Breeders’ Cup 2022

[barbaro111]

https://sports.nbcsports.com/2022/11/05 ... ember-at-e

A really good article by Tim Layden

[Izvestia]

To be fair I think in Flightlines case it's not a matter of how good has his competition been, because his times speak for themselves. He would have to run into a horse like Arrogate/American Pharoah/Invasor/Ghostzapper etc to be truly tested. Or even Lava Man ins his prime on his fave track, the way the old man behaved in the post parade he wanted to have a go at him anyway.

Serious question -- which greats did Arrogate/American Pharoah/Invasor/Ghostzapper - even Secretariat - defeat to be "truly tested"?

Haha - Arrogate beat California Chrome. Which some people may believe is a great. He also beat Gun Runner.

Secretariat beat Forego in the Derby - who hadn’t reached his prime. He also beat Riva Ridge, Cougar II, Key to the Mint, Kennedy Road, Sham…

[Tessablue]

Arrogate and Secretariat also beat those horses as 3yos, which is eminently more difficult to do. And Arrogate further defeated Gun Runner the next year, another HOTY.

Flightline’s biggest competition yesterday broke down. Of course it was an extraordinary performance, but I really worry about where the sport is as a whole if fans and pundits alike are desperate to denigrate all the great horses from past decades in favor of a horse who might be considered emblematic of our current issues.

[Katewerk]

To be fair I think in Flightlines case it's not a matter of how good has his competition been, because his times speak for themselves. He would have to run into a horse like Arrogate/American Pharoah/Invasor/Ghostzapper etc to be truly tested. Or even Lava Man ins his prime on his fave track, the way the old man behaved in the post parade he wanted to have a go at him anyway.

Serious question -- which greats did Arrogate/American Pharoah/Invasor/Ghostzapper - even Secretariat - defeat to be "truly tested"?

Haha - Arrogate beat California Chrome. Which some people may believe is a great. He also beat Gun Runner.

Secretariat beat Forego in the Derby - who hadn’t reached his prime. He also beat Riva Ridge, Cougar II, Key to the Mint, Kennedy Road, Sham…

Forego I'll grant you, but the others never surface in these conversations. But one could make an argument that Alydar and Affirmed were better tested.

[Slewfan2]

Same tbh

This next half hour is gonna be real annoying

Now I think I know why I blocked him.....I could think of many, starting with Slew’s JCGC

It’s this kind of crap that makes people not root for Flightline..

I think it's mostly the primitive human impulse of resentment and envy of success that make people "not root for Flightline". The race call serves as convenient excuse to verbalize what's already there.

Tall poppy syndrome.

I really doubt that, but we’ll never know. I suppose I should only speak for myself - I am in no way jealous of Flightline’s connections - I don’t care one way or the other about them. Layden’s comment was stupid, more for telling people to get over it than his opinion, which I do find ridiculous

[Katewerk]

Arrogate and Secretariat also beat those horses as 3yos, which is eminently more difficult to do. And Arrogate further defeated Gun Runner the next year, another HOTY.

Flightline’s biggest competition yesterday broke down. Of course it was an extraordinary performance, but I really worry about where the sport is as a whole if fans and pundits alike are desperate to denigrate all the great horses from past decades in favor of a horse who might be considered emblematic of our current issues.

I think "denigrate" is the wrong word. "Compare" is more accurate, and so be it. it's going to happen because it's what pundits are paid to do.

Anyway...

Yesterday afternoon our first winter storm of the season blew in. Freezing rain, snow and high winds. The power began to get sketchy after the Sprint, I missed the live running of the Distaff and then it went down after the Turf and stayed down for nearly 8 hours.

My husband tried to stream the feed on his phone, but data wouldn't run. So here I am sitting in a slowly chilling house, feeling sorry for myself as the clock ticked toward post time.

Then I got an idea. I phoned a friend who lives 3 hours south of me.

"Hey, Karen -- our power is out. Where are you? Can you turn on your tv?"

"I'm out shopping, sorry why?"

I explained the dilemma, having given up my last hope.

"I was hoping you could hold the phone next to your tv, so I could hear the race call."

"Hey, I'm at London Drug, there's a tv right here! The race is on! " She was in the electronics department. "Hey, sir. Could you please turn up the volume? Oh my God, they're loading in the gate".

The clerk went off to a room to get the remote and turned the volume up just as the gates sprung.

And that's my "Where were you when Flightline won the Classic". On my flip phone during a prairie blizzard, listening to the race call on a TV set at London Drug in Regina, Saskatchewan.

[Retrospectiv]

Anyone have a quick list of sires of the last 2 days winners?
Looks like we had a few multiple race winners for stallions - Dubawi and Curlin I believe.

[Izvestia]

You’ll find it incredibly rare that multiple “greats” were born at the same time and raced against each other.
Secretariat never ran against Man O War, Citation or Spectacular Bid, and they have all been compared at some point.
Their greatness is in their accomplishments, and how they did it. Secretariat, for example, won the Belmont in record time by 31 lengths to win the Triple Crown, the first in 25 years. It is highly unlikely another horse will replicate THAT.
Lots of horses have won races by open lengths (20+ lengths). But none of them were Secretariat.

Flightline is talented, the best we’ve seen since Ghostzapper (sorry Arrogate, American Pharoah). The knock against Flightline is how little he has raced. He’s run less than some of the 2-year olds. It’s hard to say he’s “great” when a horse half his age has run more. He’s no doubt brilliant and one of the best we’ll ever see, but it’s hard to compare 6 races to 21.

[Slewfan2]

To be fair I think in Flightlines case it's not a matter of how good has his competition been, because his times speak for themselves. He would have to run into a horse like Arrogate/American Pharoah/Invasor/Ghostzapper etc to be truly tested. Or even Lava Man ins his prime on his fave track, the way the old man behaved in the post parade he wanted to have a go at him anyway.

Serious question -- which greats did Arrogate/American Pharoah/Invasor/Ghostzapper - even Secretariat - defeat to be "truly tested"?

Haha - Arrogate beat California Chrome. Which some people may believe is a great. He also beat Gun Runner.

Secretariat beat Forego in the Derby - who hadn’t reached his prime. He also beat Riva Ridge, Cougar II, Key to the Mint, Kennedy Road, Sham…

Slew beat Affirmed...

Horses like Secretariat or, my personal best horse ever, Man o’War, don’t need to answer that question because they raced long enough to prove themselves over a significant period of time ...or different surfaces....With Slew, his JCGC is maybe the greatest performance ever in defeat.

I think people are asking it of Flightline because his career is going to be extremely short. It’s not his fault he’s making some good horses look ordinary - good, not great, horses. He’s doing what you expect a great talent to do. Extraordinary talent. I just can’t rank him ever on the level of the great 70’s horses..

[Izvestia]

Anyone have a quick list of sires of the last 2 days winners?
Looks like we had a few multiple race winners for stallions - Dubawi and Curlin I believe.

https://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing ... ee-winners

[Squeaky]

This will never ever happen but I would have loved to have seen them take Flightline on an international tour next year to Ascot to face the best Euros on the turf ( if he showed that he liked the grass) and then to Japan or Oz to face their best there. We can dream…

[Northport]

Remember when the plan was to send Golden Pal to Australia after the Breeder's Cup? Haven't heard that mentioned from Ward in a while. The plan at the beginning of the year was so exciting and ambitious. It's a bummer he couldn't get a G1 win in his final season. Now that I look at it, last year's Turf Sprint was his only G1 win of his career. The Juvenile Turf Sprint didn't get upgraded until this year.

I'm going to assume the horse is already rolling in his fresh bedding at Ashford.

[KatieK101]

Secret Oath ran very well I thought. Lukas is probably correct that she'll make a better older horse.

I hope she’s pulled from the sale

won't be.

Guess who was pulled from the sale today and will race next year

[barbaro111]

I hope she’s pulled from the sale

won't be.

Guess who was pulled from the sale today and will race next year

Love her-- will be looking forward to seeing her race!!!!!

[ForTheThrill]

Flightline has been retired per a press release from Lane's End.



https://paulickreport.com/news/bloodsto ... lanes-end/

[luvsgeldings]

BOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!


(but totally expected)

[Mylute]

epic gamer moment

[TapitsGal]

Rich Strike gets a well deserved break. Owner says Dubai world cup and Saudi Cup are possible. Owners also weighing stallion offers

[flytpthestars]

Flightline retired to LE.. am disappointed

[Slewfan2]

Flightline retired to LE.. am disappointed

Sadly, no surprise……he was here, and then he was gone, just like that

I’m glad I never got attached to him