Flightline (horse)

For the former British airline company, see Flightline (airline).

Flightline
Sire	Tapit
Grandsire	Pulpit
Dam	Feathered
Damsire	Indian Charlie
Sex	Colt
Foaled	March 14, 2018
Country	United States
Colour	Bay
Breeder	Summer Wind Equine
Owner	Hronis Racing, Siena Farm, Summer Wind Equine, West Point Thoroughbreds & Woodford Racing
Trainer	John W. Sadler
Record	6: 6-0-0
Earnings	$4,514,800
Major wins
Malibu Stakes (2021) Metropolitan Handicap (2022) Pacific Classic Stakes (2022) Breeders' Cup wins Breeders' Cup Classic (2022)
Last updated on November 5, 2022

Flightline (foaled March 14, 2018) is an undefeated American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the Grade I Malibu Stakes in 2021, and the Metropolitan Handicap, Pacific Classic and Breeders' Cup Classic in 2022. In the September 2022 World's Best Racehorse Rankings, he was given a rating of 139, the highest ever awarded to a runner on the dirt.

Background

Flightline is a bay colt who was bred in Kentucky by Summer Wind Equine. His sire is Tapit, who was the leading sire in North America in 2014, 2015 and 2016. His dam, Feathered, is a graded-stakes winning daughter of (Indian Charlie). Flightline was bought for $1,000,000 by Hronis Racing, Siena Farm, Summer Wind Equine, West Point Thoroughbreds & Woodford Racing at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Yearling Sale in Saratoga. Flightline is trained by John W. Sadler and his jockey is Flavien Prat.

Sadler calls Flightline "a gorgeous looking horse" – well-proportioned, powerful and correct. "He's very bright", he said. "He's a very awake horse so we try to manage that. He will stand on the racetrack with the pony before he goes off and gallops. He's pretty good in the stall, but if there is a large bang, look out!"

Racing career

Flightline did not race at age two because he was injured shortly before shipping to Sadler's barn. "He has a scar on his butt on his right hind," said co-owner Kosta Hronis. "They had to stitch him up. It was just something that happened at the barn and nobody really knows what happened or how he did it. But that set him back."

2021: Three-year-old season

Flightline began his career on April 24, 2021 at Santa Anita Park in a maiden race for three-year-olds and up over a distance of six furlongs. Facing six other non-winners, Flightline went off as the 9-10 favorite. He bumped with one of the other entrants at the start, but kicked clear and then extended his lead around the turn to win easily by 13+1⁄2 lengths in a time of 1:08.75. He earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 105 and was named a TDN Rising Star by The Thoroughbred Daily News. "We really thought the world of him, but you never really know until they get on the racetrack", Hronis said. "He makes it look really easy and he kind of floats over the track. He does things effortlessly."

Flightline's second start was delayed for several months due to a foot bruise. On September 5, he was entered in an allowance race for non-winners of two races at Del Mar over a distance of six furlongs. Flightline pressed the pace from outside, went to the lead midway around the turn and then opened up under mild persuasion by Prat. Then he pushed away in the straight, coasting to the finishing line in the last 100 yards to win by 12+3⁄4 lengths in a time of 1:08.05. He earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 114.

For his final start of the year, Sadler pointed Flightline to the Grade I Malibu Stakes at Santa Anita Park on December 26 over a distance of seven furlongs. Facing six other sophomores, Flightline started as the short 2-5 odds-on favorite. He was bumped at the start by second choice Dr. Schivel while starting slowly. However, Prat urged Flightline to the lead after a quarter-mile, leading clearly around the turn and drawing away in deep stretch winning easily again by 11+1⁄2 lengths in a time of 1:21.37. Prat said, "I was in cruise control the whole race, galloping freely. I wanted to get a good position and get myself into the race." Flightline was awarded a Beyer Speed Figure of 118, the highest number earned by any horse racing on dirt in North America in 2021.

2022: Four-year-old season

Flightline was expected to begin his four-year-old season in March 2022 but suffered a minor issue to his hock, causing another setback. He finally returned on June 11 in the prestigious Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont Park in his first trip outside California. Sadler was not concerned about stretching the horse out to a distance of a mile, noting Flightline had been full of run at the finish of each of his starts. He went off as the 2-5 favorite in a field of five that included Speaker's Corner (Carter Handicap) and Aloha West (Breeders' Cup Sprint). He broke slowly and tried to rush up beside Speaker's Corner before Prat got him to settle. He then rated for the first half-mile before moving to the outside and taking the lead around the five-sixteenths pole. He won handily by six lengths, completing the one-turn mile in 1:33.59 on a fast track. Sadler commented after the event, "For a young horse who has not had that much seasoning, he just overcame the adversity and proved himself best. He overcame trouble; that's the storyline."

Flightline made his next start in the Pacific Classic at Del Mar on September 3, stretching out to 10 furlongs for the first time. Although some were concerned about potential stamina issues, Flightline went off as the heavy 3-10 favorite in a field of six that also included Dubai World Cup winner Country Grammer. He was bumped on both sides while leaving the starting gate but quickly settled into stride, pressing the early pace set by Extra Hope. He raced three to four wide around the first turn while settling into second place, then moved to the lead down the backstretch. Running freely, Flightline continued to open up his lead, winning by 19+1⁄4 lengths over Country Grammer. His time of 1:59.28 was just 0.17 of a second off the track record. "He's such a special horse", said Sadler. "You assume horses with speed can't carry it [over a distance]. But this is an exceptional horse. He has speed and keeps going."

"When we went into the final turn, he was traveling so well I asked him to pick it up a little bit", said Prat. "As soon as I looked back and saw how far in front he was, I wrapped up on him. Obviously, this is the best horse I ever rode."

The performance drew superlatives from racing journalists and comparisons to past greats such as Secretariat. He was assigned a Beyer Speed Figure of 126, the second highest assigned since the Daily Racing Form began publishing the numbers in 1992 (Ghostzapper earned a rating of 128 in 2004). In the World's Best Racehorse Rankings (WBRR) published on September 15, Flightline's run in the Pacific Classic was ranked the top performance of the year with a rating of 139, the second-highest rating the organization has ever assigned (Frankel has the highest rating WBRR at 140). Flightline's rating is the highest ever assigned by the WBRR to a horse running on the dirt, topping Cigar's rating of 135.

Flightline ended his 4-year-old season with a convincing victory in the $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic on November 5 at Keeneland. Flightline chased the 2021 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile winner Life Is Good for most of the race, with the rest of the field far behind. Flightline began to close in around the far turn, eventually taking the lead at the top of the stretch. His 8 1/4-length victory was the largest winning margin in the history of the race, surpassing the 6 1/2-length victories of Volponi in 2002 and American Pharoah in 2015. Sadler said after the race that he was very blessed, and quoted the late trainer Bud Delp in saying that Flightline was "one of the best horses to ever look through a bridle."

On November 7 a 2.5% ownership stake in Flightline is scheduled to be auctioned off at Keeneland's November Breeding Stock Sale, with the winning bidder receiving access to future breeding seasons and a share in the horse's breeding revenue.

Statistics

Date	Distance	Race	Grade	Track	Odds	Field	Finish	Winning Time	Winning (Losing) Margin	Beyer Speed Figure	Jockey	Ref
2021 – Three-year-old season
Apr 24, 2021	6 furlongs	Maiden		Santa Anita	0.90*	7	1	1:08.75	13+1⁄4 lengths	105	Flavien Prat
Sep 5, 2021	6 furlongs	Allowance		Del Mar	0.20*	6	1	1:08.05	12+3⁄4 lengths	114	Flavien Prat
Dec 26, 2021	7 furlongs	Malibu Stakes	I	Santa Anita	0.40*	7	1	1:21.37	11+1⁄2 lengths	118	Flavien Prat
2022 – Four-year-old season
Jun 11, 2022	1 mile	Metropolitan Handicap	I	Belmont Park	0.45*	5	1	1:33.59	6 lengths	112	Flavien Prat
Sep 3, 2022	1+1⁄4 miles	Pacific Classic Stakes	I	Del Mar	0.30*	6	1	1:59.28	19+1⁄4 lengths	126	Flavien Prat
Nov 5, 2022	1+1⁄4 miles	Breeders' Cup Classic	I	Keeneland	0.44*	8	1	2:00.05	8+1⁄4 lengths	121	Flavien Prat

Notes:
An (*) asterisk after the odds means Flightline was the post-time favorite.

Future stud plans

In September 2022 William S. Farish's Lane's End Farm in Kentucky announced that Flightline will stand at Lane's End as the property of a syndicate upon the conclusion of his racing career. Lane's End had consigned Flightline as a yearling at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale.

Pedigree

Pedigree of Flightline, bay colt, March 14, 2018

Sire Tapit 2001	Pulpit 1994	A.P. Indy 1989	Seattle Slew 1974
			Weekend Surprise 1980
		Preach 1989	Mr. Prospector 1970
			Narrate 1980
	Tap Your Heels 1996	Unbridled 1987	Fappiano 1977
			Gana Facil 1981
		Ruby Slippers 1982	Nijinsky II (CAN) 1967
			Moon Glitter 1972
Dam Feathered 2012	Indian Charlie 1995	In Excess (IRE) 1987	Siberian Express 1981
			Kantado (IRE) 1976
		Soviet Sojourn 1989	Leo Castelli 1981
			Political Parfait 1984
	Receipt 2005	Dynaformer 1985	Roberto 1969
			Andover Way 1978
		Finder's Fee 1997	Storm Cat 1983
			Fantastic Find 1986 (family 20-b)