The thing with Flightline is that he didn't beat much in any of his races. The aforementioned Life is Good isn't a 1m2f horse, hence why he did exactly what he did the only other time he tried over that distance and faded at the end as he was knackered. His biggest competition in that race would have been Epicenter but he went wrong and had to be pulled up with a leg break (successfully operated on since though), so as soon as that happened and Life is Good did as expected, you knew that race was over.
Horses that win by miles are deceptive and it often says more about the competition than the winning horse itself, except for when they run great times too of course. That time was an expected time for a Breeders cup win and whilst some would say he could have gone faster at the end, well maybe, but we'll never really know because he never properly sprinted in 6th gear in any of his races. That extra gear may not have been there. A will to win in a battle may not have been there.
The owners have got the best deal of all though because without beating that much in his life, the hype made him into a gold mine of a horse. But I'm certain that in time, when the hype settles, that people will look back on him and say that he didn't do enough to be considered as one of the very best horses of all time because others proved so much more.
I'd also demote any American horse that runs on the same surfaces/conditions every time too. That's a lot different to running at York in the GF, Epsom in the GS, Ascot in the soft and Longchamps in the Heavy, for example. Our horses that can do that shit are lightyears ahead for me.
Out of interest Gerry, who would your top 5 be?
