Those of us who watched the Malibu Stakes from Santa Anita on Sunday/Monday witnessed something very special.
There had been rumours about the colt being very promising as he won his first start in late April by 13 1/4 lengths. He hasn't been rushed and was given until early September in Del Mar to run in an allowance race and won that by 12 ¾ lengths. Connections decided not to run him in the Breeders' Cup but to wait for this race which was a big step up in class but he nailed it winning by 11 ½ lengths under a run which jockey Flavien Prat described as "cruise control". The jockey added "He has been brilliant so far. He really has been quite amazing".
You have to pinch yourself when you realise that this was only his third start. He/s by Tapit out of Feathered, an Indian Charlie mare.
Trainer John Sadler is being cautious about future plans saying "The next race is up to the horse. We have to be true to the horse. We will chart the course from there. This horse is so brilliant. This is not an ordinary horse, this is a very special horse." Sadler said he was glad there were plenty of people on the course to see what could be a history-making horse.
Jockey Jose Ortiz on the second horse Baby Yoda said that Flightline was a freak because of having a great turn of foot after they had gone at a very good pace.
Flightline like all of the horses running in the Gr 1s at Santa Anita will be 4 years old on 1st January and it will be very interesting to see where they go to. The Middle East has been mentioned for Flightline but Sadler says the large ownership group will need to have some serious discussions first.
As almost a footnote, Kalypso won the La Brea from Brilliant Cut and the American Oaks, which was switched to the dirt track for reasons unknown and automatically downgraded to a Gr 2, saw Mike McCarthy's pair of Queen Goddess and Nicest adapt best to the change of surface.
During the week there was a virtual hearing at the Southern District Court of New York with respect to Dr Rebecca Linke, one of the vets involved in the Navarro-Servis etc. case. She accepted a "deferred prosecution agreement during a Dec. 21 virtual hearing before U.S. District Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil. The agreement requires Linke to be supervised for two years by a U.S. Pretrial Services officer and be subject to a number of restrictions during that time. At the end of the two years and provided she has complied, all the charges Linke faces as part of the federal indictment will be dropped.
Through Dec. 18, 2023, Linke cannot hold any professional license that allows her to participate in the sport of horse racing. She also is prohibited from practicing medicine on any horse that is involved or intended to be involved in pari-mutuel horse racing, and she cannot associate with any member or employee of Colts Neck Equine, a veterinary practice in Manalapan, N.J., where she was an associate veterinarian."
She was indicted for allegedly supplying misbranded and adulterated performance-enhancing drugs to Standardbred trainer Nicholas Surick. Standardbred trainer Christopher Marino is also said to have administered drugs supplied by Linke.
In other activity related to the federal indictment, veterinarian Seth Fishman remains free following a Dec. 20 hearing to consider revoking his bail.
The trial is scheduled for January 19.
In other off-track matters, Ken Ramsay has placed money in escrow to stop Wes Ward sending 14 of his horses to the sales.
And in California, The California Horse Racing Board's medical director, Jeff Blea, will face a number of allegations related to improper administration of drugs while he worked as a racetrack vet that could put his veterinary license at risk.
