Flight Command

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Earlier this year, Pietro Moran accepted the Eclipse Award as North America's outstanding apprentice jockey of 2025. It was a humbling honor for the then 20-year-old from Kilkenny, Ireland. Friday, the baby-faced Moran will get yet another career highlight when he rides in his first-ever race at Saratoga Race Course. Moran will be aboard 6-year-old mare Miss Vyvyanne (Rainbow Heir), the 5-2 morning-line second choice in the featured $200,000 Smart and Fancy Stakes, a 5 1/2-furlong event on the Mellon Turf Course. "I am so excited,"...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - As a racehorse, no one could run with Flightline (Tapit). Let's see if his kids are a chip off the old block. During his career, which lasted six races over two seasons (2021-22), Flightline mauled all who tried him. Six wins by a combined 71 lengths. An 8 1/4-length win in his swan song, the 2022 GI Breeders' Cup Classic. His job now is to recreate himself in the stallion shed. Saturday at Saratoga Race Course, three of his offsprings are running, two in a loaded...

Even though all three recorded 84 Beyers, 2-year-old Flight Command takes the third spot because he carried 123 pounds to 118 for the other two. 4 (tie). TAGERMEEN, CD, 6/27-3rd, 6 1/2 furlongs (VIDEO) Beyer Speed Figure-84 (c, 3, Into Mischief--Silk Route, by Empire Maker) O-Tagermeen Racing. B-Scott/Evan Dilworth & Randy Andrews (Ky). T-Steve Asmussen. J-Jose Ortiz. In his three most recent starts, Tagermeen had been favored against champion Ted Noffey (Into Mischief) and Englishman (Maxfield) and then hooked Commandment (Into Mischief). Making his 3-year-old bow last Saturday after a...

Showing some resemblance to his much-heralded sire, Flight Command (Flightline) never looked anything but a winner in Thursday's fifth race at Aqueduct, becoming the second winner for his freshman sire (by Tapit), the first in North America, and his first 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard'. The 6-5 favorite never gave this field a chance, rocketing out from his rail draw under a confident Manny Franco and opening up a huge gap before the rest of the maidens had barely left their stalls. Setting the fractions in this 5 1/2-furlong...