Brilliant 'TDN Rising Star' Flightline (Tapit), among the most exciting horses in training or in recent memory, faces his toughest test to date in Sunday's GI Runhappy Malibu S. The $1-million FTSAUG buy turned in a debut for the ages when drubbing local foes by double digit lengths and earning a 105 Beyer Speed Figure here in April, and after overcoming a bruised foot he put up a gaudy 114 Beyer when making similarly short work of Del Mar optional claiming foes Sept. 5. The John Sadler trainee has certainly not yet faced a field as accomplished as this one, but the runner-up from his last outing Escape Route (Hard Spun) is a consistent sort who looks poised to clear his '1X' condition earlier on the card; and fourth-finisher Positivity (Paynter) bested that runner narrowly next time out before missing by a nose in a state-bred stake last month. The knocks on Flightline are that he has been handled with kid gloves thus far–including passing on a try at the Breeders' Cup–and has certainly not battle tested to this point, but his talent is undeniable and the additional furlong of the Malibu may in fact help him if anything.
Dr. Schivel (Violence), meanwhile, has been in several dogfights already and could very well earn champion sprinter honors if he takes down the favorite here. A winner of the GI Runhappy Del Mar Futurity going this distance last summer, the bay scored three straight this year after being transferred to Mark Glatt, besting elders in the GI Bing Crosby S. in July and GII Santa Anita Sprint Championship S. in October. He seeks redemption after taking a tough nose beat in the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint here Nov. 6.
It's rare for a two-for-two Bob Baffert-trained 'Rising Star' to be flying under the radar–especially one with a pedigree like Triple Tap (Tapit)–but the chestnut may in fact be doing just that. Born and raised on the same Summer Wind Farm as Flightline, the half-brother to Triple Crown winner American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile) and full to fellow Summer Wind colorbearer and GISW Chasing Yesterday (Tapit) was a comfortable debut winner over track and trip back in March. He resurfaced on Breeders' Cup Friday Nov. 5 to take a Del Mar optional claimer from well off the pace.
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