History awaits for unbeaten Flightline

John Sadler’s colt has set tongues wagging.

Flightline can race into equine immortality if he does what most people expect him to do in the Breeders’ Cup Classic on Saturday.

If ever there was a horse to take the breath away, this is it. Talked about in America as perhaps the best since Secretariat, the John Sadler-trained colt is unbeaten in five starts and produced an incredible performance last time out.

Stepping up to 10 furlongs for the first time, the son of Tapit sent clock-watchers into a frenzy, with a scarcely-believable time figure for the Pacific Classic at Del Mar and Dubai World Cup winner Country Grammer the best part of 20 lengths in his wake.

“He never has hidden his talent. He has always shown great ability from day one,” Sadler said.

“He’s never disappointed us. We know we have a really super horse and we’re just enjoying the process as we go forward.

“We’re looking forward to the Breeders’ Cup, you’ve got all kinds of terrific horses running on the day so we’re looking forward to it.

“It’s a really good field, you have the ascending three-year-olds, Epicenter, Taiba and the Derby winner (Rich Strike). Then you have these older horses that are terrific, Life Is Good, Olympiad – a bunch of really nice horses. It’s going to be a good race, as far as the post (well) usually the post isn’t too big a worry, especially at this distance.”

Like everyone else, Sadler was in awe of his superstar’s run at Del Mar.

He said: “I think you have to rate his race in the Pacific Classic as one of the great performances any thoroughbred has ever run.

“Whether you pick Secretariat’s Belmont or any of those great Spectacular Bid races, whatever your favourite horse was of all time, his performance in that race was one of the best ever. As far as where he stands, that’s up for the pundits. He’s just a very good athlete, there’s no doubt about that.

“He’s just an exceptional horse. He’s like LeBron James, who we have here out in LA, he’s a one-of-a-kind horse.”

A victory at the weekend would be a second in the race for Sadler, after Accelerate in 2018.

He added: “It would be great to win another one. I’ve got a top team behind me and they have been with me a long time.”

Flightline is odds on for the Keeneland spectacular – but in Epicenter and Life Is Good he has worthy opponents.

Trained by Steve Asmussen, Epicenter finished runner-up in the Kentucky Derby to Rich Strike and was second in the Preakness behind Early Voting.

He resumed winning ways with a top-class effort in the Travers Stakes, and his trainer – who won the Classic with Gun Runner in the same colours in 2017 and has also been victorious with Curlin (2007) – is focussed only on victory.

“It’s the world championship and the highest level of racing in the world where we are surrounded by top-class horses,” he said.

“With Epicenter I think the task is as simple as getting to the wire first. He’s physically stronger than he’s ever been and his fastest race was his latest. He’s in the perfect peak of condition and ready to go faster.

“After running a mile and a quarter in a deep race at Saratoga we’ve had time to see him produce some great work, and I’m really pleased how he’s trained on the track.”

Life Is Good was favourite for last year’s Kentucky Derby, before injury intervened. He has since switched to Todd Pletcher from Bob Baffert, doing very little wrong, winning the Woodward Stakes in preparation for the Classic.

Whether he can see out the mile and a quarter is the big question, as the petrol tank seemed to run agonisingly empty in the Dubai World Cup.

Pletcher, however, is optimistic on that front. He said: “He’s a very, very gifted horse. Luckily he’s been very good from the gates and he’s got so much natural speed. We kind of envision him being forwardly-placed and not taking away anything that comes easily to him.

“Going up against a horse like Flightline, who is so talented and also has natural speed – it makes for an interesting race.”

Life Is Good won the Dirt Mile 12 months ago
Life Is Good won the Dirt Mile 12 months ago (PA)

He went on: “It’s remarkable to us just how consistent he’s been, not only in his races, but in his training. He just trains well every day, he has good energy and enthusiasm every morning and in all this breezes since the first one we had with him a year and a half ago – they’ve all been outstanding. He’s just a special horse who comes out every day with his game face on.

“We are eager to run on a real track, not like in Dubai, which was really deep that night. I think that played against him.”

Bill Mott’s Olympiad was behind Life Is Good in the Whitney, but is another coming in off a Grade One success having taken the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Saratoga.

Mott – trainer of the mighty Cigar – said: “He’s had a very good year, the only downfall was in the Whitney. The race was slightly unexplainable other than the fact that it was a very hot day, very hot, very humid – probably one of the hottest days we had here and he just seemed a little dull.

“That’s the only excuse I could give him, he was getting the trip he needed early in the race and just didn’t fire. He did come back and rebound well four or five weeks later and win the Jockey Club Gold Cup.

“I’m very pleased with him, he’s proven he’ll get the mile and a quarter and he’ll have to be good on the day because I think this is a very good Classic. It’s a great race, a great spectators’ race, being a racing fan and somebody who loves to watch good horses – I’m anxious to see the race.

“I’m glad that I’m in there to be part of it, there’s a lot of speculation on what’s going to happen in the race. I’m like everybody else, I’m lucky enough to have a horse in the race, but I’m anxious to see what happens.”

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