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FYI there was a fractional error with the 6f time, it’s been updated to 1:09.2
Even more surprising coming from him. Hasn’t he commentated in America? When do the best dirt horses run on turf?
Secretariat did, and he seems to be the main point of comparison. Also Round Table, Damascus, Kelso, and Dr. Fager.
I agree, CAS, a great Breeders’ Cup meeting.
Only Arc Day comes even remotely close in Europe – Champions’ Day at Ascot certainly doesn’t.
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"Some very thought provoking and informed comments here. They echo Mike Smith’s (Taiba’s rider) comments he made during the post-race interview when asked by O. Bell to give his thoughts. He basically said that he couldn’t believe what he had just seen. In his opinion, Flightline is the best horse he’s ever seen, and he rode some greats himself. Moreover, he said that he was so far back because Life is Good and Flightline both were traveling very fast that there’s absolutely no way that Flightline should have kept going. He expected him to come back to the field. And that’s coming from a world-class jockey…
As to comments that Flightline needs to race more in order to prove himself, I don’t agree with that. Tiger Woods showed his greatness after only winning his first major the Masters. The rest is history. You either have it or you don’t…
I said following Flightline’s 19+ length win in the Pacific Classic that it was the best performance since Spectacular Bid, well after today, in my view, that’s the best performance since Secretariat’s Belmont Stakes win…
BTW, the 6F fractional was the winning time of the dirt sprint race, going absolutely all out. Put that into perspective…
“BTW, the 6F fractional was the winning time of the dirt sprint race… “
Says it all. I am still in awe of Flightline’s performance, especially given that Flavien Prat was barely riding hands and heels in the last furlong.
Utterly ridiculous performance
“Overall I think that was the most enjoyable Breeders Cup for a long time. A lot of British and Irish wins and culminating in a great performance from Flightline…”
Totally agree with that…
I have seen every Breeders’ Cup, every race since its inception in 1984 at Hollywood Park. Finally traveled to Santa Anita in 2016 to see it in person. Its success thus far is, in my view, largely due to European participation and support. Without them, who knows if it would have survived but certainly it would not have had the world recognition and viewership that it now has. The original planners got the concept right, I think.
But, most importantly, as a fan, admirer and supporter of this sport I have been greatly enriched with memories of some of the greatest horses, jockeys and races that I have ever seen, like All Along, Pebbles, Miesque, Dancing Brave, Dajur, Goldikova, Enable, etc. Will never forget Safely Kept vs. Dayjur in the 1990 BC Sprint, and my personal favorite is that epic battle between Giant’s Causeway and Tiznow in the 2000 BC Classic. So I hope that this event continues and, perhaps, re-invents to appeal to a future generation of fans world-wide. Maybe even staging a meeting or two outside of North America?
Moreover, yesterday was special. Not because of certain individual on-track performances whether equine or human but because of an extremely moving story we witnessed about a deep bond and love that exists between a young boy named Cody and Cody’s Wish, a horse named after him who had won the BC Dirt Mile. I tip my hat to all the connections for making this story possible.
The world that we live in today has problems which we still are not able to solve; COVID pandemic, continued wars, economic woes, hunger, starvation, and so on. But despite all that, that story told us that there are good and kind acts going on everyday in our world, we just don’t hear about them as often as we should. And it takes a horse with a special “human sense” to put things in the right perspective for us all…
I doubt if I’ll ever see another one as great as Flightline.
Mind you, I said that about Frankel.
Interesting how many of us alleged “miseries,” who were deriding the OTT accolades bestowed on Baaeed, are hailing Flightline.
Maybe the “miseries” simply know genuine “GOAT” material when they see it?
It’s a critical faculties “thang.”
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"“That story told us that there are good and kind acts going on everyday in our world, we just don’t hear about them as often as we should.”
Agree with that. I have always believed that human kindness is far more valuable than political ideologies (which, when weighed in the balance, have done more harm than good).
I wonder how many vocal keyboard warriors actually do good work in their communities? I expect some do but I am willing to bet it is a small minority.
One of my favourite pieces of writing is the conclusion of “Middlemarch” by George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans). I believe it is powerfully true:
“For the growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts; and that things are not so ill with you and me as they might have been is half owing to the number who lived faithfully a hidden life, and rest in unvisited tombs.”
Another thing that has made the Breeders Cup more enjoyable is the ban on lasix. It should have been done years ago. It was the main reason I was always ambivalent about the meeting and I know other people who were the same.
Ian,
But that’s the thing. Do we need to always debate about who/what is the greatest/best of any sport/endeavor, movie, book, etc.? In almost all cases it’s a purely subjective exercise. For instance, how do we determine what is the best ice cream flavor? Impossible to conclude. Similarly, it’s impossible to determine who is the greatest ever horse? Or a football team? Or a tennis player, or golfer, and so on. For starters, what criteria do we use? Who are the experts? What are their credentials to make such a determination? etc., etc.,
So it boils down to personal tastes and preferences. And psychologists and economists have been studying these traits for decades, even some winning Nobel prizes but still nothing proven conclusively as to what makes us make the choices/judgements that we do..
I prefer to enjoy the moment, the current experience what is and having fond memories what was. Above I’ve said was I consider to be greatest performance since Secretariat. But that’s only on dirt. To be fair one has to consider Dancing Brave’s Arc win and Frankel’s 2000G and Queen Anne on turf for total completeness, but that’s just me. Other than that, in the words of Henry Cecil who refused to get into the media frenzy and compare Frankel to Sea the Stars said: let champions be champions, let them rest, no need to compare…
Coming – as it does – almost 40 years to the day since his namesake dead-heated with Double Shuffle in the 1982 November Handicap on Town Moor, Doncaster, who could possibly dispute the word of Turkoman?
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"I think we never get to the bottom of these debates because we never actually break down the question.
If every time someone stated their opinion on which horse is the greatest and included a definition of what “greatest” meant to them then it would be a lot harder to argue, because as Turk is eluding to “greatness” is a fairly loose word and especially subjective (by definition) in sport.
For me, greatest simply means who would win in a fair race, or when debating those that raced over differing distances, which horse was better than all opponents (not just in their era) by the biggest margin.
We all have our own personal criteria for greatness and none of us is right and none of us is wrong in choosing the qualities we personally associate with it.
Well, apart from me, of course, I’m always right.
Those who cannot see how great Flightline is, or cannot think outside the turf racing box, are to be pitied not reviled.
Pray for them.
“Our Father, who aren’t on Lasix, Flightline be thy name. Thy rivals gone, thou shalt go off to stud, on Earth but not in Devon. You gave Ben this day, the easiest winner he ever backed, and forgive Mike his trespasses. As we forgive all those who ‘diss dirt’ against us. For thine is the eight-and-a quarter length victory, the power and the glory, forever and ever – weighed in!”
I am "The Horse Racing Punter" on Facebook
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"Insallah!!! That’s the finest version of the Lords Prayer I’ve ever encountered Ian.
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