THIS is the simply jaw-dropping performance that has seen Baaeed dumped to just second-best horse in the world – and left punters in rapture.
Those who follow racing in the States were already well aware of the high esteem in which Flightline was held.
But this four-year-old colt broke out of racing circles and into the sporting stratosphere with a mindblowing victory at Del Mar.
There was the 19-and-a-quarter length margin of victory.
There was the ease with which he did it, never seeing another rival and running as if they simply did not exist.
In his latest column, Sun Racing expert Matt Chapman said Flightline made Country Grammer – a horse who won the Group 1 £5.3million Dubai World Cup – look like a '90-year-old pensioner crossing the road with two sticks, let alone one'.
At least he still finished second!
Punters agreed, with everyone waxing lyrical about just how great the John Sadler-trained phenom is.
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At The Races host Tim Carroll said: "Flightline. I’ll say it. That is the greatest performance I’ve seen on dirt since Secretariat.
"My god. That is some horse."
Asked how any horse could come close to ever beating Flightline, Carroll added: "They can't."
One wowed punter wrote: "Perfection in a racehorse."
Another said: "Best performance from a horse I have ever seen."
One comment read: "No horse is supposed to be that good."
Another said: "Jesus wept, that is sensational."
While one punter posted: "Sorry but this is the best in the world – outrageous. Goes from three lengths clear to about 784 lengths clear in five seconds."
The performance was enough for respected analysts Timeform to give Flightline a rating of 143, some six pounds higher than Baaeed.
For context, William Haggas' Baaeed is a perfect ten from ten and routed Mishriff in the Juddmonte on his last run.
But Flightline is, for now at least, even better.
As Chappers wrote, it's a great time for racing fans to savour both of them.
Especially as Flightline looks to be set to race next year while Baaeed will go just one more time.
Baaeed will run either in the Arc de Triomphe at 1m4f or stick to 1m2f for Champions Day at Ascot, both next month.
Flightline's connections have indicated he will run on as a five-year-old.
But up next is the Breeders' Cup Classic on November 5 for which, somehow, you can still back him at 4-5.
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