Flightline has been retired to stud following his sensational Breeders’ Cup Classic victory on Saturday.
The four-year-old prevailed by eight and a quarter lengths at Keeneland, maintaining his perfect record of six wins in as many starts for trainer John Sadler.
Flightline did not make his debut until April 2021, but has been on a steep upward trajectory since his initial victory, winning a claimer at Del Mar before going on to secure four successive Grade One triumphs, culminating in the Breeders’ Cup.
His smallest margin of victory was six lengths in the Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont, while his 19-and-a-half-length win in the Pacific Classic counts as his most conclusive success.
Flightline went into the Breeders’ Cup Classic with a Timeform rating of 143, making him the highest-rated horse in the world (Baaeed was rated 137) with Timeform. Only four Flat horses – Frankel (147), Sea-Bird (145), Brigadier Gerard (144) and Tudor Minstrel (144) – have earned a higher Timeform rating than Flightline.
