Straight from the horse’s mouth..but they don’t know a horse’s head from its ass...

[RolloTomasi]

Before You Get Abused, Criticized, and Accused/Just Race a Mile in Your Shoes

Less than a month before his expected 4-year-old debut in the Grade 1 Metropolitan Mile Handicap at Belmont Park on June 11, Flightline had a familiar pilot for his five-furlong workout in 59.60 seconds at Santa Anita on Monday.

I like the author’s choice of phrasing here. So many ways to go. “4-year-old debut” has a nice ring to it, even though “second to last career start” is probably more accurate…

Jockey Flavien Prat, who has ridden Flightline in all three of his wins, flew from his new base in New York to partner the exciting colt. The workout was the first time Prat had been aboard Flightline since the colt won his stakes debut by 11 1/2 lengths in the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes at seven furlongs on Dec. 26.

He hasn’t been on Flightline since the Malibu? I guess when they make a movie of Flightline’s career (Best Live Action Short Film circa 2030?) the jockey won’t be a main character since he doesn’t seem to have a hand in the colt’s development…

On Monday, trainer John Sadler timed Flightline galloping out six furlongs in 1:12.40 and seven furlongs in 1:25. The $1 million Met Mile will be the longest race of Flightline’s career.

“Longest race”? To be fair, I’m sure the horse has at least walked further than a mile on most days, probably by a hotwalker that has more of a hand in his training than Flavien Prat. By the way, that last sentence has no qualifying clause…I hope the whole “longest race of his career” thing isn’t supposed to be a final prediction…

“Career”? He has 3 total starts thus far and averages 5 months in-between each. He’s like a train hopper from Steinbeck novel that shows up for the annual wheat harvest to make a little money to keep himself awash in moonshine the rest of the year…

Sadler said Flightline’s recent training has focused on getting the colt to show patience in the initial furlongs of a workout.

That’s smart since he is going to go a one-turn marathon distance next out. Double smart spending all that time teaching him to settle and then putting up a jockey for a critical work who hasn’t been on the horse for over 5 months…

“We’ve put a lot of work in getting him to relax,” Sadler said.

I’ll say…no race for nearly 6 months? I’d be pretty chill, too.

“He looks like he’s going in a mere gallop.

Most of the time, he looks like he’s just standing in his stall…

He’ll always have speed to get position. He doesn’t have to be a front-runner.

Yeah, he’s looked mighty vulnerable winning by the length of the stretch each time after setting the pace.

Good idea to try to tweak his running style…whatwith the whole extra furlong to navigate…

We’re dialing in.”

Hopefully most racing fans haven’t tuned out by now…

[freddymo]

Most of the time, he looks like he’s just standing in his stall… Does he look fast in the stall?

[blackthroatedwind]

Sometimes it seems we spend more time talking about horses that don't run than horses that do.

[RolloTomasi]

Originally Posted by blackthroatedwind

Sometimes it seems we spend more time talking about horses that don't run than horses that do.

I will not post another Flightline commentary (until his retirement) if by some miracle we get both Olympiad (Mott wants a Grade 1) and Jack Christopher (Brown doesn't really want to cutback to 7f) in the Met Mile.

Of course, we're more likely to spy Jesus Christ in the front row of Elvis's comeback concert at Shea Stadium next Octember...

[blackthroatedwind]

Originally Posted by RolloTomasi

I will not post another Flightline commentary (until his retirement) if by some miracle we get both Olympiad (Mott wants a Grade 1) and Jack Christopher (Brown doesn't really want to cutback to 7f) in the Met Mile.

Of course, we're more likely to spy Jesus Christ in the front row of Elvis's comeback concert at Shea Stadium next Octember...

Far more likely.

I didn't mean you...I meant all of us in the game.

[RolloTomasi]

Trainer: Fenwick Will Be Tough if He Gets His Way

Well if Fenwick has any horse sense his way entails being entered in a first condition allowance on the undercard.

“He trained this morning and is doing great,” McKathan said Tuesday morning. “He galloped 1 1/2 miles at Churchill. We'll load him on the van and bring him on up.”

If you stay on the highway a little longer you’ll reach Parx. They’ve got a first condition allowance on Monday.

Fenwick, the first horse McKathan has trained in his name since 1989, is co-owned by Villa Rosa Farm and Harlo Stable and was a late addition to the Preakness field before entries closed.

I guess that’s a point in their favor. They entered the horse before entries closed…

Last of 11 in the Blue Grass (G1) in his stakes debut, he drew Post 3 and is 50-1 on the morning line with Florent Geroux aboard.

Another point in their favor. Gonna definitely finish better than 11th…

…if he indeed finishes…

McKathan had a brief training career in the 1980s before turning to the operation of the McKathan Brothers Training Center in Ocala, Fla.

This one of those 2yo consignors/racing managers/farm trainers that decides he’s gonna show everyone how it’s done? Like that dude that trained Bellamy Road after Nick Zito?

McKathan said that he hopes to see Fenwick, a son of Curlin, leave the gates running.

That should be another easy point in their favor, but I like his pragmatism. Most horses leave the gate running, but let’s not take it for granted in this case…

“I think the horse fits in,” McKathan said.

Fits in what? The starting gate? Is the horse overweight or something?

Man, I’m all for counting the small victories but next your gonna tell me that your confident he'll pass the horseshoe inspection…

“If he gets his race and runs his race, he will be hard to outrun.

This guy knows his horse will being running against other horses and not just a bunch of mountless jockeys on foot, right?

I'm not saying he will outrun Steve's horse [Asmussen-trained Epicenter].

Coincidentally, Fenwick also used to be Steve’s horse. He couldn’t get him to break his maiden. Neither did McKathan; some other dude won with him at Tampa, beating some also-ran from the BC Juvenile…which may be the biggest indictment of that race...

I'm not saying anything crazy like that, but if he has his way, they will have a hard time getting by him.

They will definitely have a hard time getting by him if by “his way” you mean that all the other horses in the race will have to do two laps around the Pimilico racetrack to Fenwick’s one…

If he gets that open move, he will keep doing it, and he does it fast and he does it for a long time.”

We still talking about horse racing or is “Open Move” street code for whatever it is that you’re smoking?

[moses]

Fenwick will be hard to outrun except the trainer believes Epicenter will easily outrun him?

[King Glorious]

Originally Posted by RolloTomasi

Before You Get Abused, Criticized, and Accused/Just Race a Mile in Your Shoes


I like the author’s choice of phrasing here. So many ways to go. “4-year-old debut” has a nice ring to it, even though “second to last career start” is probably more accurate…

He hasn’t been on Flightline since the Malibu? I guess when they make a movie of Flightline’s career (Best Live Action Short Film circa 2030?) the jockey won’t be a main character since he doesn’t seem to have a hand in the colt’s development…

“Longest race”? To be fair, I’m sure the horse has at least walked further than a mile on most days, probably by a hotwalker that has more of a hand in his training than Flavien Prat. By the way, that last sentence has no qualifying clause…I hope the whole “longest race of his career” thing isn’t supposed to be a final prediction…

“Career”? He has 3 total starts thus far and averages 5 months in-between each. He’s like a train hopper from Steinbeck novel that shows up for the annual wheat harvest to make a little money to keep himself awash in moonshine the rest of the year…

That’s smart since he is going to go a one-turn marathon distance next out. Double smart spending all that time teaching him to settle and then putting up a jockey for a critical work who hasn’t been on the horse for over 5 months…

I’ll say…no race for nearly 6 months? I’d be pretty chill, too.

Most of the time, he looks like he’s just standing in his stall…

Yeah, he’s looked mighty vulnerable winning by the length of the stretch each time after setting the pace.

Good idea to try to tweak his running style…whatwith the whole extra furlong to navigate…

Hopefully most racing fans haven’t tuned out by now…

I hope most of them haven't tuned out and I hope you watched him today. Wish I could see him run more but sure as hell going to appreciate the few times we do see him. He's incredible.

[RolloTomasi]

Originally Posted by King Glorious

... I hope you watched him today.

I forgot to watch it live but I did watch a replay on my iPhone.

Kinda wished I didn't because the instant mythologizing from a myriad our esteemed turf writers makes for an infinitely more interesting race.

Apparently to some, he smashed into the side of the gate at the break, lost 3 lengths to the field, was checked hard TWICE, was boxed in for half the race, then blew by that horse that lost the Discovery like he was standing still all before being geared down in the stretch.

That...is one magic loogie...er...horse.

Jeff Siegel says he's as good as Spectacular Bid but not as accomplished..."just yet". He must have inside info that Flightline has been working on an advanced degree in Astrophysics during his time away from the races and is close to patenting the first workable time machine so he can go back and have a 2yo and 3yo campaign (and an early 4yo campaign for that matter).

Of course, if the evil Bizarro Spectacular Bid gets his hooves on the time machine he might send himself into the future and make good on his dud stallion career by creating a clone army of himself so as to win every rich faux stakes in North America (and the middle east) for generations to come.

[King Glorious]

Rollo, I hope you were able to see this one live today. It was a decent effort.

[RolloTomasi]

Originally Posted by King Glorious

Rollo, I hope you were able to see this one live today. It was a decent effort.

Yep, I did in fact watch it live.

Made Country Grammer, Royal Ship, and Express Train look like Grade 3 horses.

Of course, they are Grade 3 horses...

[Kasept]

Originally Posted by RolloTomasi

Yep, I did in fact watch it live.

Made Country Grammer, Royal Ship, and Express Train look like Grade 3 horses.

Of course, they are Grade 3 horses...

I laughed..