By Bill Finley
With the GI Breeders' Cup Classic nearing, John Sadler is, as you might expect, feeling pretty good about his superstar Flightline (Tapit). Zoe Cadman caught up with Sadler, this week's Green Group Guest of the Week on the TDN Writers' Room podcast, brought to you by Keeneland.
When asked about Flightline's works leading up to the Breeders' Cup, Sadler commented: “He's such a good worker. You've seen so many of his works and they're all published. He's capable of doing anything in the morning, but he went very well over the track (at Keeneland). Then there's the way he comes back out of it. He's not drawing a breath. So we feel pretty good about his conditioning.”
In his five career races Flightline has been perfect, which, Sadler noted, isn't always the way it goes, even with good horses.
“It's been it's been a good journey,” the trainer said. “It's not always that way with horses; it's not always a straight line. We obviously wanted to have another start this year. That didn't happen. We really wanted to win the Met Mile. We think that's a stallions' race. The Pacific Classic is our biggest race in Southern California and a race that I love and the ownership loves. So we're hitting our marks. One more to go.”
Sadler was relieved that the forecast for Saturday is calling for clear skies.
“The weather's going to be nice for the big weekend,” he said. “I'm happy about that. I don't have to look at the weather app 20 times a day. The track was beautiful this morning.”
Elsewhere on the podcast, which is also sponsored by Coolmore, XBTV, Three Chimneys, West Point Thoroughbreds and the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association, panelists Cadman, Randy Moss, and Bill Finley previewed all 14 Breeders' Cup races and gave their picks. And, no, no one dared pick against Flightline in the Classic. All three also picked Cave Rock (Arrogate) in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile. But their best bet, based on the odds, is Laurel River (Into Mischief) in the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile. He's 9-2 in the morning line and the pick of all three.
Moss and Finley picked against heavy favorite Jackie's Warrior (Maclean's Music) in the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint, noting that he disappointed at odds-on in each of the last two Breeders' Cups. Moss went with Elite Power (Curlin) and Finley tabbed the mare Kimari (Munnings). Cadman went with Jackie's Warrior on top, but said she also gives Elite Power, the winner of the GII Vosburgh S. in his stakes debut, a big shot. Moss will also try to beat the morning-line favorite in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf, Nashwa (GB) (Frankel {GB}), saying he has some misgivings about her jockey, Hollie Doyle.
Click here for the audio-only podcast or click here for the video.
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
