Undefeated Flightline drilled five furlongs from the starting gate Saturday at Del Mar in preparation for his expected start in the TVG Pacific Classic (G1) September 3 at California's seaside track.
Working in company with four-time winner Impossible Task, the 4-year-old Tapit colt easily dispatched his stablemate while covering the distance in :59.40, the third-fastest clocking of 89 moves at the distance.
“We wanted to get a good break today and that's exactly what we got,” trainer John Sadler's assistant Juan Leyva, who was aboard for the workout, told co-owner West Point Thoroughbreds' Jeff Lifson in a video interview on Twitter.
“The first jump was really good; I didn't ask him to go, I just let him do it on his own. He broke super, and I just gave him a loose rein up until the eighth pole when I had to snug him up a little so he doesn't go too fast. But he rated kindly, finished up his work with ease and then the gallop out was extraordinary.”
Sadler noted that Flightline was a bit slow to start in his most recent outing, the Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan Stakes (G1) June 11 at Belmont Park, which he won by six lengths, but wanted to get a gate work into him prior to the Pacific Classic.
Flightline is owned by the partnership of Hronis Racing, Siena Farm, breeder Summer Wind Equine, West Point Thoroughbreds, and Woodford Racing.
The top-ranked horse pointing to the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) November 5 at Keeneland, Flightline is perfect in four lifetime outings, including the 2021 Runhappy Malibu Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita.
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