Fastest weekend runners: Flightline and everybody else

Photo: Benoit Photo

There's Flightline, then there's everybody else. That pretty much sums up the list of the weekend's fastest stakes runners. 

Pick your superlative to describe the 5-for-5 Flightline's 19 1/4-length blowout in Saturday's Grade 1 Pacific Classic. By the numbers, though, the 4-year-old colt trained by John Sadler earned a 117 Brisnet Speed Rating, a 126 Beyer Speed Figure from Daily Racing Form and a 152 TimeformUS Speed Figure.

See who is fastest early with the Pace Report

Here are a couple of Twitter posts to put his accomplishment in perspective.

That's not to say there weren't other nice performances over the weekend. Country Grammer, the one who was closest to Flightline on Saturday, earned a 130 from TimeformUS. "I think he thinks he won," said his trainer, Bob Baffert.

And Olympiad got triple-digit figures from all three rating services for his bounce-back win in the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1).

But Flightline's Pacific Classic, with Flavien Prat aboard, was incomparable – at least in recent years.

Here are the figures for the weekend's graded-stakes winners, with the highest Brisnet Speed Ratings, along with Beyer Speed Figures from Daily Racing Form and TimeformUS Speed Figures, where available.

HorseRace, distanceJockeyBrisnetBeyerTimeformUS
FlightlinePacific Classic (G1), 1 1/4 milesFlavien Prat117126152
Wicked HaloPrioress (G2), 6 furlongsTyler Gaffalione102  87115
OlympiadJockey Club Gold Cup (G1), 1 1/4 milesJunior Alvarado101105126
Awesome StrongFlorida Sire Affirmed, 7 furlongsMiguel Vasquez  99  80 
Lieutenant DanGreen Flash (G3), 5 furlongs (turf)Juan Hernandez  97  99 
Vigilantes WayViolet Stakes,1 1/16 miles (turf)Paco Lopez  97  92 
Law ProfessorTapit Stakes, 1 mile 70 yards (turf)Julien Leparoux  96  95123 
Midnight MemoriesTorrey Pines (G3), 1 mileRamon Vazquez  96  90 
Chop ChopKentucky Downs Juvenile Fillies, 1 mile (turf)Reylu Gutierrez  95  73 91
Gold PhoenixDel Mar Handicap (G2), 1 3/8 miles (turf)Prat  95  98121
Virginia JoyFlower Bowl (G2), 1 3/8 miles (turf)Irad Ortiz Jr.  95  98117
AnnapolisSaranac (G3), 1 1/16 miles (turf)Ortiz  94  96118
Hong Kong HarryDel Mar Mile (G2), 1 mile (turf)Prat  94102121
ZestfulBudweiser Special, 7 furlongsAlejandro Medellin  93  81111 
Bound by DestinyBlue Hen, 5 1/2 furlongsJeremy Rose  92  75  99
Slow Down AndyDel Mar Derby (G2), 1 1/8 miles (turf)Mario Gutierrez  92  86110
Thin White DukeLucky Coin (G2), 5 1/2 furlongs (turf)John Velazquez  92  91114 
FeastRumson, 5 furlongsJose Ferrer  91  92 
Forester's FortuneVice Regent, 5 furlongs (turf)Daisuke Fukumoto  91  91109 
LynxFlorida Sire Susan's Girl, 7 furlongsEdgard Zayas  89  68

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