LEXINGTON, Ky. — Highlights from this weekend’s Breeders’ Cup at Keeneland:
Who was up?
— Flightline: Wow. That’s all that can be said after that performance. One of the best horses in the world attempted to run Flightline off his feet in the opening stages of the Breeders’ Cup Classic on Saturday. He didn’t come close. Life Is Good led in the early going, Flightline chasing every inch of the way, and those two entered the stretch on relatively even terms after putting down a series of fast fractions. It was an incredible show to that point. What happened next was extraordinary. Flightline simply ran away from Life Is Good and toward a permanent spot in horse racing’s history books. As Life Is Good faded in midstretch — a valiant effort, but not nearly enough — Flightline simply kept going. And going. And going. He seemingly had plenty left in the tank, if he needed it. He didn’t. Jockey Flavien Prat turned around as soon as he passed the sixteenth pole. There was nobody there. Prat geared Flightline down, and soon after the duo crossed the finish line for the sixth time together. Six victories. All runaways. “Brilliant is his normal,” trainer John Sadler said. “He didn’t disappoint. He never has.” The Keeneland crowd was buzzing for the entire run and popped loudly at the end. Those in attendance were left to contemplate what they’d just seen as Flightline galloped out, turned around and made his way back toward the grandstand. When he reappeared, that crowd went wild again. Prat heard the cheers, stood up a little in the saddle and pointed down emphatically at one of the most magnificent Thoroughbreds anyone has seen in a long, long while. “This is one of the great horses of all time,” Sadler said. “I think history will show that.”
