Breeders' Cup Classic: Leyva knew in 2020 BC win was Flightline's destiny

LEXINGTON, KY. - Juan Leyva’s voice was still cracking with emotion leaving the Keeneland winner’s circle 20 minutes after Flightline’s breathtaking performance in the Breeders’ Cup Classic when asked to talk about the horse who has dominated so much of his life over the last two years.

“It’s not about me, it’s about the horse,” Leyva began. “He just proved to anybody who might have doubted how great he really is. I think he just left everybody in awe. Especially with those fractions they set down. And he pulled away. From a quality field like that. I’m just so very proud of him. Just really happy to be part of this.”

Born in Mexico and raised in Riverside, California, Leyva, 38, first met trainer John Sadler 20 years ago as a wannabe jockey making the rounds of the Santa Anita barn area searching for mounts. After riding for several years on the Southern California circuit, Leyva turned down an early offer from Sadler to become his assistant and continued to pursue his riding career, one that lasted 17 years, with the final 12 as a regular in South Florida.

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Overall, Leyva rode 834 winners and earned purses in excess of $23 million. The highlight of his career came in 2011 at Churchill Downs, where he won the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint for his longtime friend, trainer Bill Kaplan, aboard Musical Romance. Winning the race at the direct expense of, ironically, the Sadler-trained Switch.

When Leyva finally decided to hang up his tack five years ago, he called Sadler, with whom he had continued to stay in touch over the years, to see if that assistant trainer offer was still on the table. It was, and the pair have formed not only a potent team but a close and lasting relationship.

“John’s like family to me,” Leyva said. “Aside from working together, I know I can ask him for advice on any type of topic. He’s just a very special person to me.”

Flightline first came into Leyva’s life in 2020, late in his 2-year-old season as a raw talent, but as one the former jockey recognized was special right off the bat.

“The first day I sat on him, I knew we were going to be here,” Leyva said, nodding toward the Keeneland winner’s circle. “I knew he was going to be a champion. He’s always been a work in progress, and still is to this day. Obviously we put a lot of time into him, a lot of patience, and we’ve been rewarded for it over and over again.”

When asked to compare the emotions he felt and was still feeling in the aftermath of Flightline’s victory in the Classic to his own Breeders’ Cup triumph, as the rider of Musical Romance 11 years earlier, Leyva said it was no comparison.

“Of the two, this is definitely much more rewarding to me,” Leyva said. “I’ve put a lot of work into this horse. I’ve put a lot of my life into him. He just means so much to me.”

At least as much, undoubtedly, as Leyva means to Sadler, his boss, his mentor and his close friend.

“Juan is an incredible, incredible assistant and he’s going to be a top-class trainer. He’s going to take over for me when I retire,” Sadler revealed. “I can’t praise him enough. He rides perfectly. He can tell you about any horse, not just Flightline. He has a rapport with every horse he rides. His contribution with this horse is huge. Neither of us has missed a day since he came to us and Juan has ridden him to perfection every single day during that time.”

As for how he’ll feel when Flightline leaves the barn for the final time, whether later this year or sometime down the road, Leyva said it will be an emotional day for sure.

“When he walks out of the barn for the last time I’m probably going to shed a tear or two and after he’s gone I’m going to start searching for another one (like him),” Leyva said. “In this game you have to keep looking forward. It’s not about what happened right now, it’s about what’s going to happen tomorrow.”

Hopefully for Leyva, and all racing fans around the world, there still will be a lot of tomorrows left for him, both in the barn and on the track, with one of the greatest of them all, Flightline.

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