HOY: Authentic
2019 HOY: Bricks and Mortar
I could have happily voted for these as HOY, as each was arguably the best of his year. Would not have withheld my vote because they are not Secretariat, Northern Dancer, etc.
Actually, I would vote for Life is Good. He may have been left in Flightline’s wake in his last out, but he ran a hell of a campaign, and he did try and take it to Flightline.
That is who I was thinking of, Life is Good. He ran a good solid campaign. He was never a 1 1/4 horse but they ran anyway, I would support him as HOY!
I don’t get why all think that Flighlines Breeder’s cup was that imp[reessive, when half of the field, was backing up because the distance was beyond their scope, the real competition had an injury and had to be pulled up, and the rest were picking up tired horses. Most horses would look good given those circumstances!
What impressed me about Flightline’s win in the Classic was the way he tracked the early leaders going a pretty good clip, and then when asked on the far turn, just hit another gear and took off. The late closers couldn’t keep up with him. And that closing kick will, I think, interest a lot of European breeders/owners.
But one of the greatest of all time? Not based on six races. As great as Secretariat? Nope, no way no how. Among other things, Secretariat won on both the dirt and grass and at distances of up to 1 5/8 miles. And did face older horses on a few occasions.
To me, to consider a horse “great”, they must do more than run six times - and for me, they need to show some durability, which unfortunately Flightline has not.
Flexibility and this success should be based upon MORE than 66% maiden and allowance competition. Many horses have by far better records than that. Thanks for your opinion.
He isn’t up there in the pantheon – but he does deserve to be Horse of the Year. He beat all potential contenders this year by jaw-dropping lengths – and at multiple distances. He started off being a short distance horse, but proved in the Classic that he could hang with quality speed and shake it off. I’m sorry he didn’t stay around longer, but it was fun while it lasted.
Nope!! But Horse of the Year in recent years has been…er…the best of the year. That has yielded a number of forgettable horses in recent years. I do think he deserves the year-end accolades.
What jaw-dropping lengths? They had broken down or were slowing down!!! They were backing up!! Let’s not fake that the horses he beat have places reserved for them in the Saratoga Racing Hall of Fame! These were hard running, HONEST, good looking in some cases, horses. But other than Life is Good and Epicenter expected to win. . Life is Good was sacrificed in the race and Epicenter was put up. The trainers of the other stated that they were running for second place money. The trainers put their horses in a race they had lost before it started.
Put the pieces together and one has to ask what makes this victory so impressive. Other than Epicenter, and "Charlie (maybe) this race was not meant to be competitive… Other Breeders Cup races were by far more impressive based on the horses running in them!
Actually, this was one of the most competitive fields in Breeders Cup history.
It was one of only 3 occasions where every horse in the Classic was a Grade 1 winner.
The seven horses who competed against Flightline had previously won 38 races, with combined earnings of just under $22,000,000.
If you read the chart, you can see that the other horses in the race were not “slowing down… or backing up”. Though clearly beaten by Flightline, they were still competing against each other–as of course they would be since 2nd place was worth 1M, 3rd was worth 550k, 4th 300K, etc. There was a lot of money, as well as bragging rights, on the line.
That was a quality field of horses–and I’m not “faking” that opinion.
It was a really good field and they all brought their best form into the race. Look at the Beyer numbers, the first five finishers all ran 105 or better! Compared to Beyers for the other 2022 Breeders’ Cup races this was absolutely the standout race.
Edited to add, love Epicenter and tough to see him pulled up. He would have been very competitive in this field and I’m glad he’s come through the surgery well.
Frankle, 14 wins from 14 races, ran as 2, 3 and 4 y.o. and in 2011 highest rated horse in the world. Now a tip top stallion with 12% group winners to runners and 14% blacktype winners to runners. 9 Gr1 winners in 2022 so far, including the Arc this year with Alpinista (her 6th Gr1 win).
Each to his own opinion. I am from the old time of the 1990s-1970s and earlier. Still stuck in the past I guess… What we call a “quality field,” may not have been competitive in the past, and unfortunately, that is my basis for “quality.” I am not sure how earnings are a gauge of quality, given all of the inflated purses. In the olden days of 1970-1990 a field that had won a total of "won 38 races, " was normal and nothing special.
I don’t know how one compares the Bayer figures in the Breeders Cup for 2022 to other 2022 Breeders Cups (or any other race) as you need to take into account all variables. Are you taking into account different tracks, distances, conditions, different genders, different surfaces, jockeys, etc? I won’t discredit it but I am not a believer of it either until someone can explain to me how it accounts for ALL race variables.
