It will be a busy couple of days for Flightline (Tapit), who will be the heavy favorite in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic Nov. 5. Just two days later, a 2.5% share in the future stallion will be auctioned off as part of the Keeneland November sale. The auction will be conducted with a first-of-its-kind Metaverse experience which intends to replicate the excitement of the November Sale.
To get the latest on Flightline, we called in one of his co-owners, Bill Farish, to talk about racing's most exciting horse on this week's TDN's Writers' Room podcast presented by Keeneland.
Because a share in him will be sold just two days after his race in the Breeders' Cup and potential buyers will need to know when he will begin his stallion career, Farish, who was this week's Green Group Guest of the Week, said a decision regarding the horse's future will likely be made the day after the Breeders' Cup.
“If we can make the decision on Sunday that would be helpful,” he said. “It's certainly our intention to talk on Sunday. We have all discussed that. You hate to make any big decision like this without having plenty of time to talk about it, but I think we have given all the different scenarios a lot of thought. So we hope to make that decision before the sale.”
And what will the decision be? Farish said he still doesn't know.
“There are a lot of factors that go into it and we have five different partners with an array of different interests, so it's so hard to say how we are going to feel after this race,” he said. “If he were to put in a tremendous performance like he did out in California would there be worlds left to conquer? That's one way to look at it. But there probably are other worlds to conquer and it would be a lot of fun to go out and try to do that. We are all fans of the sport, first and foremost. The experience of having something to do with a horse like this is just overwhelming and incredibly exciting. It's a tough question for me to answer because I don't know how we're all going to feel after this race and that is going to have a huge amount of influence on what we do. We have to look at myriad factors. He is a very valuable horse and it's not just a financial concern. You have to consider the health and safety of the horse.”
Whether the story will include more races or not, Farish has certainly enjoyed the ride.
“You always hope you're in a position like this,” he said. “But I don't think I could have imagined a horse like Flightline. We've all been very lucky to witness a lot of great horses but this guy keeps redefining those parameters for me, personally. I love to hear everybody else compare him to some of the great horses we all got to see run. He's just incredible. For sure, it's a dream come true.”
Elsewhere on the show, panelists Randy Moss, Zoe Cadman and Bill Finley discussed the recent report in a veterinary journal detailing the factors, including the use of Lasix, that lead to the sudden deaths of horses The podcast, which is also sponsored by Coolmore, XBTV, Three Chimneys, West Point Thoroughbreds, Lane's End, the Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders (KTOB) and Legacy Bloodstock, also featured a look at the pre-entries for the Breeders' Cup and a look back at Steve Asmussen and Tyler Gaffalione sweeping Saturday's stakes at Keeneland. Asmussen won the Perryville S. with Gunite (Gun Runner) and the GII Raven Run S. with Wicked Halo (Gun Runner). The two will come back in just two weeks to contest Breeders' Cup races. Click here to watch; click here for the audio-only version.
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