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Looking forward to this contest over 10F at Del Mar featuring Flightline, currently 1/5, in a field of six runners. Among them is Country Grammer this year’s Dubai World Cup winner and 2nd in the Saudi Cup, and Express Train, winner the Santa Anita Handicap (G1) over today’s distance earlier this year…
However, all eyes will be on Flightline a the 4-yo with only four starts, all his wins by a total margin of 42 lengths, with his last being the prestigious Belmont’s “Metropolitan Handicap” (G1) over 8F. But, he hasn’t run beyond 8F, so should he prevail he could possibly be odds-on to win the BC Classic…
Good luck all…
These west coast contests are just too far past my bedtime!
East coast stuff I can just about do, and I’ll be watching the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Saratoga, but Del Mar will have to wait until Sunday morning for a replay.
Flightline is certainly an exciting 4yo, but it’s always worth remembering 1m2f is a long way in the USA and plenty don’t truly get the trip, never mind further!
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"Olympiad, obliterated by Life Is Good last time out, saw out the 1m2f well to win the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Saratoga.
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"Flightline won the 1m2f Pacific Classic eased down by an astonishing 19 and a quarter lengths in 1m59.28s.
To give you some idea of what he beat the second, third and fourth have ORs of 115, 115 and 116.
If you rate Flightline on absolute the bare result with only the runner up running to his mark you could rate him 148, 13lb higher than Baaeed and 8lb higher than Frankel!
I’m not saying Flightline merits a number that big but by any measure this is a “great” (a word I seldom use because it is overused) dirt racehorse in the making, if not already.
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"I’m still in awe of his performance, as you say ID he was eased down. I would have to go back to the days of Spectacular Bid to see a performance this good over 10F…
The second place Country Grammer demolished Life is Good in Dubai and yesterday Olympiad franked LIG by winning the Jockey Club Gold Cup…
I’m not much of a ratings or time figures person given that it’s only an opinion represented in a number, but based on some speculation in the media this morning, your figure of “148” could be close to what TimeformUSA could potentially assign. The highest figure in America is 142 assigned to Gun Runner…
BTW, what did Baaeed receive for winning the Juddmonte International?
Baaeed got 135 – Frankel himself had a peak BHA OR of 140.
As you say, the runner up won the Dubai World Cup and, though I would argue Life Is Good failed to stay the 1m2f that day, it clearly illustrates Country Grammar is a decent racehorse.
I’d also say none of his rivals were broken by Flightline, as they didn’t try to go with him early and midrace and it only takes one of them to have run their race to make this a stellar performance.
I agree ratings are just someone’s opinion in numerical form, but this was exceptional by anyone’s standards.
He just had an overwhelmingly high cruising speed the others couldn’t cope with.
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"I’d like to see YOU beat the mighty, err, Youmzain by two lengths, Gladders!
Point taken, though.
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"Tried to stay up to watch this but couldn’t make it! Gone are my days of being able to stay un until 6am to watch whatever UFC/Boxing/NFL game was on. How impressive was that though! Like you’re eluding to Ian if you go by ratings that performance was Secretariat-level and visually so too. Surely the best Dirt horse in the past 30 years, he’s winning these races so easily and so impressvely too, the way he doesn’t come out of the gates overly fast but still has the pace to challenge whoevers leading (even from an outside draw), but then to still have the ability to maintain the gallop and go away from them approaching the final bend and then to continue drawing away right to the line, at a trip some thought would question him!
I have no idea if the horse will stay in training but it would be really cool to see this one take on the Dubai World Cup.
Totally agree, Ben.
What separates great horses from good, or even very good, ones is their ability to do exceptional things without ultimately paying a price for it.
Flightline sat up with a perfectly respectable pace and then effortlessly poured it on midrace, went clear of three horses rated circa 115, yet paid no price for it in the home straight – it had manifestly taken nothing out of him.
I think FF rightly pointed out recently that a lot of horses don’t run to their marks when trying to lie up with better horses and being broken by them.
I don’t think that happened last night, they didn’t even try to live with that surge and only went flat out turning in in the vain hope he’d come back to them but Flightline just went even further clear.
If the Dubai World Cup-winning runner up is anywhere near his OR 115, this was incredible – it’s 1.75lb per length at this trip and he’s won by 19 and a quarter lengths eased down.
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"Without being a suck-ass I agree with everything you’ve said also. Love the point about exceptional horses being able do to things without paying a price, some horses are just freaks and can do things noone else can. I mean have we ever seen a horse win as impressively on heavy ground at Sandown as Constitution Hill did, yet still be able to win the way he did at Cheltenham on firm ground too?? Sorry I’m getting distracted, you seen he’s 6/4 in places now!
Anyway, yeah I haven’t done a deep dive into the placings but the second horse was the 2nd favourite wasnt it (world cup winner), and he finished about 8 lengths clear of the third horse so no reason to think they didn’t run to form. I think the 3rd horse was even the third favourite if that counts for anything too. And like you’ve said Country Grammer sat behind the leaders so if anything should have benefited from the strong pace and been able to close well on the leader inside the final furlong. The way Flightline powered away from them entering the bend was incredible to see, don’t remember ever watching a Group race and seeing a horse do that in my lifetime, the others couldn’t live with him and they’re Group 1 winners!
Basically it all revolves around whether those rated 115 & 116 have run to that mark – getting beaten that far might indicate they haven’t.
Even so a deeply impressive performance regardless, maybe Ascot should put out the feelers for bringing him over for the Champion Stakes and a potential match up with Baaeed if he swerves the Arc
I’d imagine Flightline’s camp would say thanks, but no thanks, however Baaeed is very welcome to come over for the Breeders’ Cup Classic and tackle Flightline on dirt.
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"Agreed.
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"“Love the point about exceptional horses being able do to things without paying a price, some horses are just freaks and can do things noone else can. ”
The very best horses have a very very high cruising speed
They are still in 3rd gear whilst everything else is in 5th gear
Anything that tries to go with them finishes legless
Usually an average lowly rated horse runs on to finish second past all the beaten horses too, your sir busker types
Allaho is the perfect example of this, he just goes a gallop the rest can’t compete with. He had them strung out like the washing at punchestown miles out last time and in both his ryanair wins.
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