Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Blazingly fast Flightline faces toughest test in the Met Mile
ELMONT, N.Y. – Perhaps if Flightline had not been injured as a 2-year-old he would have started his career sooner. And if not for other minor setbacks following two of his races, perhaps he’d have more starts than just three by now.
But maybe, just maybe, all of this has been for the best. It certainly has led, inexorably, to this, the biggest test of his brief but brilliant career, in the Grade 1, $1 million Metropolitan Handicap on Saturday here at Belmont Park.
The Met Mile has been on trainer John Sadler’s radar for months, since immediately following Flightline’s last start, the Grade 1 Malibu at Santa Anita on Dec. 26. The Met Mile will be Flightline’s first start beyond seven furlongs, and he’ll be taking on the white-hot Speaker’s Corner, as well as Breeders’ Cup Sprint winner Aloha West. But based on performance to date, it would be no surprise to see Flightline keep his perfect record intact.
He’s won all three of his starts by a combined margin of 37 1/2 lengths, an average of 12 1/2 lengths per start, his long, fluid action a joy to behold. His worst Beyer Speed Figure is the 105 he got in his debut against maidens. His 118 in the Malibu was the highest number assigned to any horse in North America last year. He’s been spectacular.
Big things were expected from Flightline from the start. By Tapit, out of the Indian Charlie mare Feathered, Flightline was purchased as a yearling for $1 million at Saratoga in August 2019 by agent David Ingordo, acting on behalf of a partnership including West Point Thoroughbreds, Kosta and Pete Hronis, and Siena Farm. Jane Lyons of Summer Wind Farm, who bred Flightline, and Woodford Racing, aligned with Lane’s End, which sold Flightline as a yearling, both stayed in for a piece.
Sadler first saw Flightline in person that fall, when in Kentucky for the Breeders’ Cup at Keeneland.
“Right off the bat you could see he’s a beautiful-looking horse,” Sadler recalled.
But it would be nearly a year later before Flightline made it to Sadler’s barn at Santa Anita. He was supposed to arrive earlier, but needed time to mend on a farm after suffering a gash to his right hindquarters. The scar from that incident is readily visible.
Flightline did not record an official work until Jan. 23, 2021, when he went three furlongs at Santa Anita. He stayed in steady training, and had 12 drills before finally debuting April 24, 2021. Sadler is still bemused that a local clocker’s report said Flightline pulled hard.
“He always trained like a really good horse, but we never let him run before his first race,” Sadler said. “He was working under restraint. Even before he ran, I thought he was one of the best horses I’d ever trained. I’ve had some good ones, but not one with this kind of pedigree.”
Flightline, sent off oddson, won as advertised, by 13 1/4 lengths in 1:08.75 for six furlongs.
“I was blown away,” Sadler said.
Flightline exited that race with a quarter crack, and thus did not work again until nearly seven weeks later. After four drills, he needed another month. Flightline had just five works in his pattern heading into his second start, an allowance at Del Mar on Sept. 5 that Sadler never publicly acknowledged was his target.
“I was afraid that it wouldn’t fill,” he said.
Five others stayed in, and Flightline pummeled them, winning by 12 3/4 lengths in 1:08.05 for six furlongs, for which he got a 114 Beyer.
There were brief discussions about going next to the Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Del Mar two months later, but Sadler was happy to play the long game and point for the Malibu for a Grade 1 debut.
“It seemed like a little much to go in the Breeders’ Cup,” said Sadler, who believes horses who run big numbers need ample time to recover. “With a horse that fast, I liked the spacing to the Malibu.”
That was another tour de force. Flightline won the sevenfurlong race by 11 1/2 lengths in 1:21.37, which produced that 118 Beyer.
Flightline was intended to use the seven-furlong San Carlos at Santa Anita on March 5 as a bridge to the Met Mile, but a hock injury exiting a workout forced Flightline from consideration. He didn’t start working anew until April, and has stayed on a steady pattern the past two months, with regular rider Flavien Prat at Santa Anita for a couple of recent drills.
“This is not an ordinary circumstance. It’s special,” Sadler said.
So far, Sadler has struck the right balance of when to press on and when to back off. Being by Tapit, Flightline tends to be aggressive. His stall at Santa Anita is padded, and Juan Leyva, Sadler’s top assistant and the usual work rider for Flightline, has helped teach Flightline to maintain a more sensible tempo, be it going to and from the track, galloping, or working.
“Juan’s been a big part of his development,” Sadler said. “He’s gotten him even more settled.”
Sadler is hoping all that translates into another dynamic performance Saturday. He understands the quality of the competition. He also knows what he’s bringing to the fight.
“We’re ready to go,” he said.