John Russell, who guided the careers of such stakes stars as Susan's Girl, Tri Jet, and Majestic Light, was following a tall, dark bay colt into the Santa Anita Park walking ring one morning, on the way back from the colt's lap around the track. A turf writer, awake way too early, was following Russell.
"Who's that, John?" Russell was asked.
Russell, always ready with a remark, raised an eyebrow.
"It's a poor trainer these days who does not have a Seattle Slew," he said. "And I'm blessed with a poor Seattle Slew."
These were early hours in the stallion career of the great Triple Crown champion, when his first crop of foals included the likes of Slew o' Gold, Landaluce, and Adored. Owners and trainers far and wide were lining up to grab his sons and daughters, and for good reason, especially after Seattle Slew's second class featured Swale, Seattle Song, and Tsunami Slew—all from crops that rarely numbered more than 50.
There were duds, to which Russell could attest, but Slew-mania was rampant, and his runners drew widespread attention (at least by 1980's standards) whenever they were unveiled. The earliest offspring of Frankel and American Pharoah were greeted with similar excitement in this century, with good reason, and now comes Flightline , whose 2-year-olds have begun to bubble up with performances that have yet to embarrass their sire.
Like a tenured professor watching students venture forth into the world, John Sadler has been enjoying the view. Stands to reason, since the Californian trained Flightline through an undefeated career of six starts from coast to coast, climaxed by his victory in the 2022 Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) at Keeneland by a record 8 1/4 lengths.
"I'm really looking forward to the first race on Saturday at Saratoga," Sadler said this week at his Del Mar barn. "That Flightline of Steve Asmussen's, Powerline, is in there against the Mark Casse, Greenwell, who ran second his first time out."
Powerline cost $1.8 million, Greenwell went for $500,000, and so it goes across the sales market for sons of Flightline, topped earlier this year by the $10.5 million paid by Zedan Racing Stables for a 2-year-old colt. Sadler's barn houses the second-highest-priced colt, a $2.1 million 2-year-old out of the 2017 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint (G1) winner Bar of Gold, bought by the Saudi Arabian ownership KAS Stables and named Inshallah.
"That's him over there," Sadler said, pointing to a chestnut circling the walking ring under tack. "We have two other Flightlines here and another who'll be coming in, so we'll have some action with them at the meet."
The squadron of 2-year-old Flightlines poised to take flight this year might confound those who were skeptical of the stallion's precocity, since he did not make the races until April of his 3-year-old season.
"He could have run at 2, but he came up with that quarter crack that took time to grow out," the trainer noted.
In the meantime, Sadler must make do with more mundane matters—like tackling the San Diego Handicap (G2) July 18 with the established Argentinean stalwart Full Serrano and the Chilean newcomer called The Goat, as well as the San Clemente Handicap (G2T) later that day with the recent maiden winner Somerset West, bred and owned by Keith Abrahams.
And since he had nothing better to do, Sadler recently accepted the job as president of the California Thoroughbred Trainers, for the second time around. Issues abound, but Sadler's main concern remains centered on the well-being of a backstretch workforce that is always more vulnerable than that of any racing's constituencies, with pressure from United States immigration officials always looming.
"We've had good conversations with track management, and it seems like they have the right kind of procedures in place," Sadler said. "If immigration shows up, they need to have a warrant, with specific individuals named. And even then, they will have to wait outside the stable area for any individual to be brought to them.
"Last year at this meet, I'd rate the concern at a nine on a scale of 10," Sadler added. "This year it's more like a four."
Sadler and CTT executive director Alan Balch have also had discussions with Santa Anita Park officials regarding the impact of the 2028 Summer Olympics on the existing racing community. The track will host all of the equestrian events, including the cross-country competition that will take place on parts of the hillside and infield turf course.
"From what we are told, separate facilities for the horses in the Olympic events will be built, so there will be no involvement of the existing stable area," Sadler said. "And since Alan was with Santa Anita when the track hosted the 1984 Olympic equestrian competition, he emphasized what a boost the racetrack got in attention and prestige coming out of those games."
By then, the Flightlines will have established their sire as a potent force, or not. As for the three with Sadler at Del Mar, they have been in steady training, although none of them has yet to breeze more than half a mile. Besides Inshallah, On Edge, a filly, is out of the Sadler graded stakes winner Edgeway, while Ala Sawab, a $400,000 colt, comes from the black-type stakes winner Message.
"Take a look at him," Sadler said, pointing to the first stall outside the stable office, from which Flightline emerged to win the 2022 Pacific Classic Stakes (G1) by 19 1/4 lengths. "He remind you of anyone?"
It was, of course, a trick question. Ala Sawab, which loosely translates to "the right path" in Arabic, confronted the visitor with a head and dark bay body type that looked like a Flightline starter kit. By contrast, Inshallah ("God willing") is a fully committed chestnut, while the various other sons and daughters scattered around appear far from being Flightline clones. Does he not mark his get, as do many of the great sires?
"Oh, he marks them all right," said Sadler, tapping his chest. "He marks them in here."
