Breeders' Cup Classic: Prat shares thoughts on Flightline's five races
Before Flavien Prat earlier this year moved his tack east from Southern California for opportunities in New York and Kentucky, he made sure to first talk with John Sadler, trainer of Flightline. Prat had ridden the colt in his first three starts, including an 11 1/2-length victory in the Grade 1 Malibu on Dec. 26, and didn’t want to lose the mount.
“I wasn’t going to leave if I couldn’t ride the horse,” Prat said.
Once assured by Sadler that he would keep the mount on Flightline, Prat went ahead with his plans to come east. While Prat finished third in the Keeneland spring standings and second at Saratoga’s summer meet, riding plenty of nice horses along the way, it is Flightline who has put Prat in the spotlight entering this week’s Breeders’ Cup at Keeneland.
On Saturday, Prat will take his usual seat on Flightline, who looms a heavy favorite in the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Keeneland.
Recently, Prat sat down with Daily Racing Form to rewatch and discuss Flightline’s first five starts.
April 24, 2021: In a six-furlong maiden race at Santa Anita, Flightline runs fractions of 21.59 seconds, 44.42, and completes six furlongs in 1:08.75, winning by 13 1/4 lengths.
“He was working really well in the morning. I just wanted to get a clean break and kind of get myself going,” Prat said. “He jumped just okay but then he got himself going. It felt like we were going a good clip, and [into the turn] I was just trying to give him a breather and get him to relax, but that’s where he opened up on everybody. He was able to get a breather and keep the same cruising speed.”
Prat said the first time he worked Flightline, prior to his first start, was in the dark.
“John told me just go as slow as you can,” Prat recalled. “He went nice, but you can tell he was a bit headstrong. First race, he was perfect. He went with the pony, and prior to the race he was behaving really well.”
Sept. 5, 2021: Due to warm shins, Flightline didn’t race again for more than four months.
On closing weekend of the 2021 Del Mar meet, Flightline ran in a first-level allowance going six furlongs. He wound up chasing another horse until overtaking that one at the five-sixteenths pole and drawing clear to 12 3/4-length score while running six furlongs in 1:08.05.
“That time I was outside,” Prat said. “He broke well, he showed some good speed, but there was just one horse that was just quicker than him. That’s the good thing about him, too, he doesn’t need the lead. You can get him next to a horse and he’ll relax.”
Into the far turn, Flightline “just on his own builds up that speed and goes on,” Prat said. “Even though he’s accelerating, you can tell he’s not doing too much.”
Dec. 26, 2021: Flightline makes his stakes debut in the Grade 1 Malibu going seven furlongs at Santa Anita, where he faced Grade 1 winner Dr. Schivel, who was coming off a nose defeat in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint; Iowa Derby winner Stilleto Boy; and New York invader Baby Yoda.
Flightline breaks “okay,” according to Prat, but quickly makes the front after a quarter in 22.01 seconds. He maintained a one-length lead through a quarter in 44.48 before he started to open up.
“He jumped okay. He never jumps super,” Prat said. “That race I felt the pressure, but as soon as I got to the turn, I was able to get him a nice breather and then he just opened up on everybody. He had such a good cruising speed that day. They chase you until they get tired chasing you.”
In mid-stretch, Prat took a peek behind him, something he rarely does, to see if anyone’s coming.
“Going into the race, it’s not a gimme,” Prat said. “There’s competition. You went from a maiden to allowance to a Grade 1.
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As he watches Flightline gallop out past the wire, Prat says: “That’s why I always thought he’d go long because he always galloped out good. Especially after that race, he was working out with a lot more focus. You could tell he matured a bit more and felt like he would go farther.”
June 11, 2022: After missing the San Carlos Stakes in March due to a minor hock injury, Flightline, off a six-month layoff, makes his 4-year-old debut in the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap against the likes of Grade 1 winners Speaker’s Corner, Happy Saver, and Aloha West in his first race outside of California.
Leaving from the rail, Flightline breaks inward toward open space and is immediately behind Speaker’s Corner before Prat forces Speaker’s Corner to go on, which ultimately created some space to tip outside.
“The problem with the one hole, it’s wide open, you have the gap,” Prat said. “They’re not really focused on going forward, but they look at that gap. Usually, when you have the one hole it’s a lot harder to break sharp and he obviously didn’t break sharp.
“The problem is, I got to get him going. If I don’t force him to go a little bit then they’re going to slow down and I’m screwed. I did it again just to make sure they kept going and then I can get myself in a decent spot.”
In the stretch, Prat was riding Flightline “just to make sure” no one from behind was in a position to catch him. He ran a mile in 1:33.59.
Immediately after the Met Mile, Prat told Sadler that “distance is going to his friend.”
Prat said: “When you look at the sprint races, the best part is when he passes the wire and he just starts going. Even the Met Mile going past the wire he really galloped out so good. In his works he felt like a horse who would go farther.”
Sept. 3, 2022: Back home in California, Flightline is meeting a solid field in his first start at 1 1/4 miles and first around two turns. He sits off Extra Hope through an opening quarter in 23.42 seconds and after a half-mile in 46.06 before he begins to gallop past that horse and to the lead. Flightlight opens up an insurmountable advantage on his own and cruises to a 19 1/4-length score.
“First time mile and a quarter, first time two turns, I was just trying to get him into a nice rhythm without pulling and get him to be comfortable,” Prat said. “Once we hit the backside, I let him enjoy himself.
“I didn’t want to go too fast. I want to make sure I’m in a quiet spot where he’s relaxed and from that point I’m just kind of letting him enjoy himself and all of a sudden I’m opening up on everybody. To be honest, I didn’t realize that. I didn’t know that it was going to happen that way. At that point I let himself get into a nice rhythm.”
Prat said he rode Fightline a little in the stretch to “try to keep him busy because I really didn’t expect to be so far in front.”
“Down the backside I knew we were going a good clip,” he said. “When we hit the three-eighths pole and I gave him his head, he reacted the right way and went forward, but I didn’t really expect to open up so much. First time a mile and a quarter, I wanted to make sure I keep him busy all the way to the eighth pole, but the separation was amazing.”
Prat said at no point did Flightline ever feel tired from that performance.
“There are horses you can tell when you pull up they gave you everything,” he said. “I never had that feeling. Hopefully, I’ll never have it. He has such a high cruising speed it feels like you could go twice around and he’ll never get tired.”
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