Flightline (Tapit), who had given hints of greatness while opening his career with two supremely easy victories, officially arrived with an eye-popping victory in the GI Runhappy Malibu S. at Santa Anita Sunday.
For Bill Farish of co-owner Woodford Racing, the Malibu result confirmed the faith his team has had in the colt all along.
“We hoped to win this, but to do this against this kind of field, this was the real class test for him and I think he answered it the way we thought he would,” Farish said.
Off a touch slowly, the bay recovered and clicked off an opening quarter in :22.01 and a half in :44.48 while under an easy hold. Asked to lengthen once heads were turned for home, Flightline continued to widen on the front end without being asked a single question by Flavien Prat and coasted under the line 11 1/2 lengths clear of Baby Yoda (Prospective). The final time, over what was a dull strip during Sunday's program, was a spectacular 1:21.37, better than three seconds faster than the time recorded by Kalypso (Brody's Cause) in the GI La Brea S. a couple of races prior.
“I was in cruise control the whole race, galloping freely,” Prat said. “He was quite impressive. I wanted to get a good position and get myself into the race. My idea was to get out there running and see what happened. He has been brilliant so far. He really has been quite amazing.”
A $1-million graduate of the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale, Flightline earned no-doubt 'TDN Rising Star'-dom with a 13 1/4-length romp on his local debut Apr. 24. Gone for some 4 1/2 months thereafter, Flightline resumed with a 12 3/4-length success in a first-level Del Mar allowance Sept. 5, prompting questions on whether a Breeders' Cup appearance might be in the offing. After some deliberation, connections demurred, opting to train up to Sunday's race.
Im an avid American racing fan. During the week the trainer said that Flightline is going to be a peoples horse. Saw it ran only twice but won impressively in both starts. When I saw the replay Monday morning, it won as it like. According to their speed ratings, Beyer, it has won all three races way above 100. That is out of the world. The trainer could be right, a champion in the making....
The following user(s) said Thank You: Pirhobeta, TNaicker
Flightline goes 3 September 2022 in the grade 1 Del Mar Pacific Classic
Hronis Racing and partners' undefeated Flightline has been made the 1-5 favorite against five rivals in Saturday's 32nd running of the $1-million TVG Pacific Classic at Del Mar.
The 4-year-old son of Tapit, an impressive winner of his four starts so far, including a pair of Grade I scores, drew Post 5 in the compact field at a special draw party Tuesday afternoon at The Brigantine restaurant, which sits on the high ground overlooking the racetrack in north San Diego County.
Conditioner John Sadler has been training Flightline at Del Mar all summer and the big colt has appeared silky smooth in his weekly morning drills as he prepares for his first attempt at a mile and one quarter. Come Saturday, he'll be reunited with the only partner he's ever known, four-time Del Mar summer riding champ Flavien Prat, who'll jet in from his new riding headquarters in New York for the mount.
Topic Author
