The Week in Review, by Bill Finley
Even on a day when he merely worked out, Flightline (Tapit) was front-page news after his early morning breeze Saturday at Santa Anita. That's how much he has captivated the sport; it's the reason why everyone is so hopeful that his career does not end after the GI Breeders' Cup Classic and that his owners can resist immediately cashing in on the hundreds of millions he will make at stud.
The group has collectively said that no decision will be made until after the Breeders' Cup while hinting that they are leaning toward running him next year. One owner, Kosta Hronis, said there is a “great possibility” that Flightline will race as a 5-year-old. Co-owner Bill Farish, who will eventually manage his stud career at Lane's End, said “we are all racing fans and we all want to do what is good for the sport,” which makes it sound like he would have no problem with Flightline racing next year.
Most people see it this way, that the decision comes down to “doing what is good for the sport” versus cashing in, indeed a tough choice.
That said, “the good for the game” reasoning is somewhat weak. Flightline did not run in the Triple Crown races and the mainstream media all but ignores racing unless there is a juicy controversy. For those reasons, he is largely unknown outside of racing circles, making it very difficult for him to attract new fans to the sport. While one more year would thrill existing fans, a Flightline campaign in 2023 would do little to increase handle or raise racing's profile.
But there's another factor to consider, and it's a big one. What price do you put on the priceless? What price do you put on the thrills, the excitement, the glory and everything else that comes with owning a once-in-a-lifetime horse, the type of horse none of these owners, no matter how lucky they might be, will ever have again? And whatever that price is, is it worth more than the money to be made from Flightline's first year at stud?
I don't think that the decision to bring Flightline back will come down to the money to be made at stud or doing what's right by the sport. If they bring him back, it will be because the owners can't let go of the thrills and they want to come back for more.
“All the owners love racing,” Farish said. “There's nothing more fun than what happened at Del Mar the other day in the Pacific Classic. Everybody is a fan at heart.”
Exactly.
The owners are Farish, Hronis, Anthony Manganaro, Jane Lyon and Terry Finley and his partners at West Point Thoroughbreds. I can't imagine that any of them need the money, a new boat or a private jet. Yes, they are in the business to make money, but neither would they be in racing if they didn't love the sport.
Before Flightline came around their goals were no doubt pretty much the same as everyone else's who race and breed horses. They wanted to be involved with good horses, win major races and then develop them as sires or broodmares. That's the formula and, normally, the decision to keep racing or retire a horse isn't that difficult. All five owners play the game at the highest level and are always capable of coming up with another very good horse to replace the very good horse they just retired.
But this is different. The Flightline 5 will never have another Flightline because this is a horse that has extended the boundaries of what we all thought was possible. He wins the GI Pacific Classic by 19 1/4 lengths and it looks like he isn't even trying. He's never been tested or challenged. He's yet to have a race where he didn't dominate the competition. He will be going against some exceptional horses in the Classic, but will be such an overwhelming favorite that the oddsmakers have pegged him at 3-5 in their morning lines. Every time he runs, you're expecting him to do something you used to think was beyond expectations.
The rest of us can only imagine what it must be like to own this horse. He is the horse all five owners have dreamt of since getting in the business, the horse they have worked their lifetimes for, but the horse they never possibly thought would come their way. Yet, the owners have enjoyed the experience only five times and it will be only six if he retires after the Breeders' Cup. How can they not want more or let go so easily?
Whether or not Flightline runs at five, the owners will still make boatloads of money when he does go off to stud. Why not have your cake and eat it too? This story is too good to end in less than two weeks at the Breeders' Cup. Bring him back next year and do it because there are things in life more valuable than money.
No Stakes at Santa Anita
Bundling major stakes races on one day is all the rage. Where top stakes races used to be spread throughout a track's dates, now many of them wind up being run on the same day. And the formula is working. These super-cards attract the bettors and the handles are significantly higher than on a normal Saturday.
This Saturday, Santa Anita will offer seven stakes races. On the surface, it's a smart move. The Saturday before the Breeders' Cup is normally a quiet one and what will be a standout card at Santa Anita will grab the attention of the wagering public.
But there's already been a price to pay.
There were no stakes on last Saturday's card at Santa Anita, which is something that never happens. There wasn't even an allowance race on the nine-race card. It didn't feel like a Saturday at the “Great Race Place.” It was more like a quiet Thursday afternoon. It's not just Santa Anita. There have been plenty of cards at major tracks where there was nothing special on a humdrum menu.
Big-event days are here to stay and that's not a bad thing. But couldn't Santa Anita have taken just one of the seven stakes slated for Saturday and run it a week earlier? The card sure could have used it.
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