Undefeated and unchallenged superstar Flightline has drawn post four for this Saturday's $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic, near the center of the eight-strong field for the 1 1/4-mile contest. The 4-year-old son of Tapit was listed at 3-5 on the morning line and will be handled by regular rider Flavien Prat on behalf of trainer John Sadler.
Overall, Flightline has won his five starts by a combined 62 ¾ lengths. Sadler has masterfully coordinated the colt's campaign through a number of setbacks, including a quarter crack before the start of last year's Del Mar meet and bone bruising in a hock earlier this year, but the trainer believes Flightline is more than ready for the challenge that awaits him at Keeneland.
“Ever since the Pacific Classic everything has gone really well,” Sadler said. “The timing of this race is closer than his last two starts, so we've been training him up for it, and everything's going really well.
“It was a great thrill Saturday when he had his last workout, and you saw two or three thousand people out there in the dark to watch him.”
Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen will saddle the second choice in Epicenter, leaving from stall six with morning-line odds of 5-1. The 3-year-old son of Not This Time was second in both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, and enters the Classic off a win in the Grade 1 Travers.
“We're all excited to see how we measure up,” Asmussen said.
Fellow Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher will send out two in the Classic, with Life Is Good listed as the third choice at 6-1 from post two and Happy Saver listed at 30-1 from post three.
“Going a mile and a quarter is plenty of time to get position, and kind of play things off the break,” Pletcher said of his two chances' post draws.
Upset Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike will also enter this year's Classic field, leaving the gate from post eight with morning-line odds of 20-1.
“It's a real privilege to be here with all these guys in a race of this stature,” said trainer Eric Reed. “It's been a dream come true… it's worked before from the outside!”
In total, 177 horses from seven countries were entered in this year's Breeders' Cup World Championships.
Among the other exciting entries in this year's event are:
- Stablemates Nest vs. Malathaat in the Distaff;
- War Like Goddess taking on the males in the Turf;
- Heartwarmingly-named Cody's Wish as the favorite in the Dirt Mile; and
- Golden Pal chasing his third straight Breeders' Cup win in the Turf Sprint.
The fields are listed below in post position order:
Saturday Races
Breeders' Cup Classic
| 1 | Taiba | Bob Baffert |
| 2 | Life Is Good | Todd A. Pletcher |
| 3 | Happy Saver | Todd A. Pletcher |
| 4 | Flightline | John W. Sadler |
| 5 | Hot Rod Charlie | Doug F. O'Neill |
| 6 | Epicenter | Steven M. Asmussen |
| 7 | Olympiad | William I. Mott |
| 8 | Rich Strike | Eric R. Reed |
Breeders' Cup Turf
| 1 | Bye Bye Melvin | H. Graham Motion |
| 2 | War Like Goddess | William I. Mott |
| 3 | Stone Age (IRE) | Aidan P. O'Brien |
| 4 | Broome (IRE) | Aidan P. O'Brien |
| 5 | Rebel's Romance (IRE) | Charlie Appleby |
| 6 | Channel Maker | William I. Mott |
| 7 | Nations Pride (IRE) | Charlie Appleby |
| 8 | Master Piece (CHI) | Michael W. McCarthy |
| 9 | Gold Phoenix (IRE) | Philip D'Amato |
| 10 | Red Knight | Michael J. Maker |
| 11 | Mishriff (IRE) | John H.M. Gosden |
| 12 | Nautilus (BRZ) | Paulo H. Lobo |
| 13 | Highland Chief (IRE) | H. Graham Motion |
Breeders' Cup Distaff
| 1 | Malathaat | Todd A. Pletcher |
| 2 | Blue Stripe (ARG) | Marcelo Polanco |
| 3 | Secret Oath | D. Wayne Lukas |
| 4 | Clairiere | Steven M. Asmussen |
| 5 | Awake At Midnyte | Doug F. O'Neill |
| 6 | Nest | Todd A. Pletcher |
| 7 | Search Results | Chad C. Brown |
| 8 | Society | Steven M. Asmussen |
Breeders' Cup Mile
| 1 | Pogo (IRE) | Charles Hills |
| 2 | Shirl's Speight | Roger L. Attfield |
| 3 | Dreamloper (IRE) | Ed Walker |
| 4 | Modern Games (IRE) | Charlie Appleby |
| 5 | Smooth Like Strait | Michael W. McCarthy |
| 6 | Ivar (BRZ) | Paulo H. Lobo |
| 7 | Beyond Brilliant | John A. Shirreffs |
| 8 | Regal Glory | Chad C. Brown |
| 9 | Malavath (IRE) | Francis-Henri Graffard |
| 10 | Order of Australia (IRE) | Aidan P. O'Brien |
| 11 | Annapolis | Todd A. Pletcher |
| 12 | King Cause | Michael J. Maker |
| 13 | Kinross (GB) | Ralph M. Beckett |
| 14 | Domestic Spending (GB) | Chad C. Brown |
| 15 AE | Front Run the Fed | Caio Caramori |
| 16 AE | Gear Jockey | George R. Arnold II |
Breeders' Cup Sprint
| 1 | Manny Wah | Wayne M. Catalano |
| 2 | Kimari | Wesley A. Ward |
| 3 | O Besos | Gregory D. Foley |
| 4 | American Theorem | George Papaprodromou |
| 5 | Aloha West | Wayne M. Catalano |
| 6 | Elite Power | William I. Mott |
| 7 | Super Ocho (CHI) | Amador Merei Sanchez |
| 8 | C Z Rocket | Peter Miller |
| 9 | Jackie's Warrior | Steven M. Asmussen |
| 10 | Willy Boi | Jorge Delgado |
| 11 | Flash of Mischief | Karl Broberg |
Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf
| 1 | Lady Speightspeare | Roger L. Attfield |
| 2 | Going to Vegas | Philip D'Amato |
| 3 | Nashwa (GB) | John H.M. Gosden |
| 4 | Above the Curve | Joseph Patrick O'Brien |
| 5 | Tuesday (IRE) | Aidan P. O'Brien |
| 6 | Mise En Scene (GB) | James Ferguson |
| 7 | Toy (IRE) | Aidan P. O'Brien |
| 8 | Family Way | Brendan P. Walsh |
| 9 | Rougir (FR) | Chad C. Brown |
| 10 | Virginia Joy (GER) | Chad C. Brown |
| 11 | In Italian (GB) | Chad C. Brown |
| 12 | Moira | Kevin Attard |
Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile
| 1 | Slow Down Andy | Doug F. O'Neill |
| 2 | Simplification | Antonio Sano |
| 3 | Pipeline | Chad C. Brown |
| 4 | Law Professor | Rob Atras |
| 5 | Gunite | Steven M. Asmussen |
| 6 | Laurel River | Bob Baffert |
| 7 | Cody's Wish | William I. Mott |
| 8 | Informative | Uriah St. Lewis |
| 9 | Cyberknife | Brad Cox |
| 10 | Senor Buscador | Todd W. Fincher |
| 11 | Three Technique | Jason G. Cook |
Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint
| 1 | Creative Force (IRE) | Charlie Appleby |
| 2 | Flotus (IRE) | Simon Crisford |
| 3 | Emaraaty Ana (GB) | Kevin A. Ryan |
| 4 | Campanelle (IRE) | Wesley A. Ward |
| 5 | Go Bears Go (IRE) | David Loughnane |
| 6 | Highfield Princess (FR) | John Quinn |
| 7 | Arrest Me Red | Wesley A. Ward |
| 8 | Golden Pal | Wesley A. Ward |
| 9 | Naval Crown (GB) | Charlie Appleby |
| 10 | Caravel | Brad Cox |
| 11 | Casa Creed | William I. Mott |
| 12 | Bran (FR) | John W. Sadler |
| 13 | Cazadero | Brendan P. Walsh |
| 14 | Artemus Citylimits | Michael J. Maker |
| 15 AE | Dancing Buck | Michelle Nevin |
| 16 AE | Oceanic | Jordan Blair |
Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint
| 1 | Slammed | Todd W. Fincher |
| 2 | Edgeway | John W. Sadler |
| 3 | Chi Town Lady | Wesley A. Ward |
| 4 | Ce Ce | Michael W. McCarthy |
| 5 | Frank's Rockette | William I. Mott |
| 6 | Chain of Love (JPN) | Michihiro Ogasa |
| 7 | Obligatory | William I. Mott |
| 8 | Goodnight Olive | Chad C. Brown |
| 9 | Sterling Silver | Thomas Albertrani |
| 10 | Hot Peppers | Rudy Rodriguez |
| 11 | Wicked Halo | Steven M. Asmussen |
| 12 | Lady Rocket | Brad Cox |
| 13 | Echo Zulu | Steven M. Asmussen |
Friday Races
Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf
| 1 | Victoria Road (IRE) | Aidan P. O'Brien |
| 2 | Packs a Wahlop | Jeff Mullins |
| 3 | Curly Larry and Mo | Caio Caramori |
| 4 | Silver Knott (GB) | Charlie Appleby |
| 5 | Battle of Normandy | Claude R. McGaughey III |
| 6 | Andthewinneris | Wayne M. Catalano |
| 7 | Really Good | Michael J. Maker |
| 8 | I'm Very Busy | Chad C. Brown |
| 9 | Nagirroc | H. Graham Motion |
| 10 | Webslinger | Mark E. Casse |
| 11 | Reckoning Force | Brendan P. Walsh |
| 12 | Mo Stash | Vicki Oliver |
| 13 | Major Dude | Todd A. Pletcher |
| 14 | Gaslight Dancer | Michael J. Maker |
Breeders' Cup Juvenile
| 1 | Hurricane J | Paulo H. Lobo |
| 2 | Congruent | Antonio Sano |
| 3 | Cave Rock | Bob Baffert |
| 4 | Forte | Todd A. Pletcher |
| 5 | Verifying | Brad Cox |
| 6 | Blazing Sevens | Chad C. Brown |
| 7 | Wound Up | Michael W. McCarthy |
| 8 | Lost Ark | Todd A. Pletcher |
| 9 | Curly Jack | Thomas M. Amoss |
| 10 | National Treasure | Bob Baffert |
Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf
| 1 | Comanche Country (IRE) | Philip D'Amato |
| 2 | Cairo Consort | Nathan Squires |
| 3 | Last Call | Kevin Attard |
| 4 | Free Look | Chad C. Brown |
| 5 | Pleasant Passage | Claude R. McGaughey III |
| 6 | Be Your Best (IRE) | Horacio DePaz |
| 7 | Spirit Gal (FR) | W.P Browne |
| 8 | Manhattan Jungle (IRE) | Amy Murphy |
| 9 | Delight | Jonathan Thomas |
| 10 | Meditate (IRE) | Aidan P. O'Brien |
| 11 | G Laurie | H. Graham Motion |
| 12 | Midnight Mile (IRE) | Richard A. Fahey |
| 13 | Xigera | Philip Bauer |
| 14 | Basil Martini (IRE) | Joseph Patrick O'Brien |
Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies
| 1 | Vegas Magic | Doug F. O'Neill |
| 2 | You're My Girl | John P. Terranova II |
| 3 | And Tell Me Nolies | Peter Miller |
| 4 | Sabra Tuff | Dallas Stewart |
| 5 | Wonder Wheel | Mark E. Casse |
| 6 | Alma Rosa | Bernardo G. Lopez |
| 7 | Chop Chop | Brad Cox |
| 8 | Atomically | Todd A. Pletcher |
| 9 | Grand Love | Steven M. Asmussen |
| 10 | Chocolate Gelato | Todd A. Pletcher |
| 11 | American Rockette | William I. Mott |
| 12 | Shoplifter | Eddie Kenneally |
| 13 | Leave No Trace | Philip M. Serpe |
| 14 | Raging Sea | Chad C. Brown |
Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint
| 1 | Lady Hollywood (GB) | Alice Haynes |
| 2 | Love Reigns (IRE) | Wesley A. Ward |
| 3 | Private Creed | Steven M. Asmussen |
| 4 | Dramatised (IRE) | Karl Burke |
| 5 | Mischief Magic (IRE) | Charlie Appleby |
| 6 | Persian Force (IRE) | Richard Hannon |
| 7 | Oxymore | Chad C. Brown |
| 8 | American Apple | Daniel J. Leitch |
| 9 | Sharp Aza Tack | Doug F. O'Neill |
| 10 | Tyler's Tribe | Timothy E. Martin |
| 11 | Speed Boat Beach | Bob Baffert |
| 12 | The Platinum Queen (IRE) | Richard A. Fahey |
| 13 AE | Bushido | Darwin D. Banach |
| 14 AE | No Nay Hudson (IRE) | Wesley A. Ward |
| 15 AE | Mounsieur Coco | Fausto Gutierrez |
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