Race Matchup: Flightline V. Jack Christopher
Who Would Win?
West Coast
Trained under the attentive mind of long-time horseman John W. Sadler is a distinguished colt known as Flightline (Tapit), whose career is seamless to date. Out of the distinguished sire Tapit and from the Indian Charlie mare, Feathered, Flightline’s career began from the starting gate of Santa Anita Park in spring of 2021.
There is no doubt he possesses the heart of a champion as it is visible from the stands of every race he runs — demanding your attention as he gallops out and away from the field left reeling behind him, under the steady hands of jockey Flavian Pratt. He fights for the front with relentless perseverance, hitting fractions of :22 in change at the quarter pole and :44 at the half.
To date, Flightline has won four of his four starts, including the RUNHAPPY Malibu Stakes (G1) and the Hill N’ Dale Metropolitan Handicap (G1) in June of 2022. He has won in an accumulation of over 43 lengths amongst his career starts, averaging almost 11 lengths ahead per start.
East Coast
Another champion on-the-rise from the other side of the country is a chestnut colt known as Jack Christopher (Munnings), trained by the prominent trainer Chad Brown, and ridden by Jose L. Ortiz.
Out of the 2009 Woody Stephens Stakes (G2) winner, Munnings, from a Half Ours mare named Rushin No Blushin, the large, blazed colt has found his stride as he notoriously sits off the pace to take command through the final turn of his starts. To date, he sits at an accumulation of over 25 lengths in front, averaging about six lengths per race.
Named after the owner’s grandson, Jack Christopher is also four-for-four on his career that started in August of 2021 with a commanding win in a maiden race that jumpstarted him into a victory in the Champagne Stakes (G1) the following month. He has since won the Pat Day Mile (G2) and the Woody Stephens Stakes (G2) in dominating fashion.
Who Would Win?
As far as I have witnessed, there is no intention for a match-up between these two overly talented young colts as they continue their careers — but there should be. With the frontrunner speed of Flightline and the off-the-pace of Jack Christopher, these two would be a pair to reckon with.
To date, neither have had a taste of defeat or tested beyond their limits. Despite their abilities in their various running styles, I find that Flightline has the upper “hoof” in an imagined match-up race. It is his capability to surpass a field by over ten lengths with an unmatched consistency that is unlike many racehorses running the tracks to date.
Jack Christopher would be a worthy adversary to Flightline, there is no doubt. But the question isn’t who would win against each other, but who can beat them? Who is going to learn the concept of defeat first?
