I must admit I was a Flightline skeptic, but I can’t be any more.
I just can’t figure out what his place is going to be in horse racing history. Probably one more start, maybe two. Let’s say, for argument’s sake, two, and he wins them big. Hall of Fame based on a 7 race career, including a maiden special weight and an allowance race? Interesting discussions loom.
Oh boy! What a race.
There is a lot of discussion about his light racing schedule, but the horse is magnificent, the way he glides across the ground. No question about him getting the distance now!
Flightline was full of run today.
Once he took the lead, he never looked back. If he hadn’t been under wraps at the end, he would have broke the track record.
I really thought he was a good horse but overhyped. Happy to be proven wrong. He embarrassed that field.
FWTW, DRF says a 126 Beyer figure. I really don’t know how important Beyer figures are.
Yes @Mara I thought he was overhyped too. Watched the coverage in TVG where all the commentators were speaking about him as if he was the second coming. Thought, “if he loses, there are going to be lot of embarrassed people”.
But wow. After the 5/8th pole, I don’t think he still thought he was in a race.
Had you seen any of his earlier races? Having watched them and how he moved on the track I didn’t think he was over-hyped. His pedigree is incredible.
When everyone else was wondering if Flightline could “stretch out” to a mile and 1/4, Flavien Prat told Sadler that he had no doubt about it.
Great pedigree. Tapit, obviously, and Indian Charlie is turning out to be a really good broodmare sire.
However, they don’t always run to their pedigrees. And when a horse has so much speed you wonder how far he can carry it.
Well, we wonder no more. They could have gone around again and he just would have been further ahead.
I hate to quote Baffert but he amusingly said that he thinks Country Grammer thought he won the race.
Of course horses don’t always run to their pedigrees but his incredible stride and the manner in which he runs his races is one testament to his breeding.
His dam line is exceptional. He definitely has a stallion’s pedigree and is worth a large fortune at this point in time. https://www.fasigtipton.com/catalogs/2019/0805/80.pdf
There are some quotes about the race from Jockeys and trainers here;
Back to Saratoga…
Race 8…just an allowance race but Palm Cottage broke through the gate. They caught her, brought her back around and calmly loaded her back in and she won fairly easily. She is by American Pharaoh. She looks a lot like Daddy.
Susan
Cant remember which Saratoga race but American Rockett, also by AP but the chestnut version with white face, broke with the others from the far outside. Guess she got scared, with the barns just to the right of the chute, she turned right sharply dropping well back. Jock stayed on, corrected her and, incredibly, finished a closing 4th.
Saw several good looking Justify babies, especially one first timer grey colt out at Del Mar easily winning, Promising crop, of course the damside is cream of the crop.
She bolted badly to the outside at the start. Junior Alvarado did a good job staying on and getting her back in the race.
Migliore commented on the Saratoga race broadcast that it is not that unusual, especially for first time starters (which she was).
Yep. just a baby racehorse.
Go for a “ride” on Flightline
That looks like so much fun!
I loved how there were a lot of hoofbeats near the beginning of the race and a lot fewer at the end.
The Spinaway Stakes, Sunday, September 4th, Race 11, at Saratoga. Best view of it is the head-on:
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