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00:00So here's the weekend preview segment sponsored, of course, by Three Chimneys.
00:10Closing weekend, Labor Day weekend, Bill, the summer is coming to an end.
00:14It happened so fast.
00:16All eyes are going to be on Flightline.
00:17There's a bunch of action in Saratoga that we'll get to, but you got to start with Flightline
00:21in the Pacific Classic.
00:23This is the biggest test of his life by far, just based on the fact that he has to go a
00:29mile and a quarter.
00:30I know he had a formidable foe in Speaker's Corner.
00:34We saw it in the Met Mile, the Malibu.
00:38We thought maybe he had a couple of okay horses last year.
00:41In retrospect, he was so much better than everybody else in all of those races, and
00:46up to a mile, I don't think that there's a better horse than him in America.
00:49I don't know that there's been a better horse at a mile in the last 10, 20 years than him,
00:54but now he's got to go a mile and a quarter, which is obviously the distance of the Breeders'
00:57Cup Classic.
00:59Looking at his potential competition, it's not going to be a total walkover.
01:04There are going to be horses who have been proven at this distance and at this level,
01:08namely Country Grammar, who we saw earlier this year win the Dubai World Cup at this
01:12distance.
01:13We also have Royal Ship, who won the San Diego earlier this meet.
01:17Express Train, who was a grade one winner at a mile and a quarter.
01:20Stiletto Boy, a couple of other, maybe one or two other.
01:24California also ran types, not that, I mean, Stiletto Boy's won some okay races, but in
01:29terms of the big names to tackle Flightline, Country Grammar is the biggest name so far,
01:34I think.
01:35Bill, how do you feel?
01:36He's going to be one to five.
01:37Do we like Flightline going a mile and a quarter, or are we waiting to see?
01:41Well, yeah, I do, and that's certainly not going out on a limb, but one of the things
01:48about this race show, as much as we lament the fact that the horse now runs so infrequently,
01:53and he does run, it's such a treat, because it's like Christmas, we get to see it.
01:57Christmas plus July 4th and Thanksgiving, we get to see those things three times a year,
02:01and we're going to get to see him three times this year.
02:06You're right about the distance being the question, and I don't think Country Grammar
02:12is as good a horse as Flightline, but he's a legitimate grade one mile and a quarter
02:17horse, and I'm okay with him losing to San Diego.
02:20It was his first race back coming out of Dubai.
02:23Obviously, Baffert was gearing him up for this race, but go back to Jackie's Warrior.
02:28These races, it's a cliche, but they do have to run the things, and so we can't just say
02:33at this point he's going to win, but the whole thing about him going a mile and a quarter,
02:39you have to take the pedigree into account.
02:42When Jack Christopher struggled going a mile and an eighth, he's by Munnings.
02:46Very good sire, but you're not thinking of Munnings as somebody who's necessarily going
02:50to throw a mile and a quarter, mile and an eighth horses.
02:53This horse is by Tappet, and there's hundreds of Tappets out there that have been good going
02:58two turns mile and an eighth, mile and a quarter on the dirt, so you don't think because of
03:03his breeding he's going to have any problems or from his running style, and again, I'll
03:07say this.
03:08If he wins by a half a length, I'm going to be disappointed.
03:12There's just a magical element to this race.
03:16It's almost like we can't even believe what we're seeing, and I want to see him go out
03:21and win by 12 lengths again, pulled up at the 16th pole, and run a 118 buyer, and the
03:27fact that that's possible is what makes this horse so cool and so much fun to watch.
03:33Yeah, I wish he ran eight times this year.
03:36Yeah, I wish they were going to bring him back next year.
03:38I don't think they've said publicly what they're going to do, but it's hard to imagine that
03:41he wouldn't be retired at the end of the year, and I, as a fan, look, unless I fall in love
03:47with somebody that I think will definitely run second, I don't think I'm betting the
03:50race, what's a Flightline Crunchy Grammar Exact is going to pay, what, $380 or something
03:55like that, so there's not much to get excited about from that standpoint, but, you know,
04:00it's must-watch television.
04:01We'll all be tuned into TVG at, this race will probably go off about 9 o'clock Eastern
04:05time, and yeah, I want to see Flightline go out there and just make our jaws drop again.
04:11Yeah, I mean, that's what we're looking for, and like you said, lamenting how infrequently
04:15he runs, it's only because we love watching him so much.
04:19If he was a bum, we wouldn't care if he ran three times a year.
04:22We want to see him more often, but I get it.
04:25I get that he's, you know, he's had some minor physical issues in the past, and he's so,
04:30so valuable and so brilliant.
04:33I get why they're cautious with him, but yeah, that builds up the hype even more, how infrequently
04:40he runs, that when he does run, you're like, I want to see something special.
04:43You know, you got to run like 158 to impress Bill this Saturday in the Pacific Classic
04:50and win by eight or ten lengths, and you know, like I said, it's not going to be easy because
04:54it is a legitimate grade one field, and until they go that mile and a quarter, he hasn't
04:57even been two turns.
04:58He's been a mile, been a one-turn mile, that's it.
05:01He hasn't even been two turns, much less a mile and a quarter.
05:04You know, it's a tough betting race, like you said, unless you fall in love with somebody
05:09else.
05:10I'm glad that for better things this week, we're handicapping the Flower Bowl and the
05:13Jockey Club Gold Cup instead because I think those are going to be more fertile betting
05:17races to try to pick somebody who can win at a price, but you know, anybody who's taking
05:22a shot against Flightline, I tip my hat to you because I'm just going to be watching,
05:26but I think, you know, this is the time to do it.
05:29If you're going to take a big shot against him at a really short price, this is the time,
05:34and you know, I think what's going to be so key is whether or not he's going to be able
05:38to switch off and relax.
05:39Just like I mentioned, Stiletto Boy, watch him win now that I called him an also-Ram.
05:43That'll be the next Remy cartoon.
05:44There'll be still Stiletto Boy yelling at us.
05:47But no, but the thing about his presence is that he's speed, and I think that that's key
05:51is that, you know, we'll see what the draw, what happens at the draw, but Flightline,
05:55depending on where he draws, is probably going to have to at least send a little bit early
06:00just to get in position and be up near the lead because that's where he wants to run.
06:05Maybe not.
06:05Maybe he'll drop back to fifth or sixth and make a big run, but I think a horse with his
06:09kind of speed, you got to be up there near the lead, and maybe he just gets sucked in
06:13a little bit to too fast of a pace.
06:16Anything can happen on the racetrack.
06:17Like you say, that's why they run the races, and that's, to me, this is the most exciting
06:21race that Flightline has run so far.
06:23The other ones, I think, were more of a fait accompli where we expected him to win, and
06:27it would have been a complete stunner if he had lost.
06:30I don't think it'll be a complete stunner if he loses on Saturday, if the mile and a
06:33quarter gets him and he gets a little tired late in the last furlong.
06:36I wouldn't be completely shocked, but that's the intrigue, is to see what he does going
06:42that classic distance because he's going to have to do it against a better field, against
06:46these horses and then some, in the Breeders' Cup Classic with other speeds, so this will
06:50be a nice little appetizer for that, and I'm curious that if he doesn't win, if he does
06:55come up lagging a little bit in the stretch, if they reverse course and go to the dirt
07:00mile, or if they stick with it and try to go for the Classic, because I don't know that
07:04he's going to win Horse of the Year if he just has the Met Mile win, maybe a second
07:09on Saturday, and then the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile win.
07:11I don't think that that's going to be enough to do it for him, so I think it's full speed
07:14ahead to the Classic, but we're going to find out a lot more on Saturday, obviously.
07:19There's some undercard races at Del Mar I should mention as well.
07:22It's a big weekend at Del Mar.
07:24They have the Del Mar Handicap and the Del Mar Mile on Saturday as well, both grade
07:29twos.
07:29The Del Mar Handicap is a Breeders' Cup winning you're in for the Breeders' Cup Turf, and
07:33on Saturday they've got the Green Flash, which is a grade three winning you're in for the
07:38Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint, the Torrey Pine Stakes on Saturday as well, but we got some
07:42action at Saratoga to talk about that we're going to get to right after this break.
07:46This weekend preview is brought to you by Three Chimneys.
07:49Sharp Azteca, who we talked about earlier, was well represented over the weekend with
07:53undefeated multiple stakes winner Tyler's Tribe, who got all of our Writers' Room eyes
07:58on romped in the Prairie Meadows freshman stakes.
08:01Shout out to anybody in Iowa that watches the show.
08:03We're watching you guys, and we're excited any time a small track comes up with a really
08:07good horse.
08:08Tyler's Tribe is now four for four as he looks to the Breeders' Cup.
08:10Sharp Azteca also has another impressive two-year-old, and Sharp Azteca, Bill, you should
08:15just do this.
08:15You teed up all of this Sharp Azteca stuff for Three Chimneys.
08:19Sharp Azteca, who Bill mentioned, won the Tyro Stakes in his last start, and fellow
08:23Three Chimneys sire Funtastic had a Saratoga Maiden winner over the weekend with Funtastic
08:27again, who is owned by Three Chimneys and trained by Wesley Ward.
08:30Funtastic, who's a grade one winning son of more than ready, is represented by his first
08:34crop two-year-olds this year.
08:36We'll be right back after this message from Three Chimneys.
08:57And it's all Tyler's Tribe to the final furlong.
09:18He's putting on another show tonight.
09:20He is eight lengths in front.
09:22Now it's 10.
09:23Now it's 12.
09:24Tyler's Tribe pouring it on as they come down to the line.
09:28He's going to win by double digits, and he stops the clock in 104.
09:40Let's run down the rest of the graded stakes action that we're looking forward to this
09:44weekend.
09:44I don't want to slight Kentucky Downs because Kentucky Downs opens tomorrow, which I mentioned
09:49before.
09:50I mentioned earlier, I talked to CJ Johnson on Better Things.
09:54One of the guys that really jump started that Kentucky Downs program, and now it's a real
09:58marquee boutique meet.
10:00They're going to have a bunch of stakes on opening weekend.
10:02They have the Juvenile Philly stakes, the Juvenile Mile, the Million, which is a grade
10:06three.
10:07They have the big ass fans, Dueling Grounds Derby on Sunday, as well as the Dueling Grounds
10:13Oaks.
10:13So that's always a point of viewing for me.
10:15Love that track.
10:16Love that wagering product.
10:18So I didn't want to slight them.
10:19But other than Del Mar, most eyes are going to be on Saratoga on Saturday and Sunday.
10:25This is obviously the traditional closing weekend where you have the grade one two-year-old
10:28stakes.
10:29The Spinaway is on Sunday for two-year-old Phillies, and we have the hopeful, of course,
10:33on Monday for the two-year-old boys.
10:35John Green and DJ Stable are going to be represented in the Spinaway with Wonder Wheel.
10:39I would believe there's going to be a story about today in the TDN, so best of luck to
10:42the homies at DJ Stable in the Spinaway.
10:46But at Saratoga on Saturday, we have the Jockey Club Gold Cup, the Flower Bowl, and
10:50the Saranac.
10:51The Jockey Club Gold Cup and the Flower Bowl are winning year-end races for their respective
10:55Breeders' Cup divisions.
10:56This is the first year that I can remember ever the Flower Bowl being run as a grade
11:00two.
11:00It was downgraded last year, which, I don't know, once they moved these races to Saratoga,
11:05I kind of felt like they lost their place on the Belmont calendar.
11:08Like the Flower Bowl used to be real.
11:10Something that trainers really pointed for with Philly turf horses, not so much the case
11:15anymore.
11:16The Jockey Club Gold Cup might get a big field.
11:18We might have a big grade one field, which would be exciting.
11:21Olympiad is going to be in there to try to bounce back from the Whitney.
11:25He really needs that kind of bounce-back performance.
11:27American Revolution, who unfortunately picked on better things for the Whitney, had to scratch.
11:31He's going to be in the Jockey Club Gold Cup, most likely.
11:34First captain is in there, dynamic one, informative friend of the show.
11:39We're fans more.
11:40He's not a friend of the show yet, but we're fans of Uriah St. Louis.
11:44He'll be in there, untreated for Todd Fletcher as well.
11:47Looks like Todd Fletcher will have a couple of horses.
11:49Bill, what are your thoughts on the Jockey Club Gold Cup?
11:52Yeah, I just want to interject something about Kentucky Downs as well,
11:55before I'll move on to the Gold Cup.
11:58I mean, obviously everybody's going to be looking at Saratoga and Del Mar,
12:01but if you're a horse player, do yourself a favor, bet this product on Saturday.
12:07When it comes to a betting product, there's nothing like it in horse racing.
12:11I realize not every track can run a seven-day meet, but the gambling aspect of it is fantastic.
12:18Virtually every race has 12 horses in it with a four-to-one favorite.
12:23I've hit $400 exactives there before.
12:28I couldn't come close to hitting, sometimes I can't hit a $40 exact at other racetracks,
12:33so don't let that pass by your attention.
12:36It is as good, I would say this, from a betting standpoint,
12:40when you're looking for full fields, competitive racing, and reasonable takeouts,
12:43it's as good as it gets.
12:46The Jockey Club Gold Cup is one of those races that's struggling a little bit
12:51because of the way racing is run now, and that's why they moved it from Belmont to Saratoga.
12:56I mean, before the Breeders' Cup came along, Joe, it was a little bit before your time,
13:00but this was the most important race in the country for this division.
13:03It was the championship event.
13:05All things considered, they came up with a pretty decent field this year,
13:07and what they're doing is, there are certain horses out there that,
13:11like a country grammer on the West Coast, that are mile-and-a-quarter horses,
13:15and those are the horses that are going to go into the Jockey Club Gold Cup.
13:21Horses like First Captain, who was second in the Suburban a mile-and-a-quarter,
13:24Dynamic One, who won the Suburban a mile-and-a-quarter.
13:27Now, it gets a little tricky because we record this before the entries are out,
13:31but I believe Olympiad is running in here as well.
13:35He'll be the real story to me because, on paper, he's the best horse,
13:40but he really didn't show a lot in the Whitney when fourth.
13:44Did he have an excuse that day? Did he just have a bad day?
13:47Will he be the real Olympiad, the horse that I know you were so high on,
13:51and rightly so, coming into the Whitney?
13:55I would think he's the most likely winner because he's trained by Belmont.
13:58Belmont wouldn't be running him in here if he wasn't very confident
14:01that he was going to rebound, but it's a neat race.
14:04It really is. It's not the Jockey Club Gold Cup as old.
14:08In the Saratoga meet, it's always going to take a backseat to the Whitney,
14:12but nonetheless, this is not far and away.
14:16This is nowhere near a bad Jockey Club Gold Cup.
14:18It's a decent, interesting race, and we're like,
14:20got us in the flower bowl. That'll be cool.
14:23Mont's talking about running her in the Breeders' Cup turf against the males,
14:26so that would be really cool to see.
14:28Let's hope she goes out and backs up his confidence,
14:31and she likely will. She's really good.
14:33Yeah, well, he was teasing potentially running her in the Sword Dancer,
14:37and I chose against it, so yeah, I would like to see her take on the boys.
14:42Eventually, it's for the Jockey Club Gold Cup.
14:43It hurts my heart as a kid who grew up going to Belmont Park.
14:48Like you're saying, it was a little before my time when that was the marquee race,
14:51but I remember it being a huge, huge race on the calendar for a long time at Belmont.
14:56It really was. That was the biggest day of the Belmont ball meet by far,
15:00was Jockey Club Gold Cup day,
15:02and obviously, there's not really that marquee day anymore at Belmont.
15:07It's obviously a great, high-quality fall meet,
15:09but without that centerpiece, it just doesn't feel the same,
15:12and I get why they did it, and I think, like you said,
15:15it'll be a good field this year with Olympia,
15:17and I think, like I said, we're going to get 9, 10, maybe 11 horses in there.
15:20We'll see when the entries come out,
15:22but I think it'll be nice to at least have a full field in that race,
15:26and yeah, Olympia needs a bounce back.
15:28I don't know if you read Gene Alvarado's quotes
15:31after the Whitney, but he was really laying into Olympia.
15:34He was like, didn't show up at all.
15:35Like, he should have at least tried.
15:37I was like, all right, he's allowed a bad race.
15:39He's had a good year, but yeah, we'll be looking for him to bounce back,
15:43so Flyline is the marquee attraction.
15:46He's on the top of the play bill,
15:48and then below him, we got the Jockey Club Gold Cup,
15:51and then the Flower Ball, and then also Kentucky Downs,
15:53like you mentioned, should not be overlooked,
15:55especially if you're a horse player.
15:58They got low takeout, big fields, turf racing.
16:01What else could you want?
16:02Definitely get involved at Kentucky Downs.