12/26 (SA): Malibu, La Brea, Oaks (G1's), Mathis, Antonio, Gabriel (G2's)
 

Baby Yoda!

That was some La Brea.

Tell me again about why racing is better with Baffert in it. I'm all.ears.

How many stakes does his heavy favorite not lift a hoof while his longer priced horse jogs?

I may have been premature in saying Life is Good is the best horse in the country. Flightline is an impressive, impressive horse.

Made Baby Yoda look like an also-ran from Mahoning Valley...

You can temper your enthusiasm. I'm gonna let mine go wild.

For me, if he can win another race like that on a 3-week turnaround he'll be approaching the level of Officer...

For me, I just appreciate the performances. If I only get it twice a year, it doesn't make it any less impressive. Maybe if I'm an owner, I want the one that's more consistent in his ability to actually go out there and earn money and help pay the bills. As a fan, I just want to see the best horses.

Tell me you're not looking forward to Life is Good vs Knicks Go in the Pegasus and then Life is Good vs Flightline in the Met Mile.

So when horses like Precisionist and Spectacular Bid win a race like this on the back of 20+ starts and multiple full campaigns at 2 and 3 they're not doing something more impressive than what Flightline just did off a(another) layoff, on a sealed racetrack against a relatively paceless and unaccomplished field?

Flightline is "the best horse" because he can rip the heads off starter allowance horses in a sprint race once every 3 months?

..once every 3 months and when they do show up, rarely against one another?

Maybe the racing industry can embrace this whole heartedly and get back on its feet by charging $39.95 for Pay-Per-View...

About as much as I was looking forward to the Knicks Go vs. Charlatan match up in Saudi Arabia last year. I'm presuming that you're OK with Life is Good not having a start between those 2 races? Can we agree that Flightline ought to at least start in the Grade 2 7f Triple Bend (I hesitate to suggest something so demanding as the Carter) between now and the Met Mile?

At any rate, the odds are better that Life is Good and Flightline will BOTH be retired by Belmont Stakes Day than both being entered in the Met Mile...

Of course things like consistency, longevity, and competition matter when evaluating which horses have the better careers or seasons. Essential Quality and Hot Rod Charlie both had better seasons than Life is Good and especially better than Flightline. However, I don't think either of those horses are in the same zip code as Life is Good and Flightline when it comes to actual talent.

Horses like Spectacular Bid and Precisionist are hall of famers and mentioned among the greats because of their versatility and consistency. If Flightline never runs again, it would be foolish to mention his career with theirs. But one of my favorite things about this sport is that you never know when the next great one is going to come along and part of the fun is in the evaluating, projecting, predicting, and yes, hoping that you're going to see something special.

No, we can't agree that Flightline SHOULD run in the Triple Bend or Carter. Why should he? Would I love to see it? Absolutely. I'd love to see him 10 times next season. But since I know that's not going to happen, I'm not going to let that stop me from enjoying the times I do see him. I just don't see where being pessimistic about him is any fun.

Flightline is scary fast. Best athlete since Ghostzapper. Obviously held together with duck tape and hope, but what a runner. He missed the break and murdered them. I hope he races 3-4 times next year, but am not hopeful. Beyer in the 120 range based on other times there today.

You seem to always equate talent with front-running speed. Furthermore, such horses aren't even required to show they can carry that speed a distance of ground.

I suppose Old Trieste was more talented than Real Quiet, Coronado's Quest, and Victory Gallop just like King Glorious was more talented than Easy Goer, Sunday Silence, and Prized.

And yet you're fine with such horses never actually having to validate those projections on the racetrack?

Uh...so he can prove he's the next (or the latest, as it were) "great one"?

At any rate, the trainer mentioned stretching the horse out next time so I suppose he might be thinking about the San Pasqual or Razorback.

Being realistic is not necessarily being pessimistic. Having missed nearly the entirety of his 2yo and 3yo years, this horse's racing career has already passed him by.

Comparisons to Precisionist and Spectacular Bid are impossible unless the horse is so great that in addition to being a stalwart in short-field sprints in CA he is also able to invent a time machine that will allow him to compete successfully in 2020 juvenile races and this year's Triple Crown.

I'm sure even what little we will see of him as a 4yo (if there is any to see) will soon be predicated on the contingencies and stipulations of whichever overnight stud deal happens to win the rabid bidding war that started at about 7:05pm EST in Lexington, KY this evening...