SMOOTH LANDING

On the afernoon of Nov. 5, 2022, Flightline, the undefeated 4-year-old son of Tapit whose reputation was on the precipice of mythical, lef his stall at Keeneland and headed to the starting gate for the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic. Te end-of-season championships, held for only the third time at Lexington’s boutique oval, had brought together racing’s fnest and — as fans were about to see — its truly dazzling.

Less than an hour later, Flightline won the 1¼-mile contest with stunning ease, toying with his only challenger, four-time grade 1 winner Life Is Good, and accelerating to an 8-plus-length lead and an unprecedented speed fgure of 129.

It wasn’t ofcial at the time, but the extraordinary victory turned out to be his last, and the Keeneland winner’s circle was the site of Flightline’s fnal appearance as a racehorse. On Nov. 6 at about 1:30 pm, Flightline stepped of a van onto the hallowed