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Flightline Imperious In Runhappy Malibu Romp

Flightline (Tapit), who had given hints of greatness while opening his career with two supremely easy victories, officially arrived with an eye-popping victory in the GI Runhappy Malibu S. at Santa Anita Sunday.

For Bill Farish of co-owner Woodford Racing, the Malibu result confirmed the faith his team has had in the colt all along.

“We hoped to win this, but to do this against this kind of field, this was the real class test for him and I think he answered it the way we thought he would,” Farish said.

Off a touch slowly, the bay recovered and clicked off an opening quarter in :22.01 and a half in :44.48 while under an easy hold. Asked to lengthen once heads were turned for home, Flightline continued to widen on the front end without being asked a single question by Flavien Prat and coasted under the line 11 1/2 lengths clear of Baby Yoda (Prospective). The final time, over what was a dull strip during Sunday's program, was a spectacular 1:21.37, better than three seconds faster than the time recorded by Kalypso (Brody's Cause) in the GI La Brea S. a couple of races prior.

“I was in cruise control the whole race, galloping freely,” Prat said. “He was quite impressive. I wanted to get a good position and get myself into the race. My idea was to get out there running and see what happened. He has been brilliant so far. He really has been quite amazing.”

A $1-million graduate of the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale, Flightline earned no-doubt 'TDN Rising Star'-dom with a 13 1/4-length romp on his local debut Apr. 24. Gone for some 4 1/2 months thereafter, Flightline resumed with a 12 3/4-length success in a first-level Del Mar allowance Sept. 5, prompting questions on whether a Breeders' Cup appearance might be in the offing. After some deliberation, connections demurred, opting to train up to Sunday's race.

“I've been stressing the last 20, 30 or 40 days getting ready for today,” trainer John Sadler admitted. “There is a lot of pressure on you, but it is the pressure you want. It's like the high school coach for LeBron. You know you have something special and he is much the best. This horse is there. You just don't want to screw it up.”

As for where his budding superstar might appear next, Sadler said, “The next race is up to the horse. We have to be true to the horse. We will chart the course from there. This horse is so brilliant. This is not an ordinary horse, this is a very special horse. We want to do right by the horse and all other things will fall into place.”

Pedigree Notes:

Feathered, who was second in the 2015 GI American Oaks, has a yearling full-brother to Flightline who RNA'd for $390,000 at this year's Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale, and a weanling half-brother by Curlin. Her 2-year-old colt by Pioneerof the Nile was exported to Russia after selling for $100,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton October sale. Feathered, who was purchased by Jane Lyon's Summer Wind Farm for $2.35 million at the 2016 Keeneland November sale, was bred to Into Mischief this year. Flightline is the 95 graded winner for Tapit and the first out of an Indian Charlie mare.

Sunday, Santa Anita Park
RUNHAPPY MALIBU S.-GI, $301,000, Santa Anita, 12-26, 3yo, 7f, 1:21.37, ft.
1–FLIGHTLINE, 120, c, 3, by Tapit
1st Dam: Feathered (GSW & MGISP, $577,474),
                                by Indian Charlie
                2nd Dam: Receipt, by Dynaformer
                3rd Dam: Finder's Fee, by Storm Cat
   1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN, 1ST GRADE I
   WIN. 'TDN Rising Star'. ($1,000,000 Ylg '19 FTSAUG). O-Hronis
Racing LLC, Siena Farm LLC, Summer Wind Equine LLC, West
Point Thoroughbreds & Woodford Racing, LLC; B-Summer
Wind Equine LLC (KY); T-John W. Sadler; J-Flavien Prat.
$180,000. Lifetime Record: 3-3-0-0, $259,800. Werk Nick
   Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Baby Yoda, 120, g, 3, Prospective–More Than Speed, by
More Than Ready. 1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. O-Pantofel Stable, LLC,
Wachtel Stable, Gary Barber & Jerold L. Zaro; B-Kathleen
Amaya & Alexandro & Raffaele Centofanti (FL); T-William I.
Mott. $60,000.
3–Stilleto Boy, 120, g, 3, Shackleford–Rosie's Ransom, by
Marquetry. ($420,000 3yo '21 FTKHRA). O-Steve Moger;
B-John Kerber & Iveta Kerber (KY); T-Ed Moger, Jr. $36,000.
Margins: 11HF, 1, 6 1/4. Odds: 0.40, 16.10, 19.10.
Also Ran: Triple Tap, Timeless Bounty, Team Merchants, Dr. Schivel.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Never Surprised Stays Hot in Tropical Derby

Sent off the 1-2 chalk to close a successful sophomore season, Repole Stable's Never Surprised (Constitution) likely earned a spot in the field for the GI Pegasus World Cup Turf with a sparkling front-running success in Sunday's Tropical Park Derby, the same event used as a springboard to Pegasus success by stablemate Colonel Liam (Liam's Map) early this year.

Exiting a big-figure victory in the Gio Ponti S. at Aqueduct last month, Never Surprised wasted no time getting to the front, but was made to work for it by longshot Lamplighter Jack (Fed Biz) through enervating fractions of :23.22 and :46.66. Going very well despite the demanding pace, Never Surprised began to sneak away from his beaten rival on the turn, was hand-ridden into the stretch and was merely shown the whip through the final sixteenth of a mile, scoring in strong time.

Perfect in two juvenile appearances, including the Central Park S. last November, Never Surprised was beaten into second as the odds-on pop in this track's GIII Kitten's Joy S. last January before getting some time off. Runner-up to Public Sector (GB) (Kingman {GB}) in the GIII Saranac S. in September, he was beaten a neck by that rival in the GII Hill Prince S. Oct. 23 before taking Gio Ponti by the same margin of victory as Sunday, earning a 98 Beyer.

Golden Pedigree acquired Never Surprises dam for $5,500 at Keeneland January 2017 and the colt is her first produce. She is also the dam of the 2-year-old filly Ace Girl (Connect), a yearling Munnings colt that cost BSW/Crow Colts Group $275,000 at KEESEP this fall and a weanling colt by the same sire. Never Surprised is bred on the same cross responsible for MGISW Tiz the Law. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

TROPICAL PARK DERBY, $100,000, Gulfstream, 12-26, 3yo, 1 1/16mT, 1:40.39, fm.
1–NEVER SURPRISED, 124, c, 3, by Constitution
                1st Dam: Tiz Dixie, by Tiznow
                2nd Dam: Comeon Dixie, by Mr. Greeley
                3rd Dam: Dixieland Blues, by Dixieland Band
($30,000 Wlg '18 KEENOV; $200,000 Ylg '19 KEESEP). O-Repole
Stable; B-Golden Pedigree LLC (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher; J-Luis
Saez. $57,660. Lifetime Record: MGSP, 7-4-3-0, $378,960.
2–Yes This Time, 124, c, 3, Not This Time–Smart Jilly, by Smart
Strike. O-Edge Racing; B-Barry S. Golden (KY); T-Kelly J. Breen.
$18,600.
3–Safe Conduct, 124, c, 3, Bodemeister–Duchess Dancer, by
Congrats. ($45,000 Wlg '18 KEENOV). O-WellSpring Stables;
B-Mitchell H. Kursner (ON); T-Philip M. Serpe. $9,300.
Margins: 6 1/4, NO, HF. Odds: 0.50, 4.80, 14.00.
Also Ran: Hot Blooded, Scarlett Sky, Sigiloso, Fighting Force, Grey Streak, In Effect, King of Dreams, Mohs, Lamplighter Jack. Scratched: American Prince, Kygo (Ger), Shady McGee (Ire).
Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Sales-Topping Uncle Mo Colt Makes Successful Debut

4th-Santa Anita, $68,000, Msw, 12-26, 3yo/up, 6 1/2f, 1:16.11, ft, 1/2 length.
SHAAZ (c, 3, Uncle Mo–Miss Ocean City, by Mineshaft), the better fancied of a pair of debuting 3-year-olds for trainer Bob Baffert, overcame his inexperience and overhauled his barnmate Hopkins (Quality Road) in the dying strides to graduate by a half-length Sunday at Santa Anita. The $1.1-million topper from the 2020 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale, Shaaz was not the quickest away and lingered in the latter third of the field as Hopkins set a fast pace over a track that had been yielding slow sectionals in the first few races. Wide on the turn, the Virginia-bred began to find his best stride three furlongs from home and took aim on Hopkins after a half in :45.01. He looked as if he might be able to run up the score in the final eighth of a mile, but he refused to swap his leads, weaving in an out under John Velazquez, before knuckling down in the final 50 yards to prove best as the 1-2 chalk. Q B One (Uncle Mo), the first foal out of multiple champion Beholder (Henny Hughes), finished a one-paced sixth. Shaaz, a $185,000 buyback at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale, was knocked down to Donato Lanni, agent for Petersen, for the sales-topping price at Midlantic in 2020 after breezing an eighth of a mile in :10 flat. Lanni paid a sales-topping $1.8 million for Gamine (Into Mischief) at FTMMAY in 2019. Shaaz is a half-brother to Azar (Scat Daddy), GSW, $356,558, and a yearling colt by Quality Road. His dam was most recently covered by Uncle Mo's champion son Nyquist. Sales history: $185,000 RNA Ylg '19 FTSAUG; $1,100,000 2yo '20 EASMAY. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0,$40,200. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
O-Michael Lund Petersen; B-William M Backer Revocable Trust (VA); T-Bob Baffert.

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‘The More You Do, The More You Learn’: Gary Stevens On Going From Rider To Agent

Hall of Famer Gary Stevens has worn a lot of different hats during his time in the industry, from jockey to trainer to racing analyst. He even had a brief encounter with acting for the movie “Seabiscuit,” but he is currently working on mastering being an agent for former Southern California-based jockeys Geovanni Franco and Tiago Pereira at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark.

Stevens is best known for his career as a jockey spanning from 1979 to 2018, in which time he earned $258,217,768 and won 5,187 races in North America, including each leg of the Triple Crown three times, 11 Breeders' Cup races, and many other notable national and international races. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1997, and won an Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey the following year.

Stevens' father, Ron, was also involved in the horse racing industry as a trainer. His father introduced him to racing at a young age and even gave Stevens his first mount as a professional Thoroughbred jockey aboard Lil Star, who was the young jockey's first win that same day.

Stevens discussed his role as an agent and his passion for the industry.

Question: What do your responsibilities as an agent look like day to day?

Gary Stevens: “I wake up at 4:00 a.m. and I'm out at the track by 5:00. There are certain trainers that I hit early on and then I sort of just work my way through the barn area. Really the most difficult thing is arranging workouts. Geovanni had some nice winners this past weekend. To be successful at Oaklawn, the jock has to work horses. Trainers like it when they're out in the morning. I just make sure workouts are organized timing-wise, no conflicts. It's not easy to keep everybody happy. It seems like everybody wants the same times.

I also book mounts for the future so that's how the day starts. I'm also doing television for America's Day At The Races on FOX every day as well. There's no conflicts as far as entries go, other than on Saturdays when they take entries for Fridays so I have to go between where I do my television and the racing office. They're busy, busy days, but I'm enjoying them.”

Q: Do you think that your experience as a jockey – as well as your wide variety of other experiences in the industry – helps you market your riders?

G: “Yeah, but I'll tell you what, an agent's job is not easy, but if you have a good product it makes your job much easier. I've always respected my agents, but I have more respect for every agent out there now that I'm doing it full time. It's not an easy job and even though I've been around it all my life, there's nuances that I'm still learning on the fly. There's guys that have been doing this as long as I rode and their experience level, you can see it. I feel like the apprentice right now believe it or not, but being able to walk into pretty much any barn that I want to is a big help. I feel like I've got respect and I respect every barn that I walk into. I feel like I have a definite advantage with the reputation that I have.”

Q: You've already touched on some challenges to being an agent, but what is your favorite part about it?

G: “I love being out on the backstretch in the morning. I always have. When I was riding even at the highest level I enjoyed being in the barn. I've been going to the barn since I was a young kid working for my father and it's part of my life. Without the mornings you don't have the afternoons. I love watching the grooms work, the hot walkers, the trainers, the assistants, and just everything about it. One of my favorite things about being at Oaklawn is being at Wayne Lukas's barn every morning and not necessarily talking about the present, but the past and Wayne making me what he calls a 'gourmet coffee.' We'll sit and start telling old stories and I really enjoy that.”

Q: You've worn a lot of different hats within the horse racing industry. What is it about this industry that keeps you coming back?

G: “It's my life. I really enjoyed training, but the way it is now with these big outfits and everything, it's a definite challenge. I don't know how some of these guys make it with small outfits, especially in California and New York with the labor laws and taxes and insurance. It's a very difficult job to have. Being an agent goes hand in hand with what I did all those years riding, going by the barns, and being a part of it. I'm addicted to it and it's all I know. I've got the television stuff that I've done and that also kind of goes hand in hand because I have to do a lot of studying and homework for my shows. That prepares me for my job as a jockey's agent as well. It's this giant web kind of like the internet and one thing just leads to another and the more you do, the more you learn, and the more opportunities you get.”

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