I knew Flightline was special when he broke slow in New York, had to check significantly twice, and won with ease. That being said he wasn’t around long enough to capture the imagination of the public deservedly or not.
I told my brother after his 2nd career race at Del Mar that I thought he was better then life is good. And that's when life is good was just starting to dominate. Those split 22s and the fierce gallop out had me drooling. 😳👀 I knew he could be this good after that. But my fav stat for him is....No whip has ever hit flightline.
@@D2RaWYT As you pointed out Flightline never felt a whip, my observation has always been, imagine if he ever tried hard to win? He never once had to try hard. In his last race, Life Is Good stayed with him for a mile, and a great horse like that was done. Flightline was going to win going away at any distance.
A couple of Flightline admirers here mention that he was never hit by a whip. I am fond of studying conspiracy and intrigue and it occurred to me that the injury that occurred to Flightline which left a big scar near his tail on the right side would have been a perfect place to hide a subcutaneous shocking device that could be activated by a jockey. I know that this is sacrilegious to even imagine but it is quite possible with today's advanced technology. I am sure it would have been removed after his racing retirement so there is no way to know if my conjecture - which I admit seems far fetched - may have had some validity unless someone involved divulges it. However, only an idiot would do that as it would implicate himself. I honestly never suspected that Maximum Security had been given steroids as he had been tested after each race.
@@vernonfrance2974 Flightline a lab rat? I have a question for you outside of horse racing. Today I passed by a church and there was a sign that said “My name is I AM”. With that being said, do you believe GOD is white or is he black? I was thinking maybe you can break it down and let me know?
I was around when both Ruffian and Secretariat ran. Flightline reminds me of Ruffian more. I suspect his jockey deliberately holds him back in the beginning of the race, only to unleash him near the top of the stretch. Ruffian's trainer and her jockey had the same strategy. Make no mistake, I loved Big Red, but Ruffian was my heart.
@@tonym2513 but still people get mad and confused because they retired Flightline. What happened to Ruffian , Barbaro could’ve well happened to Flightline. You just never know ???
@@vernonfrance2974 What I would like to know is , what happened to Secretariat? Did they buried him or was he sold for a couple hundred bucks to a dog food company? For if he was sold then that means he was scattered across hundreds of lawns across America.
Ruffian never saw a horses tail from break to finish. She wasn't rated, maybe you're confusing Zenyatta or Winx? Ruffians was out in front from break to finish, except for that 1975 Foolish Pleasure match race. BTW...after that day, there has never been a match race at a US Parimutuel track.
Flightline is great don’t get me wrong. But retiring after only one “full” racing season hurts his legacy. Running once every 3 months makes me think he has some sort of problem in recovery from races. We never saw Flightline on a one month turn around and never saw him compete in a triple crown race or build up to the triple crown. To compare him to all of the horses who were able to compete on a normal basis and in the triple crown is unfair.
@@BryantBrothers-gm1qx they never got greedy and ran i love how people think they know the inner workings of what the owners are thinking when they retire their horses if any one is being greedy its the people complaining about him retiring its pure selfishness because all these people are thinking boo whoo we wanted to see him race longer these are the true greedy people because their just mad because they couldn't bet on the horse any longer and win money from him but yet if they kept racing the horse and something happen to it these are the same people who would be saying the owners were money hungry and greedy and never thought about the well being of the horse lol naive people shakes my head
@joshwalker8376 nooo...they didn't retire him because of injury...they never said that,I dont need to know the inner working to figure it out,WHEN THERE IS NO INJURY..YOUR HAS STARTED SIX TIMES...SIX!!!and you retire him 2 days after the BC?you CLEARLY had the breeding shed in mind,regardless they destroyed that horse legacy,he will never be looked at as an all time great...never
An incredible horse and simply the best since Secretariat!! To those that say he’s not as good as Red…you could be right but we’ll never know. if Flightline doesn’t have a heart weighing 10kgs I’ll eat my shorts without tomato sauce 😂 to beat the best the way he did regardless of only racing 6 times is no easy thing! Great video!
With three months rest between carefully selected races, what type of challenges or adversity did the horse face. Did he run against the best turf horses on the turf? Did he carry excessive weight? Did he ever won at a mile and a half or beyond? Has he ever run 10 or more races in the span of several months? Has he ever run back off just 2 weeks rest? All very important requirements of a real champion that Flightline doesn’t meet. And six races doesn’t qualify unless he set a world record in each race.
Really happy for all the connections of Flightline. He was a phenomenal race horse. I don't know why they felt it was prudent to retire him. Calling him America's horse kinda leaves a bitter taste because his racing career was quite brief. Perhaps there were issues beyond the financial benefits of retirement. I wish we could have enjoyed him a bit more. His performances were inspiring but, he owes us nothing. Best of luck in the breeding shed and, thanks for the thrills.
Part of me wants him t offail as a sire as that might cause the overinflated market for sires and breeding to decline and make the actual racing more important. No fans go out to watch horses breed. We want them to race (obviously race when they are sound).
this horse is beautiful looking animal,,,sad he retired,,,,i get chills seeing his wins,.He was still learning to be a racehorse and winning hand ridden home he went 3/4,s in 108 GR.1 company couple times going mile plus just awsome
War hammer best 🐴 I say but nt at all any legend catagory to consider 🤣🤣🤣 thein why retired so really he has only 8carrier Star most of won in his home town one in Mumbai derby but he never won indian most Prestigious race invation cup 😂😂
@@sammysheeesh4730 I don't think so u have knowledge of horse racing any fresher will bark like this their are many aspects Which Asia Racing are different to USA first learn it 🤣😂😂
Winx won 33 straight and most were group 1 races of the highest caliber, over distance and sprints, I have no doubt that Flightline is a good horse with exceptional speed, and I like to see an AI race with a heap of great horses racing against Winx.
"Greatest since Secretariat", amazing how people forget horses of the past. Affirmed, Seattle Slew, Spectacular Bid, Cigar, Skip Away, American Pharoah and Justify just to name a few. I was there at Keeneland, it was GREAT, but in a couple years they will forget using Flightline's name comparing the horse of the day.
What did he win 6 races ? Who did he beat on the breeders cup a tireing Life is good! Great Horse but to mention Secretariat or Affirmed spectacular Bid John Henry yeah if you let Flightline Run until 7 or 8 and then breed him let him win the races for older horses but these days. Retire at 3 or 4 for the Breeding if I owned him I probably would too but it's not good for racing!
6-0 IN 2 YEARS...THEN RETIREMENT.....MONEY GRAB....AND HE WAS TO BE GOOD FOR THE SPORT. THE COUNTRY HARDLY GOT TO KNOW HIM....I ONLY SAW HIM RACE ONCE. SAD
Horse was never tested the pacific classic win was a devasting performance. Only ran six times and never as a two year old . Huge talent though .Never seen a horse carry so much pace mid race?
How is he one of the fastest horses ever? His fastest time is a full 10 lengths slower than Spectacular Bid. Swaps, Noor, Dr Fager, Native Dancer are 5 to 7 lengths faster. Even more recent runners, Ghostzapper, Skip Away, Cigar, Shared Belief, Arrogate are faster... Maybe if he actually ran a few more races, he gets there. But as of now, he is a plodder compared to some of the greats of the past. Dr Fager was 2 lengths faster with a crippling 140 lbs on his back. I think a lot of the appeal is that racing today is so inferior to what it was even 20 years ago, that when you actually do get a talented horse to hit the scene. That horse appears bigger than life. But Flightline would just be a solid runner a few decades back.. maybe even be good enough where they started putting weight on him.. the true test of a champion.
Very true no comparison to each there own, as for flight line why not run him for the triple crown and for other top races in the world like dubi or Australia and so on
If you don’t think this horse is one of the best to ever run, you’re being ignorant to horse racing. He has a running style where it’s literally almost impossible to beat. He was an absolute rocket ship, and if he didn’t get the lead, no problem. He’ll just sit off a couple lengths and blow by anyone
Shame he never ran on turf against Europes top horses. If he had done and beat them he could have achieved global recognition. He’ll go down as a great in the States but not the rest of the world unfortunately.
what makes him such a great horse to compare to the all-time greats when he only raced 6 times? I don't know too much about thoroughbred racing but I'd say Zenyatta is a much better horse compared to Flightline. Am I wrong?
Well then he'll be starting his triple crown run in just a couple months then. Good luck Heather him but it takes more than the horse it takes staying healthy a good team of horsemen starting with the groom all the way through to the trainer racing luck and staying healthy it takes more than hores for sure. Take this horse for example he didn't run in one of the races so ask yourself why? Because he was hurt or didn't blossom until then
More likely the next brilliant colt will be produced by his dam. Maybe she will be breed back to Tapit and lightning will strike twice, very rare but could happen.
Surely a great horse but he didn't even break Ghostzapper's record. Let's stay rational about a horse than ran five times total. Not in a class with Secretariat, Man o' War, maybe even Ruffian.
Yes she was if this horse is the best if all time. I'll be president next time. Zenyatta won 19 in a row a breeders cup classic win and a second by am inch. Two or other breeders cup wind that's a true champion the best horse ever. For sure
@@jackwoods9604 he didnt necessarily say who would win...he just said she was better...and on the track?she was...she raced longer...danced every dance,,,she won the BC against males,then CAME BACK for more narrowly missing out on 2 in a row You have to actually have a BODY OF WORK to be great and flight does not have that Of course he would win a race,especially considering she has no early speed...duh? But she ranks above him as a RACEHORSE
He is not America’s horse. No one outside of horse racing knew who he was. He never raced in a national setting until the Breeders Cup. Is he great? Yes. But on a national level he is never going to be relevant.
He is a champion and only champion produce champion and I know he will make champion and so far he doesn't have no one to beat him although I want to see more of him but he is great and I win money on him especially betting some idiot who go against him, btw I buy a ticket for win to keep for souvenir
I watched every race Flightline ran, live, and have watched ‘em all repeatedly on YT replay since. Incredible horse. Now, I’m not a fool, I understand the business decision to immediately retire to stud. Rich people want more money. Makes complete sense, and probably an insight into why they got wealthy in the first place, because the bank vault means more to them than heart and emotion. Clinical, rational, makes sense. But I also understand the legacy, and here Flightline falls short. I saw every pro fight Mike Tyson ever had. Every one. And Flightline winning the BC and then immediately retiring feels like Iron Mike beating Michael Spinks and immediately quitting. In the moment, OMG he’s the GOAT!!! Of course, in retrospect today we know that’s simply not true. So while Flightline is awesome, I simply can’t convincingly compare him to the Man O’War’s and Secretariats and Phar Laps - the truly greatest - and so for me as a huge supporter Flightline is at the level of a Ghostzapper, another incredible champion. I just need to see more, bigger challenges to cement his status as an Immortal.
Yes, Phar Lap was incredible. Flight Line is a good horse, he is not going down in the history books. No need to retire him So Early, he will be forgotten next year.
@@leawise7919 Imhighly doubt he’ll be forgotten by horse players. But as I say, he’ll be remembered with awe and reverence at the level of a Ghostzapper or Invasor, and those are not small potatoes. But it’ll also be remembered with a lot of “woulda-coulda-shoulda’s” to prove immortality. There is also always a chance his progency will become champions for generations, and maybe he’ll be talked about as an all-time legend like Northern Dancer. We don’t know. What we do know is there were more challenges for Flightline to ascend to immortality, and his owners said, nah, pass, we’ll take the money.
@@lagosfury5142 they kind of did but FL didnt have as many races because he never ran as a 2 year old like most horses do. He only races 6 times in 18 months for some reason??
The horse is amazing but to retire at the peak of its greatness, for the lucrative breeding fees is I think killed the idea that Flightline could be the best ever. Imagine conquering dubai, saudi cup and pegasus. 😮💨
Imagine if this horse were injured, catastrophically. Then you'd be singing out the other side of your mouth. *They should of retired that horse, he had nothing to prove. Greedy bastards, just running him to make more money, intent on getting bigger stud fees and making them even more money. * The connections of such horses are damned if they do, or damned if they don't. People like you, the general public, who know little to nothing about the choices to be made and what is best for the horse AND the industry... criticize the connections for the choices made. Claiming it's for more money. News Flash: These kinds of horses are owned by people who can already pay their bills. They are not in racing to make money. They have plenty. They are in it for the love of the horse. Its not about money, it's about having a horse that's good enough to MAKE THE MONEY. It's about having a horse that's good enough to demand the stud fees. The horses are what we all participate for. From the Hot Walkers, Grooms, Exercise and Pony Riders,Jjockeys, Trainers, and the Owners. The money is an aside. That's what non horse people just don't seem to be able to grasp. So, again, imagine if the horse were injured catastrophically if they had decided to keep running him. The owners are the ones writing the checks to pay the costs, they get to decide what is best for all connected to this great horse.
@@darlenelarochelle4011 He doesnt jump fences or hurdles so the risk of fatality is very low. I owned a 3 mile steeplechaser who died on course during a race and it was cruel. But i still wouldnt have changed a thing, i loved my horse and what happened was just very unlucky for me, the trainer and all those at the yard who loved him. Im not from America so i know little about your racing program, Flightline may have done it all and had nothing to prove, but i do feel he couldve gone out of his comfort zone. He could have gone to Meydan or England for the Royal Ascot meeting to show the world his freakish ability. Black Caviar came to Royal Ascot from Australia and won in spite of having a torn muscle.
@@darlenelarochelle4011 the only difference that injury really makes is to the owners and breeders, that's why they made the call that they did. People want to see the (potential) best horse ever run for more a handful of races before being sent to stud. Fans of any other sport want to see the absolute best of the best competing, why do you think racing is any different? They are not damned if they do or don't, because they reap huge profits regardless. The only thing they consider is which will reap more profits - and that's where racing fans get the short end of the stick
This is good BUT there is no immortality to chase...he isnt even in the top 15 all time...no fault of the the horse...its the owners fault,he only raced SIX times He had a great YEAR...not a great CAREER Big difference
You are more or less correct but FL had a longer career then Secretariat believe it or not! Secretariat raced 21 times in 16 months and FL raced 6 times in 18 months so his career was longer then a year. I believe he was raced lightly because the trainer didnt think he could handle racing very often. He raced an average of 1 time every 3 months which is a joke really. Secretariat raced 3 times in 5 weeks in the TC.
While Flightline is a perfect racing specimen, and I have LOVED watching him run (and win), the claims of "greatest horse ever" and comparisons to Secretariat are ridiculous. Flightline had 6 career races.....Secretariat had 21 races in 16 months(!!), only 5 finishing off of first. On speed, Secretariat rated 139, Flightline 128. Yes, Flightline had wide open leads at finish, but so did Secretariat. While open to a future Super Horse, my heart will always be for Big Red.
Tabby B @ samuel williams well pardon the start friend:) my comments has to do with breaking records as the secretariat way of dealing with losses. The five he lost are the ones where he was sick in two of three. I do believe in that lose to onion it was a lock in at first and the by the time Ronnie turcott got him in gear ⛮ it was to late to catch him onion even with big red's speed and penchant for late wins lol.
I watched both horses and I think Secretariat was more impressive. Secretariat ran 12 furlongs in 2:24 on dirt. No other horse has come close to that. Secretariat won grade one races both on dirt and on turf which is a rare feat.
John Henry was the reason I fell in love with horseracing and what made John Henry great was not that he was undefeated but the fact that he would avenge his loses and in those times he would win by a length or two and if you knew him and his style that was a rare thing. John Henry won his last G1 at the age of 9 and would have competed in the inaugural running of The Breeders Cup but because he was injured he did not run but a few months later won his last race in New Jersey I believe. Flightline will have many many questions to answer unfortunately for him those questions needed to be answered on the track and that is over with so he will go down as a fleeting image but NOT a legacy like the prior horses that have always been considered great and even the measuring stick. John Henry ran over 80 times !!!!!
John Henry was a gelding so they weren't risking anything by continuing to race him. Look at Barbaro. He never sired a foal, so we don't know how great he could have been. Too much risk to race him again. He needs to make baby horses now.
@@dovesrun Barbaro had to be put down. Nothing could save him . Track veterinarian fault for putting him back in the gate. He suffered a hair line crack after he pushed himself through the starting gate door . So sad that an animal can’t speak to tell you that he’s hurt within seconds after it happened.
I would not compare Flightline to any other superstar racehorse, he is unique and there is no need to talk down another great champion or say Flightline isn't as good as another great champion, they are all unique. Secretariat will always have a special place in my heart because he was the undisputed champ when I was a kid. I feel a strange connection to a young jockey at the time Steve Cauthen that rode another horse to a triple crown win because Cauthen was born on the same day that I was.
Nor Flightline, or any other horse for that matter was as unique a horse as Dr. Fager. After coming down with colic as a 3 year old and unable to race in the Triple Crown Races, his 3 year old campaign may have been cut short but as a 4 year old he proved to be the most versatile champion racehorse of all time. To begin with he was undefeated as a 4 year old and averaged carrying weight of 134 lbs per race. He was awarded 'Sprint Champion', 'Grass Champion', ''Handicap Horse Champion' and 'Overall Horse Of The Year Champion' as well. As I stated, no other thoroughbred ever matched this most versatile horse of all time.
@@pdkrace He can be your favorite, which is your choice, but when talking about proven versatility, running on different surfaces and distances, there has never been a horse who was able to accomplish as many different aspects of winning thoroughbred races as Dr. Fager. His record speaks for itself.
I thought winning the Triple Crown was the pinnacle of horse racing but apparently winning the Breeders Cup championship is the pinnacle of Horse racing! Congratulations Flightline! You won Horse Racing Immortality and did Secretariat proud!
@@rosewetzel8284 the Triple crown is the Pinnacle of racing by far. The TC is the hardest test in racing. 3 races in 5 weeks. The guy who made this video called the Breeders Cup the Pinnacle but it doesnt mean it is.
Will have to win way more than 6 races against world class horses to be considered among the greats much less the immortals. Study race horses a little and you will understand. Super nice colt though. Maybe he can achieve greatness in the breeding shed since his connections retired him
Personally, I don't think this horse is that great. Those races were light fields and not much for contenders as it looks. You want to claim the greatness of this horse? Why didn't you race him in the Kentucky Derby? Because he never would have won it. He would have been up against a huge field of other colts of the same caliber or better. He would have been pushed. But how much pushing could he have taken when you have a dark horse that comes up through the ranks and starts applying pressure to come down the back stretch? He won't break any records, in time or lengths. Will he make it or lose it? I wouldn't breed anything to him, not even a Mustang. They call him great? I call him fake. Don't even put him in the same class as Secretariat.
I agree with you about Secretariat but FL wasnt raced in the triple crown because he was injured prior to it and they said he wasnt mature enough. Watch a video and when you see a close up of his rear end you will see a huge scar on the right side and that happened before the TC. He could have easily set a record in the Pacific Classic but he won by 19 lengths and practically jogged to the finish but he still ran 1:59 and change in the mile and a quarter. He was a really good horse but you are right that he shouldn't be compared to Secretariat.
What a short documentary. Maybe if he had at 21 races like Secretariat and also won a Triple Crown. Let alone was the HOY as a 2yo. It's all Apples and raspberries to me. Only running 6 times in his career is not enough. How many Great Champions did Flightline beat. The Marlboro Cup in 1973 had a field of Champions who went on to have Graded Stakes named after Them. And the also ran in the Triple Crown had Stakes named after Them, too. Flightline needs to run against a World Best field that LIFE AS GOOD ran against in the Saudi Cup. Where he lost badly. How about Flightline run to save Farm from going under. Go ahead and make comments. And say you don't care about my comment. I'm going to bet, I've bet more money on the Races than all you , put together here, commenting. I've to comment on the Disney movie about Secretariat, too. I live in those times. What a misleading story, also. The Owner of the Farm was also the Owner of Riva Ridge. There was no mention Riva Ridge. He was the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes in 1972. He finished the 3YO Champion, that year of 1973. They both ran well to save the Farm.
Thank you for mentioning Riva Ridge. I applaud Secretariat however I give 2 other horses way more applause & also say are just as great if not greater then him ~ Kelso, & then Count Fleet, another 1 of my favorites & 1 of the absolute truly greatest ever (who I rarely ever see mentioned or talked about) who won the Triple Crown & Belmont by 25 lengths in 1943 after winning the Preakness 4 days after the Kentucky Derby & winning the Withers between the Preakness & Belmont (he was also injured before the Derby & injured in the Belmont while winning by those 25 lengths) ~ & as very honorable mentions from my many Many favorites, i will always love the very 1st Big Red Man o' War (who was probably the 3rd horse, him or Citation, with Kelso & Count Fleet as just as great if not greater than Secretariat), along with Seattle Slew, Citation, Seabiscuit, Spectacular Bid, Cigar & Zenyatta, Ruffian & American Pharoah. Count Fleet could just about FLY!
Shame on the owners for retiring him. This kind of special horse doesn’t come to earth often, maybe never again. Very shame that we didn’t see his best races yet. I am so very angry at those money hungry owners. All of you go to hell. Hope you could not enjoy the money will come from Flightline……
No doubt that Flightline is am awesome horse. He proved that. But the question remains: Exactly who did he beat? Answer: A bunch of dogs who have seen better days. I doubt that Flightline could have beaten a horse like Holybull or Cigar on their best days. Holybull was the real deal toying with top handicap horses when he was only 3.
The horse is a shame. That fact that he will not run another year... a complete sham. By the way... don't telling me about his breeding. He's still sham.
Exactly and the best opponent at a mile and a quarter, Epicenter, had a condylar fracture during the race. Authentic had a better win in the BCC in 2020 in a considerably faster time on the same race course. He was only three while Flightline was four. Four year olds are generally more mature and developed than at three. Authentic broke the track record set by American Pharoah five years before in the same race. The teletimer did not function properly so the race was hand-timed, initially in 1:59.16 based on the video and then in 1:59.60 using additional camera angles.
I wish we could of seen flightline run 2023.I have friends who were not horseracing fans. But they started to watch horseracing because of flightline.It breaks my heart to see this horse retired so early. But thank God for the good things flightline did on the track. To God be the glory. Great things he has done
I’m sorry, Flightline looked like a great horse, but 6 races over 2 years? No. I will not be remembering this horse much except for all the hype he got. Ghostzapper got more disrespect for racing more. And GZ accomplished more…several 120+ BSFs, different distances, different conditions including sloppy tracks, versatile running style, better opponents, and the stake record still in the BC Classic. No way I will be comparing Flightline to Secretariat or Man O’War or Citation or Dr. Fager or Kelso. Maybe to Ghostzapper. Best comparison now is Smarty Jones. Remember him? Maybe you don’t. He was retired too soon too young. But he looked every bit the super horse GZ was at the exact same time, with more races in shorter time. Yet now, few are talking about him. That is where Flightline belongs.
The horse is a star, no doubt but just like Bill Mott said: “I think greatness is only done through the test of time.” 6 races and the horse was quickly turned into into a producer of horses and a cow of cash. Enough said.
I would have liked to see Flightline successfully endure Cigars race schedule. It would interesting to see what kind of condition Flightline would be in after his 13th race in like 10 months against the best in the world and in Europe. That would give everyone a better idea of his greatness but these horses today cannot handle that kind of racing anymore. They’re bred too fragile and weak….Flightline would break down trying to duplicate Cigars greatness.
13 minutes of material is appropriate for a poor horse whose greedy despicable owners only raced him 6 times. Such a shame, because Flightline is a superb horse and it’s not his fault that his career was much, much less memorable than it could have been.
Always believed that the measure of a racehorse is in the main part the times it runs. This of course is dependent on track conditions, weight carried etc... I have not researched the times he has produced but I guess winning by so many length the jock is likely to ease up before the pole He is a beautiful, tall athletic horse definitely a high quality.. Sad tho that we don't have horses having extended careers anymore so they can build an even greater legacy....
Very well stated, thank you. Flightline’s performance was impressive, hope he’ll sire an amazing progeny that will give horse racing fans more talented horses to cheer on. I will miss watching this strong horse run like the wind.
@lestercharles8522 Some people here think that six races spaced out over two years against questionable opposition can confer greatness, I guess. It's like saying you won the BCC so you don't have to go to Europe or Dubai to be truly tested. Justify won the Triple Crown with a perfect 6-0 but he did not run entirely on tracks listed as fast so he could not set the speed numbers Flighty did. Even so, another winner of the BCC, Authentic, as a three year old, not four like Flightline was, ran faster at the same track, Keeneland, beating better opponents, and his record is being overlooked because it had to be hand timed since the electronic timer malfunctioned.
@@vernonfrance2974 understood.. I sorts of feel like you wanted to see a bit more of him because he seems like the real deal.. Its a bit sad how quickly they rush horses of the breeding shed these days, it really is taking some of the entertainment value away from the sport. Maybe there is a need to frame some lucrative 4 year old and over races maybe, if that makes sense...
And this is why I like Australian horse racing. Trainers aren't afraid to keep turning up. Look at how many races the likes of Winx, Black Caviar, Nature Strip, Maybe Diva ran. And in the case of BC and NS traveling to the other side of the world and won.
I watched every race Flightline ran live and had money on him every time, and I can tell you he is a freak, a superhorse. But one of the reasons Australian horse racing is the best on the globe, with the best supporters, is because they turn their champions out for more than six races..
@@david1044 Seasons are reversed, Australian Spring Carnival has significantly more history, tradition and prestige, and vastly higher purse money. Why would an owner want to risk his horse travelling thousands of miles for less money? Not smart. ALSO watching Breeders Cup this year, as has become the pattern, turf races were again DOMINATED by 2nd-string Euros, they didn’t even send their best. Breeders Cup is good for The Classic, and that’s about it. No other race is comparable to the Australian and European classics. This is my opinion-only, but I say this as a Canadian punter who wagers on American tracks every day for the past 40 years.
@@thuaug4417 Well, racing year round is commonplace in the states. Purse value is not the only consideration, when addressing status. The competition you have is also a primary component in assessing a place in the breeding barns, and where you fit in history. I love Australia racing. And the Australian fans are passionate. I love the full fields. But I would have loved to have seen Winx go up against Bricks and Mortar and so on. And as the US turf racing is in full collapse, why not? $3 million purses are worth the journey...
@@david1044 Respectfully, you wrote, “they never took on the best,” and this past BC just proved - again - that in many events - namely the turf events, which comprise half the BC races - the Euros are NOT sending their best, they are sending 2nd-stringers, O’Brien and Appleby literally said as much, they bring their horses deemed not good enough for the European Fall Classics. So, again, why would an Australian owner be so foolish as to risk sending a champion (like Winx, Nature Strip, etc) across the Pacific Ocean to race for less prize money than he/she can make at home in their Spring Classics in a lame clout-chasing attempt to prove they can beat European 2nd-stringers (to say nothing of the current crop of subpar American turf sprinters and routers)? If we want to defend Flightline’s premature retirement as a business decision, then let’s at least look at ALL the dollars on the line and keep it real.
I love watching Flightline. I’m fine with them retiring Flightline when they did. But because they did choose that route, they should stop talking about Flightline bringing new fans into racing. Flightline could have brought new fans, but now casual/potential fans will think “oh so every great horse will win 5 times and then retire to breed”. That’s no fun and doesn’t attract new fans. So it’s 1 or the other - but can’t be both.
Did we forget Zenyatta who won 19 straight??? This horse may be fast and unbeaten but Z would run him into the ground. Don't even compare him with Secretariat. He is way too lightly raced when he retired. Many horses have won by HUGE margins and ran a hell of a lot more races. No records broken either.
6 career races. Perfectly hand chosen races for the purpose of retiring to stud. The owners did the horse racing community an injustice. He can never be compared to the greats.
There was no quest for immortality for Flightline. His ability to run was wasted by greedy, unsporting humans racing him sparingly w/eye on maximizing his monetary value in the breeding shed. Flightline was not given opportunity to race enough on the track to take his proper place among the immortal thoroughbred racehorses in this sport. And, it’s the fault of his human connections.
Way too much of Terry Finley in this documentary. I wanted to see more of Flightline in this documentary and in the future but this man and other owners care more about money than the sport of racing. My disgust for this man robbing the public of what might have been the greatest horse of all time knows no bounds. There will always be those who question Flightline's greatness because of only six races. Mr. Finley could have quieted those doubters with another year of racing but now we know why they only raced him six times. They were protecting their investment. if Flightline"s legacy is tainted in any way Mr. Finley only has to look in the mirror to see who to blame.
He is keeping a great horse healthy! Ruffian was run to death by $$$ and against the trainers wishes. They all make $$$ and well, Flightline will not break a leg in racing.
You can tell the greatness of a horse when the comparisons go right to the best ever. It reminds me of Lebron James coming up. People just said "well he no Jordan". 50 years old and have been a fan since I was 15 and he's the best I've ever seen. With breeding taking over racing and the best retiring after 6 races will never have good comparisons to the greats of the past but... Flightline will probably be the closest we get.
Same track, same race, Authentic, at 3, 1/2 second faster. Where's the track records? American Pharoah 0.01 second slower, at 3, after campaigning for 15 months. The hype overr this horse is ludicrous. He sat home doing a huge roids cycle for 6 months then had 3 good, not record breaking races. I doubt he lives past 5, much like the last chemical wunderkind, Arrogate.
Well I don't know about roads I just know this horse hasn't done no where near enough to be even in the talk for the best horse ever. Zenyatta won 19 in a row one breeders cup classic win and a second by an inch and two other breeders cup wins I mean how dies this horse even come close to her? She's still rhe best in my opinion bur if this gorse is the vest ever he needs to do it again next year at least. TRUTH FACTS
@@MikeSmith-cn6ub you don't figure he was doing a cycle? Ever since equipoise was banned there's been a lot of these layoff super horses. There have been at least 20 horses this good just this century. Most of whom, like the great Zenyata, actually campaigned. Breeding to these studs has the strong chance of promoting a lack of durability.
Zenyatta's jockey Mike Smith? I like the story of this jockey M. Smith as a youngster eating from a bowl on the floor in the kitchen at mealtime to behave like a horse with a bucket/hay.
When you win by as much as Flightline does and jockey throttles him down you are not going to see track records. Flightline won by huge margins over good Fields and that is why he stands above the rest. Secretariat lost a number of times and Flightline could only have lost if he broke down, much like Ruffian did against Foolish Pleasure. The only thing you can hold against Flightline are the number of times he raced and that is not Flightline's fault. Blame the owners.
This is a really good horse and maybe one of the quickest we've ever seen but to say he's the greatest of all time makes my head hurt. How you can compare to some of the greats we've had who have been unbeaten 15/20 races+ it's kind of an insult. Just my opinion think flighline had it rather easy ✌🏻🇮🇪🇮🇪🍀
No doubt Flightline is a great racehorse...but, NO WAY can he be compared to any others from the past. Didn't he just have 5 or 6 career starts? What was his top weight he carried in any race, maybe 126 lbs? Don't even have to invoke Man O' War or Secretariat, try Forego. Won a Grade I stakes seven times carrying over 130 lbs, several times burdened with 137+ lbs. Ran on sloppy tracks, beat rivals carrying less than 120 lbs, and still won at the 1 1/4 mile in 2:00. I don't blame/fault Flightline, he's just a horse and had no control over how few races he was asked to run. But, greats TRUE GREATS!!! like Forego toiled for years, often going out on a bad leg, in pain! and carried 135-138 lbs beating the best horses of the time. Others like Dr. Fager, Kelso, and others routinely ran 5 races inside of a couple of months, carrying huge poundage. Then, would race again... Flightline's connections did what they did to maximize his stud fees and to make money. I am glad he was never injured (or worse)...I hate it when horses get hurt and then have to be put down. But, his humans denied Flightline the chance to be counted among the all-time greats. He's nothing more than a footnote, soon to be forgotten. Happy studding!
6 races does not make you immortal. It makes you nothing really. Not better than Cigar, Dr Fager, Secretariat, Ghostzapper, Zenyatta, Lady's Secret, Skip Away, Rachel Alexandria, Round Table,....I could do this for days. A horse than runs 6 times in 2 years with races spaces 2-3 months apart has some serious soundness issues.
No horse is a 'great' after just six races. Could it have been? Maybe, we'll never know which is the saddest part of all this. They chose money over legacy which says everything.
Ok, there you go again with assumptions. FYI My job doesn’t pay that much either, although I see your point, because I wouldn’t have been able to acquire the horse without the help of my financial advisor and mentor Mr Gabriel. I made $6000.67 in three months. The man’s a genius.
How they train horse to be a champion? I cannot believe that when i saw flightline running. More powerful, very effection running, good running, good condition body, strong muscle, strong running horse. Im very proud of his trainer. Trainer works very hard to achieved this. This victory to your trainer too.👏👏👏 Congratulation brothers!👍👍👏👏 Racing horse lover from malaysia 👍😁
Surely a great horse but he didn't even break Ghostzapper's record. Let's stay rational about a horse than ran five times total. Not in a class with Secretariat, Man o' War, maybe even Ruffian.
Why so high on Secretariat, he never raced at 4. It took him 15 races to win 4 Grade 1 races. It took Flightline 6 races to win 4 Grade 1. Citation at three won 27 of 29 races with 2 Second. Then not so good lost to Noor 4 out of 5. We can say Secretariat need more to prove him self.
His early retirement hurt him and his legacy...noone talks about flightline...he isnt revered in the industry like he should be...greed destroyed a legacy...sad
We don’t even know if he could run on different turf for a different length of times because he doesn’t have a history. He is fist maybe not as fast is winning brew. 20 years from now, people will still say, secretary, not flightline
Oh please with the comparisons. Six races, give me a break. They retired him because they were afraid he would lose a race. Spectacular Bid and the Slew would have buried him.
I love the horse, love the story. Thrilled at the outcome. Jane Lyon and David Ingordo. Those two probably didn't want in front of the camera but this story is incomplete without them
I totally agree. This video seemed all about Terry Findley. I would rather have heard from Flavien Pratt, Juan Leyva and John Sadler and the team who made Flightline the Champion he is. Way too much Findley and his personal life. People want to hear from the trainer, jockey, asst. trainer and a little the owner, not the entire video of one of the owners.
He was as good as Secretariat. His times, his margins, and the fact he had those times and margins while running the fractions he did---- and the fact he did all of it WRAPPED UP, never touched with a whip, never pushed by another horse. Gary Stevens, Bailey, Moss, commentators, race callers, ALL saying his right there with Secretariat. All connections with this horse are nothing but CLASS. His time at the mile mark, was 1:34.58. The Dirt Mile, ran earlier, had a FINAL time of 1:35.33.
@@BezmenovDisciple Yep. Horses are now raced to bred. They used to be bred to be raced. Naysayers vs me say "Breeding is where the money is so its logical that they retire them right away" - my response to that is ---> "Well there wouldn't be money in breeding if there wasn't a racing industry. The racing industry is the ONLY reason, the ONNNNNLY reason the horse is worth something in the breeding shed. How about owners give back to the racing industry because of that? What if the racing industry was taken away (ended)? How much money would they have the opportunity to make in the breeding shed? Give back to who brought you. But they don't.
Thanks for bringing people into reality. I would love for horse racing to come back but a 6 start wonder will be forgotten long before AP who accomplished much more and he hasn’t even broken the top 50 yet. Don’t forget the unbeaten females that started over 15 times and more than half in G1s against much stronger male fields than Flight Lines ran against. Flight Line was a ver very special colt but he can’t be brought up in the same conversation with Secretariat, Spectacular Bid,Citation, Tom Fool Seattle Slew, ext. and I could go on and on. 6 starts at 4 against just local handicap horses was never a great champion made. A pleasure to watch perform though
@@jerryraper9386 I hear you but he didn't have 6 starts at 4. He started in April of 2021 as a 3 year old. He was only raced 6 times in 18 months. What a shame. Secretariat raced 3 times in 5 weeks in the triple crown and then raced 9 days after the Belmont!!
He ran a sub 2minute 10f under a hard hold the last 1/16. Would have easily set the world record for mile and a quarter had he been truly turned loose I bet.
Flightline was special no doubt but I don’t consider him to be anywhere close to the top 10 best of all time. He might’ve been but we’ll never know so sadly he gets relegated to the top 10 what shoulda woulda coulda beens of all time and that is sad, disappointing, discouraging and driving me away from my lifetime love of horses and horse racing. Owners and connections care about breeding worth above all else and for me it’s killing the sport and I am devastated by the number of great or potentially great horses that were potential all time greats but we’ll never know and I feel like I can’t be the only one and the sport is truly suffering because of it.
The crazy thing about FL only racing 6 times is that his career lasted 18 months! That is an average of racing 1 time every 3 months which is a shame. Secretariat's career was only 16 months so it was shorter then FLs but he raced 21 times. A lot of the horses careers nowdays last just as long as horses 50 years ago but they dont race them as often for some reason. Secretariat raced an average of a little over 1 time per month which is insane!
I saw the Pacifc Classic in person last year and Flightline's performance was impressive. It should be noted published Beyer Speed figures have only been around since the late 1980's. Therefore it is likely many great horses ran faster than Flightline, but did not receive a figure. Ghostzapper hit 128 which is the top Beyer figure published and he ran a sub-two minute Breeders' Cup. Ghostzapper also ran 120 or higher four times. Rumor has it Secretariat would have hit the mid 130's for his 1973 Belmont Stakes victory. I wonder what figures Spectacular Bid, Swaps, Citation and Dr. Fager would have received. Too bad this horse was retired before he reached his peak. Thank you for your comment Raid.
@@johntucker7063 Wrong. GZ did not have 4 beyers over 120. They have calibrated and Secretariat ran a 139 in the Belmont. Flightline is the Only horse Ever to run a 121&126 back to back. The Quality of horses he has beaten is 2nd to none.
