Timeform rates Flightline up alongside racing’s equine greats

Flightline, winner of Saturday’s Breeders Cup Classic, has joined some of the sport’s equine greats after being given a rating of 143 by UK-based Timeform — just four points behind the mighty Frankel.

A 2.5% share in the horse was purchased for $4.6m on Monday with agent Fred Seitz outbidding Coolmore for the small share the owners put on the market. This puts Flightline’s nominal value at $184m.

Before last Saturday’s race, Timeform, a sports data and content provider specialising in horse racing, rated Flightline at 143, which means upsides of some of racing’s best horses including Frankel (147), Sea Bird (145), Brigadier Gerard (144) and Tudor Minstrel (144).

There has been no word from the Halifax-based organisation, bought by Betfair in 2006, on whether his latest success changes its rating.

It was announced on Monday that Flightline, a four-year-old son of Tapit, is to  retire to Lane’s End Farm with a fee yet to be decided. Lane’s End’s John Farrish thanked trainer John Sadler and his team on the “incredible work” they did with Flightline.

“His historic performances are a credit to their expertise and unwavering efforts to bring out the very best in the horse.”

Flightline made his racecourse debut in April 2021 winning a race at Del Mar near San Diego before going on to score four grade 1 victories, including the Breeders Cup Classic.

Many pundits say Flightline can be mentioned in the same breath as Secretariat, but Ron Turcotte, rider of the 1973 Triple Crown hero, disagrees.

“I can’t fault Flightline in any way — he’s beautiful, well put together and seems to be a very easy ride. The jockey can do what he wants, when he wants, and it was a beautiful performance to watch,” Turcotte said.

“I don’t like to compare horses and never did when I was riding. While I’ve never ridden Flightline, he had to prove he could run in the mud and on turf before being compared to Secretariat.

“Secretariat raced as a two-year-old and a three-year-old and had a lot more racing. He had excuses for the races he got beaten in,” added Turcotte.

• SA jockey Collen Storey, who is trying his luck in the UK, won his fifth race since his arrival in the country on Sassy Redhead at Chelmsford last Thursday.

After the win, Storey said things are “very tough … but hopefully I've made a statement that if I get a chance, I really try my best. Hopefully I can get more rides.

“It is nice to ride out for Gosden — you learn a lot about what’s going on. You’re never too old to learn,” Storey said.