west point thoroughbreds | Horse Racing Free Tips

Terry Finley Previews Flightline’s Met Mile on the TDN Writers’ Room

The long-anticipated return of undefeated superstar Flightline draws more excitement by the day, especially now that the John Sadler-trained son of Tapit has arrived at Belmont Park in preparation for Saturday's GI Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan H. Terry Finley, whose West Point Thoroughbreds campaigns Flightline along with Hronis Racing, Siena Farm, Summer Wind Equine and Woodford Racing, has been counting down the days until the Met Mile for quite some time. Finley joined this week's TDN Writers' Room presented by Keeneland as the Green Group Guest of the Week to chat with hosts Joe Bianca and Bill Finley about the upcoming showdown between Flightline and his top competitors.

“When you think about the race on Saturday, it's not a gimme,” admitted West Point's President and CEO. “I wish it was, but it's not. They don't give million-dollar races away for free. We've got other Grade I winners in there including Breeders' Cup Champion Aloha West (Hard Spun) and Speaker's Corner (Street Sense), who is one of the most talented horses that we've seen in a while. We're going to have to show up in a big way on Saturday. I think we will but man, it's going be a heck of a race.”

Asked about where Flightline could wind up next assuming all goes well in the Met Mile, Finley could not give a definitive answer.

“I really have not posed that question to anybody in the partnership or to John Sadler,” Finley said. “I know John has been thinking about it. I've always thought John was a great trainer and a great person, but to see him perform over the last 18 months has been otherworldly. Obviously he's thinking about either Del Mar or Saratoga and I'll leave it up to him because he has made the right choice step after step after step. We'll put our trust and our confidence in John and his team to do the right thing by this horse.”

Elsewhere on the show, which is also sponsored by Coolmore, Lane's End, XBTV, the Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders, West Point Thoroughbreds and Legacy Bloodstock, the writers previewed the GI Belmont S. and the rest of Saturday's card at Belmont, but lamented the small field sizes in some of the day's most prestigious races. Click here to watch the show; click here for the audio-only version or find it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

The post Terry Finley Previews Flightline’s Met Mile on the TDN Writers’ Room appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Unbeaten Sensation Flightline ‘Ready to Go’ for Met Mile

The unbeaten sensation Flightline (Tapit) has been cleared for takeoff.

Last seen making it a perfect three-for-three with a gaudy 118 Beyer Speed Figure in Santa Anita's GI Runhappy Malibu S. Dec. 26, Flightline will launch his highly anticipated 4-year-old campaign in the GI Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan H. on the completely stacked GI Belmont S. undercard June 11.

“We're at that stage where he's all ready,” trainer John Sadler said. “He's doing really well. He hasn't missed a beat. We just have to get to next week and get a decent ship in to New York. He'll be there midday Tuesday. He's ready to go.”

Flightline has won his first three career starts–all in Southern California–by a combined margin of a staggering 37 1/2 lengths. A no-brainer 'TDN Rising Star' on debut in Arcadia Apr. 24, he followed up with another jaw-dropping victory in an optional claimer at Del Mar Sept. 5, good for a 114 Beyer Speed Figure.

He dominated his six rivals in front-running fashion by 11 1/2 lengths while making his stakes debut in the Malibu. Distant third-place finisher Stilleto Boy (Shackleford) has since finished third in both the GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational S. and GI Santa Anita H. and captured the GII Californian S. Apr. 30, respectively.

After suffering a minor setback in February, Flightline was forced to miss an intended start in the GII San Carlos S. at Santa Anita Mar. 5.

“He was going for a race in March and he had a little bit of a hock issue,” Sadler said. “We did the diagnostics on him and it didn't show anything too severe. It's just that he needed a little time. The timing was bad, but it was nothing that should compromise him going forward. We gave him a little time to get over that and now he's training lights out. If you look at his work pattern, it's really in good shape.”

Flightline has posted eight breezes since returning to the worktab Apr. 10. He covered five furlongs in :59.80 (2/23) beneath regular rider Flavien Prat at Santa Anita May 30. He is slated to breeze again Sunday before heading to the Big Apple.

“My assistant Juan Leyva has spent a lot of time with him,” Sadler said. “He works and gallops him. With him, it's always like, 'How do you ride a hurricane?' Juan's been working with him and getting him to relax. We had the time to do it, but it's not like we're doing anything different. It looks like he's a lot more settled in the mornings now. And we've got him going off nice and easy in his works, too. I'm really pleased.”

He added, “We'll probably go a half in :48 on Sunday and then come on over.”

The Met Mile will mark Flightline's first start beyond seven furlongs. Streaking Godolphin homebred Speaker's Corner (Street Sense), a visually impressive winner of the GI Carter H.; and GI Breeders' Cup Sprint winner Aloha West (Hard Spun) are also expected to line up for the highly coveted stallion-making race.

“I think he'll love it,” Sadler said of the added distance. “Sometimes, the misconception is that with really fast horses, the farther they go, they're not as good. But if you've watched any of his races, he looks like nothing but a fresh horse at the wire. And it's a one-turn mile, so it should really be well within his wheelhouse.”

Sadler continued, “The harder questions are some of the stuff we haven't answered yet. How does he ship, new environment and those kind of things. But as far as all the things I can control, I couldn't be more pleased.”

Campaigned in partnership by the powerhouse line-up of Hronis Racing, Siena Farm, breeder Summer Wind Equine, West Point Thoroughbreds and Woodford Racing, Flightline brought $1 million as a yearling at Fasig-Tipton Saratoga. He is out of the GSW & MGISP mare Feathered (Indian Charlie), a granddaughter of MGISW Finder's Fee (Storm Cat). Feathered brought $2.35 million from Summer Wind at the 2016 Keeneland November Sale.

“It would be tremendous–there's no question about the stallion potential of this horse and what this race would mean for him,” Sadler said. “Also for his cache, it would be great to win outside of California. We're excited. I'm not going to get too excited though because we've got a ways to go. But right now, he's doing beautifully.”

Races like the GI Whitney S. at Saratoga Aug. 6 or GI TVG Pacific Classic S. Sept. 3 could be in play this summer for Flightline with a long-term eye on the GI Breeders' Cup Classic at Keeneland Nov. 5.

Sadler concluded, “Sky's the limit. I've never had one like this horse.”

The post Unbeaten Sensation Flightline ‘Ready to Go’ for Met Mile appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Elector Gets Class Test in Triple Bend

West Point Thoroughbreds, Edwin Barker and William Sandbrook's Elector (Constitution), two-for-three in his young career, will take his first shot in stakes company against five rivals in the GII Triple Bend S. Sunday at Santa Anita.

Making just one start as a 3-year-old, on Dec. 26, the $65,000 Keeneland September buy stumbled early and raced greenly en route to a last-place run. Coming back at this seven-furlong trip Feb. 22, the bay was away much better and ran away to a 4 3/4-length graduation, earning a gaudy 97 Beyer. The John Sadler trainee backed that up with a wire-to-wire allowance/optional claiming success here Apr. 16.

Easily the most accomplished horse in the field is California-bred speedball Brickyard Ride (Clubhouse Ride). A three-time stakes winner last season as a 4-year-old, including a convincing four-length score in the track-and-trip GII San Carlos S., and is undefeated in four starts thus far as a 5-year-old, racking up frontrunning victories in the California-bred California Cup Sprint S., Tiznow S. and Sensational Star S. and open GIII Kona Gold S. last out here Apr. 30.

Gary Barber's Get Her Number (Dialed In), a Grade I winner over this track, will look to find himself getting back on dirt. Capturing the GI American Pharoah S. here as a juvenile, the $45,000 OBS April pickup failed to make a dent in four starts as a 3-year-old before scoring in a local allowance/optional claimer sprinting on the turf Mar. 12. He was unable to build on that when finishing 13th of 14 last out in the GIII San Francisco Mile S. on the Golden Gate lawn Apr. 30.

The post Elector Gets Class Test in Triple Bend appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Bernardini Colt Lights Up Fasig Midlantic

A colt by Bernardini (hip 385), who advertised himself with a :9 4/5 work last week, ignited a bidding duel between West Point Thoroughbreds and bloodstock agent Gary Young in the Midlantic sale ring Tuesday. Young, doing his bidding out back while standing alongside advisor Charlie Boden and trainer Bob Baffert and on the phone with Saudi businessman Amr Zedan, answered every bid from the West Point team doing its bidding at the back of the pavilion to ultimately secure the colt for a sales-record $3.55 million.

“Obviously we thought he was a standout and other people did as well,” Young said. “Mr. Zedan was on the phone with me. Originally, we were going to go to $2.5 million, but he just kept answering. He said, 'Up to $2.5 million, it's yours. After that, you've got to have me on the phone.' I kept asking and he kept answering.”

The juvenile was consigned by Becky Thomas's Sequel Bloodstock on behalf of his breeders Chester and Mary Broman. He is out of G Note (Medaglia d'Oro), a daughter of graded winner Seeking the Ante (Seeking the Gold) and half to stakes winner Mineralogist (Mineshaft), as well as to the dam of this year's GII Rebel S. winner Un Ojo (Laoban).

“He did everything,” Young said. “He went :9 4/5 and in the videos, sometimes horses when they straighten up the backstretch they are pretty well spent, but he just kept firing up the backstretch. His third furlong was super.”

On behalf of Zedan, Young purchased a son of Uncle Mo (hip 206) for $2.3 million and a colt by Justify (hip 11) for $600,000 at the OBS Spring sale last month. At the Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream, Zedan purchased a colt by Nyquist (hip 62) for $700,000.

All four purchases reflect Zedan's desire to get back to the GI Kentucky Derby, where he was represented last year by the ill-fated Medina Spirit (Protonico).

“You don't think of Bernardinis as :9 4/5 horses, as much as he's been a good sire for a long time, you think of horses that run longer,” Young said. “And that's what Mr. Zedan wants. He has Derby fever. That's his main focus. We will know in about five or six months how this turns out.”

Young said Tuesday's acquisition would likely conclude Zedan's 2-year-old purchases this year.

Hip 385 is the most expensive Thoroughbred sold at public auction in the state of Maryland, surpassing the $1.8 million set by Gamine at this sale in 2019. It was the eighth consecutive year that a horse selling at the Midlantic 2-year-old sale sold for seven figures.

Longtime New York breeders, the Bromans began selling select offerings as part of an estate planning program four years ago. The planning got a jump start with the $2-million Chestertown (Tapit), who topped the 2019 OBS March sale and is campaigned by a partnership that includes West Point Thoroughbreds and the Bromans themselves. Chestertown's half-brother by Into Mischief sold for $1 million at this year's March sale.

“It's huge,” Sequel's Carlos Manresa said of Tuesday's record-setting result. “It just goes to show how much the Bromans can be rewarded for the time that they have put into breeding these mares and keeping these families. It's especially wonderful to have Mr. Broman here for the sale. Whenever we feel like we have something that we think is really going to be exciting, he likes to be here for it. This was certainly an event that called for him to be here.”

Describing the colt's progression, Manresa said, “He's always been really calm around the barn. He is really well behaved and really well mannered. He gallops so calmly, but when we asked him to go fast, he went really fast.”

The colt became the first horse in a decade to shade :10 at the Maryland State Fairgrounds when he worked during last week's under-tack show.

“We knew he would go fast, we just didn't know he'd go quite that fast,” Manresa admitted. “We never expected a :9 4/5, but we were very pleased that he gave it to us.”

Manresa said the result was gratifying for the entire Sequel team.

“Any time you can be part of a horse that brings seven figures, it's really special,” he said. “Not just for me, but for everyone at the farm. Everyone is watching from home and they are all texting me and congratulating us, from the grooms, to the guy who does our track, to the blacksmith that does his feet every month. It's a wonderful team.”

The post Bernardini Colt Lights Up Fasig Midlantic appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post