DEL MAR, Calif. – Flightline leads the final Del Mar notebook as summer eases toward closing day on Sunday. Time to jump in. Enjoy it while you can You never know if or when the next star will emerge, and the Pacific Classic romp by Flightline elicited fitting observations. Del Mar announcer Trevor Denman’s call of the Grade 1 as Flightline opened up in the lane: “Take a good look at this, because you’re not gonna see this too often, maybe never again.” Co-owner Kosta Hronis in a post-race interview after the 19 1/4-length romp by Flightline: “This is a really, really special horse I’m not sure we’re going to see [one like him] again.” Another season of Flightline? Trainer John Sadler confirmed Flightline runs next in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic, “then we’ll have a meeting and talk about what’s after that.” “The ownership is open to racing him again next year because he’s so special,” Sadler said. “When you read articles that for sure he’s going off to stud, don’t buy it. We really can’t decide that right now. We’ll figure that out at the end of the year.” Flightline in 2023? That would be cool. :: Visit the Del Mar Handicapping Store for Past Performances, Clocker Reports, Picks, Betting Strategies and more. Favoritism weighs heavily With Flightline the early favorite for the BC Classic, how surprising is it to learn the three lowest-odds favorites in the Classic all lost? Easy Goer (1-2) finished second to Sunday Silence in 1989; Slew o’ Gold (3-5) finished third and was placed second via disqualification in 1984; Cigar (3-5) finished third in 1996. The other odds-on favorites in the Classic were 1995 and 2015 winners Cigar and American Pharoah; Curlin, fourth in 2008; and California Chrome, runner-up in 2016. The overall record for Classic odds-on favorites: 2 for 7. Makes you want to bet against Flightline, right? Not really. Leyva a difference maker Classy move by Sadler to acknowledge assistant trainer/exercise rider Juan Leyva after the Pacific Classic win by Flightline. In a post-race media conference, Sadler addressed the importance of Leyva, a former jockey. “He’s a great horseman, but he’s also a brilliant rider,” Sadler said. “He gets credit for getting this horse to relax. Early on, [Flightline] wanted to pull hard and really go. Now, he’s settling really nicely. That’s a credit to [Leyva].” Leyva has been Flightline’s exercise rider from virtually Day One. Sadler-Leyva winning team Speaking of Sadler and Leyva, remember the low-level gelding Pointe Birds? He won a Cal-bred maiden-claiming sprint on Sept. 1, 2003 for Sadler and Leyva, the only time they teamed for a Del Mar win as trainer and jockey. Leyva retired from riding in 2017. The most accomplished horse Leyva rode in a race was 2011 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint winner Musical Romance; she beat Sadler-trained runner-up Switch. The best horse Leyva rode in a workout? Guessing it might be the 2022 Pacific Classic winner. Flightline‘s fig historically high Flightline’s 126 Beyer is not the highest ever, just the highest in California, topping Best Pal’s 123 in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap in 1992. Ghostzapper earned the all-time Beyer, 128, winning a Grade 3 on a sloppy track at Monmouth Park in 2004. Ghostzapper ran three weeks later in the Grade 1 Woodward at Belmont Park, regressed 14 points, and gutted out a neck victory. Ghostzapper’s next two starts: 124-Beyer win in the BC Classic and 122-Beyer win in the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap. Speed figures helpful ‘tool’ Trainers and bettors do not always speak the same language. But trainers occasionally do acknowledge handicapping subtleties, which is refreshing. After his 2-year-old filly Leave No Trace won the Grade 1 Spinaway on Sept. 4 at Saratoga, Phil Serpe addressed speed figures in quotes distributed by NYRA: “I don’t swear by Beyer numbers and sheet numbers, but I do use them as a tool. Her numbers were good . . . ” Leave No Trace, whose maiden-win 77 Beyer tied for the top Spinaway figure, won by a length and a half and paid $31.60. She earned a mere 76 in the Spinaway, and may be tough to support moving forward. To repeat sage advice by Serpe on figures: “Use them as a tool.” Horses to watch – maybe bet Speaking of handicapping tools, a pair of horses chronicled in the Daily Racing Form horses to watch feature are entered Friday at Del Mar. In race 6, maiden 2-year-old La Peer stretches out following a better-than-looked fifth-place debut. In race 8, the veteran First Premio goes second off the layoff after a troubled comeback. This summer, Del Mar HTWs have made a flat-bet profit – 27 ran back, 6 wins, $58.60 in mutuels. Mathis enjoying a dream meet Andy Mathis is one of Del Mar’s hottest trainers, and he starts his final runner of the meet Friday. After that, he plans to return home to Northern California and “sleep for a week.” Mathis has started 40 runners and won 12 races at the meet, double his previous Del Mar high single-meet win total. “I thought I had a good, solid group of horses,” he said. “The timing was right; a lot of these horses had the right conditions.” He has won five maiden races at the meet, including with Kings River Knight and Tiger Spice. Both ran back and won again. Regarding the element of luck, Mathis said Del Mar “is one of those places where it can go really bad.” “I had a ton of luck and caught a lot of breaks,” he said. Fixyurhairupretty runs Friday in race 3. The maiden filly might want longer, or easier. But at least her stable is hot. Chismosa scores rare triple Chismosa on Monday became the first horse in nine years to win three races during one Del Mar summer meet. Rafael DeLeon trains Chismosa, who won her debut July 23, the CTBA Stakes Aug. 7, and the Generous Portion on Monday. The last horse to win three races in a summer meet was Soi Phet in 2013. Chismosa follows three others who swept Del Mar’s Cal-bred 2-year-old filly stakes: Heleonor Rugby (2011), Tilde (2012), and Governor Goteven (2020). Tilde won the California Cup Juvenile Fillies next out; Heleonor Rugby and Governor Goteven did not win again. Different strokes for Glatt colts Agency worked a half-mile in 47.20 Tuesday at Del Mar for trainer Mark Glatt and is expected to start Sunday in the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity. But the most expensive Glatt trainee is on hold. Ultimate Gamble, a $1.75 million 2-year-old, finished fourth in his debut Aug. 13 after which Glatt and owners Jed and Tim Cohen decided to pause his workouts. “We’re going to back off on him for the time being,” Glatt said. “He’s not going out of training or anything, but he’s a big colt and he’s going through a growth spurt. We thought it was a good time to let him regroup and fill out.” :: Get Del Mar Clocker Reports straight from the morning workouts at the track. Available every race day. Ultimate Gamble will remain at the track, with plans to return later this year or early 2023. Agency, owned by Muir Hut Stables, won his debut and finished second last month in the Grade 3 Best Pal. Fashionably Fast still on game Fashionably Fast is 7, and plans call for him to race at 8. “They’d like me to bring him back one more year,” trainer Dean Pederson said after the multiple stakes winner scored his 10th victory Aug. 27 and moved to within $200,000 of $1 million in earnings. “There have been horses raised at Harris Farm that made more than $1 million, but I don’t think there’s been a horse owned by Harris Farm that came off the farm and made a million,” Pederson said. Fashionably Fast, who has earned $804,143 from 32 starts, will target a repeat in the $75,000 Harris Farms Stakes on Oct. 8 at Fresno before getting a break. Pederson has been one of Del Mar’s hottest trainers. He entered closing week 8 for 12 at the meet. His promising Clubhouse Ride gelding Thorne House (93 Beyer allowance win last Friday) could be the eventual heir to Fashionably Fast in the Cal-bred sprint division. Closer look at leading riders Jockey standings offer insight to who is riding well, but considerations also include win rate with favorites, and win rate in photo finishes (neck, head, nose). Turns out the jockeys at Del Mar who have excelled in those categories also top the standings. Juan Hernandez leads Umberto Rispoli 45-26 in wins. Riding favorites, Hernandez has won 28 of 69 (40 percent) at the meet, while Edwin Maldonado is 8 for 16 (50 percent) and Rispoli 11 for 36 (30 percent). Photo-finish leaders: Hernandez, 6 for 9; Rispoli, 4 for 7; Ramon Vazquez, 4 for 6. From 20-1 to to favoritism Every linemaker occasionally blows it, but few blunders are as glaring as the doozy at Ruidoso Downs on Monday in the year’s richest Quarter Horse race. Sicario V was listed as co-longest shot in the field for the $3 million All American Futurity, but he ended up as the betting favorite. Sicario V was 20-1 prior to the scratch of program favorite Jes an Angel. Sicario V started at 2-1, and finished second behind winner Hes Judgeandjury.