Andy Newton
Remember the name folks – as, if his breeding is anything to go by, we could be seeing the next big US horseracing superstar with FLIGHT COMMAND.
We saw a little history made at Aqueduct Racetrack on Thursday June 25 – when Flight Command won a $85,000 maiden special weight in a romp.
The two-year-old colt Flight Command romped home by an easy 10 lengths, officially becoming the first U.S.-based winner for his freshman sire, the legendary 2022 Horse of the Year, Flightline.
Flightline went into the US horse racing hall-of-fame with six straight wins for trainer John W. Sadler between 2021 and 2022.
Climaxing with an 8 1/4-length success in the 2022 Breeders’ Cup Classic at Keeneland.
Soon after that win Flightline retired to stud, having won just over $4.5m in prize money.
WATCH: Flight Command Winning at Aqueduct on Thursday June 25
Flight Command Showed Blistering Early Pace
Breaking like a rocket from the inside post under Manny Franco, Flight Command grabbed the race by the throat right from the start.
He carved out fractions of 22.37 for the quarter and 45.60 for the half.
Eventually stopping the clock for the 5 1/2 furlongs in a swift 1:04.11.
Backers of the Rudy R. Rodriguez-trained Flight Command were rewarded at odds of 6-5 (favorite), he paid out a cool $4.56.
He banked $46,750 for that opening win for his owners LSU Stables.
Flight Command Already Drawing Comparisons To His Famous Father
After Flight Command’s win, it wasn’t hard for horse racing fans to start to draw comparisons to his dad.
Flightline, who retired undefeated in six starts with four Grade 1 wins under his belt, actually kicked off his own career with a massive 13 1/4-length debut win back in April 2021 at Santa Anita.
Flight Command wasn’t cheap, as he fetched $275,000 at the OBS March two-year-olds in training sale.
He’s currently trained by Rudy Rodriguez for Randy and Larry Sarf’s LSU Stables.
“Very, very impressive,” Rudy Rodriguez said after the Aqueduct race.
“I thought he would run big. He’d been training good. I was a little concerned when they scratched the [rail-drawn Roadhouse Warrior] because I didn’t want to be on the inside, but he had trained well from the gate.”
Flight Command Not Technically Flightline’s First Sired Winner
Okay, for the horse racing purists, technically, Flight Command isn’t Flightline’s first winner overall.
As that honor goes to Demian, who won over at Tokyo Racecourse back on June 13.
But Flight Command IS Flightline’s first sired winner in the U.S.
A couple of others had already tried their luck in the States, too; Greenwell and House Boat Party finished second and third in their respective maiden debuts at Churchill Downs.
But Flight Command is the one who broke the ice on American soil.
What’s Next For Flight Command?
Trainer Rodriguez isn’t rushing into anything just yet, though he acknowledged the colt will almost certainly have to step up against stakes company.
One spot that makes a ton of sense is the Grade 2, $250,000 Saratoga Special going 6 1/2 furlongs on August 1st – set a reminder!
Flightline Carer In Numbers
- Runs: 6
- Wins: 6
- Grade One Wins: 4
- Sent Off Favorite: 6
- Career Winnings: $4,514,800
- Total Winning Lengths: 71.75
WATCH: ALL Flightline’s Six Career Wins
