Adam Houghton provides the lowdown on American superstar Flightline ahead of his run in Saturday's TVG Pacific Classic at Del Mar.
A Timeform rating of 130 is the benchmark for a top-class racehorse on the Flat and it’s a level which only seven horses have achieved so far this season.
Plenty of them will be familiar names and none more familiar than Baaeed (137), who has produced three top-class performances on British soil this year. Most notably, the form he showed when winning the Juddmonte International at York last time puts him right up there among the best horses we’ve seen in Europe this century.
Derby winner Desert Crown (130p) and star stayer Trueshan (130) – who defied a lofty BHA mark of 120 when bravely winning the Northumberland Plate – won’t need any introductions either, while the Australian-trained sprinter Nature Strip (133) endeared himself to British punters when producing a breathtaking performance to win the King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Japanese star Titleholder (130) will soon get his opportunity to go up against the best that Europe has to offer when he runs – possibly against Baaeed – in next month's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp, while the American-trained Life Is Good (131) has probably come on your radar at some point, either when winning the Dirt Mile at last year’s Breeders’ Cup or when finishing only fourth as the odds-on favourite in the Dubai World Cup in March.
In between, Life Is Good produced a performance out of the very top drawer when making all to win the Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park in January.
And then we have Flightline (133p), who is second on Timeform’s global rankings but perhaps isn’t a name you’ve heard that often unless you’re an ardent follower of international racing or, specifically, American dirt racing.
There is no doubt that the son of Tapit is a huge talent, though, unbeaten in four starts and set to put that record on the line against five rivals – including the Dubai World Cup winner Country Grammer – in Saturday’s TVG Pacific Classic at Del Mar.
Trained by John Sadler, Flightline was an expensive yearling purchase at $1 million but didn’t make it to the track at two following a paddock accident which delayed his debut.
However, it didn’t take him long to identify himself as potentially something out of the ordinary when he kicked off his career as a three-year-old, winning his first two races (a maiden at Santa Anita and an optional claimer at Del Mar) by an aggregate margin of 26 lengths before being stepped up to the top level for the Malibu Stakes at Santa Anita on Boxing Day.
Sent straight to the front by Flavien Prat, Flightline kicked on entering the straight and cruised clear from there with his rider looking round for any potential dangers entering the final furlong, ultimately winning by eleven and a half lengths. It was certainly an impressive transition to the highest grade, looking every inch a top-class performer despite his relative lack of experience.
After suffering a muscle strain in February, Flightline has made only one appearance so far this season, picking up where he left off last year with another wide-margin success in the Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont in June.
A sluggish start forced him to take a lead from Speaker's Corner in the early stages, but he moved up to challenge before the home turn and soon went on. Three lengths clear entering the straight, he just needed to be kept up to his work from there to beat the very smart Happy Saver by six lengths.
Flightline is yet to race beyond a mile, so the Pacific Classic over an extra two furlongs will provide him with a different test. He has a significant class edge over his rivals, though, and it’s unlikely that we’ll learn anything new about him in terms of his ability.
Should everything go to plan on Saturday, then all roads are likely to lead to the Breeders’ Cup Classic. That would give him the perfect opportunity to push his rating up higher still and, who knows, possibly even challenge Baaeed at the top of Timeform’s global rankings.
So, Flightline might not be a familiar name just yet, but it will be well worth tuning in to his next start on Saturday to see what all the fuss is about. If Timeform’s US racing expert Mark Milligan is correct, then Flightline could turn out to be a very rare talent indeed.
Milligan said: “Flightline is the most exciting horse we’ve seen in the US since Arrogate (Timeform rated 139) and it would not surprise me at all were he to hit, or even exceed, that sort of level before his career is finished.
“To do what he did to Grade One opposition on just his third start in the Malibu at Santa Anita was nothing short of spectacular, and he fully backed that up in the Met Mile at Belmont despite not getting the best of trips.
“There’s a strong feeling that we’ve still yet to see the best of this top-class colt, though obviously trying a mile and a quarter for the first time will be the acid test of whether he’s a genuine standout for the Breeders’ Cup Classic or not.
“He’s got plenty of speed but is also really tractable (by no means a free-going sort), so he’ll give himself every chance of seeing it out in my opinion.”
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