Dazzling but inexperienced, Flightline will feel the heat in Malibu
ARCADIA, Calif. – The star of the opening-day card at Santa Anita tipped his hand long before he launched his career with two dazzling victories by a combined 26 lengths.
“You could see in his first work, there was a beast in there,” said trainer John Sadler, whose job it was to manage the monster. So far, so good.
Flightline earned a 105 Beyer winning his Santa Anita debut and a lofty 114 – co-highest in North America this year – crushing a Del Mar allowance second out. Sometimes, you get what you pay for. Flightline, by Tapit, was purchased as a yearling for $1 million.
Short on seasoning, long on raw talent, Flightline returns Sunday to Santa Anita, where the stakes are higher and the competition tougher. After only two starts, Flightline is favored to win the Grade 1 Runhappy Malibu Stakes for 3-year-olds.
The seven-furlong sprint, race 10, is the first true class test for Flightline, whose chief rival is Breeders’ Cup Sprint runner-up Dr. Schivel. Others include 2-for-2 Triple Tap; Baby Yoda, who has lost twice following a 114-Beyer allowance score at Saratoga; Grade 1-placed stakes winner Stilleto Boy; and longshots Team Merchants and Timeless Bounty.
Flightline would be the first horse to win the $300,000 Malibu in only the third start of his career. Sadler is not concerned by his lack of seasoning, nor should he be.
“It would be more of a challenge if he didn’t have so much [speed],” Sadler said. “He has so much brilliance. I don’t think he’s a horse that has to practice eating dirt. He’s always going to have that trip where he’s going to lay first or second.”
Flightline and Flavien Prat should set the pace in the Malibu. If things go right, it might be his final sprint for a while.
“Flavien got off him after his second start at Del Mar and said, ‘This horse is going to run the bigger distances no problem,’” Sadler said. “We always thought that. It’s just that he happens to be blazingly fast. He’s stretching out after [the Malibu].”
Flightline was 3 years old when he recorded first work in January; he did not debut until April. His late start was due to a minor ankle issue and recovery from a nasty gash after he crashed into a fence at the Florida farm where he was broken. Even now, the scar on his right hip, inches from his tail, is visible. So is his demeanor. Flightline is high energy.
“He wants to do a lot, all the time,” Sadler said. “Our job – we have a Lamborghini – is to not drive it 200 miles an hour every day. Our job is just to keep him level, and keep him reserved. He wants to go.”
While a Malibu victory would enhance Flightline’s future stallion value and set up a successful 2022 campaign, there is plenty at stake for his main rival. A win by Dr. Schivel could cement an Eclipse Award as outstanding sprinter of 2021, and ease the sting of a nose loss in the BC Sprint.
Dr. Schivel defeated older rivals in both the Grade 1 Bing Crosby at Del Mar and Grade 2 Santa Anita Sprint Championship prior to the BC Sprint. The Malibu, restricted to 3-year-olds, is a class drop for Dr. Schivel. It is a key angle in the Malibu. The past decade, Breeders’ Cup starters (Classic, Dirt Mile, Sprint) are 7 for 15 in the Malibu.
Mark Glatt trains Dr. Schivel, and said the Malibu “was always on our radar, and after the agony of defeat started to dissipate a little bit, we thought it could go a long way in him winning [the Eclipse] if he happens to win the Malibu.”
“If he gets beat, it’s not going to hurt him,” Glatt said. “And straight 3s, he hasn’t done that all year.”
Dr. Schivel “bounced back pretty quickly” from the BC Sprint, Glatt said.
“It was a fast race,” he said. “It was a big race. But wasn’t one of those eighth of a mile stretch duels.”
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With regular rider Prat staying on Flightline, Glatt needed a rider for Dr. Schivel. Irad Ortiz Jr. was considered, until he was suspended. Joel Rosario was considered, but he is still recovering from a fractured rib.
Juan Hernandez, widely considered the second-best rider based yearlong in Southern California, will ride Dr. Schivel. The colt is quick enough to establish a forward position, second or third behind Flightline. Dr. Schivel has won 5 of 8.
Triple Tap, trained by Bob Baffert, will attempt the same class hike as Flightline, with slightly less speed-figure power. Triple Tap has won a maiden race and an allowance last out with a 97 Beyer. John Velazquez rides Triple Tap.
Stilleto Boy finished fifth in the BC Classic; Ed Moger trains the Grade 1-placed gelding. Baby Yoda, trip-compromised in both starts after a high-figure romp in summer at Saratoga, drew the rail in the Malibu.
Timeless Bounty recently won a stakes at Mahoning Valley. He and Team Merchants will be among the longest shots in the Malibu, won by favorites six of the last 11 years.