Flightline, Dr. Schivel to Face off in Malibu Stakes

Take your pick: an undefeated potential superstar in Flightline , Dr. Schivel  coming off a heartbreaking near miss in the Breeders' Cup, or an undefeated half brother to Triple Crown winner American Pharoah   in Triple Tap . Those are just a few of the options in the seven-furlong Runhappy Malibu Stakes (G1) for 3-year-olds, part of the big opening-day card at Santa Anita Park Dec. 26.

Flightline will make his stakes debut after winning his first two races by huge winning margins. The son of Tapit   earned his maiden win April 24 at Santa Anita by 13 1/4 lengths as the 9-10 favorite and was an even shorter price, 1-5, in his second outing Sept. 5 at Del Mar, when he trounced the field by 12 3/4 lengths. Both races were at six furlongs, and another eighth of a mile should suit the Kentucky-bred out of Feathered , by Indian Charlie .

Another indication of Flightline's prowess: Flavien Prat, the leading rider at the two Santa Anita 2021 meets and Del Mar's summer 2021 meet, has ridden him both times and is scheduled to ride Sunday. Prat also has been piloting Dr. Schivel and Triple Tap, but he opted for Flightline, who drew post 5.

John Sadler trains Flightline for the partnership of Hronis Racing, breeder Summer Wind Equine, West Point Thoroughbreds, Siena Farm, and Woodford Racing.

"He's trained up to the race super," Sadler said. "We've had our eye on the Malibu for a couple of months. It's the right conditions—3-year-olds, a grade 1 at seven-eighths—which we think is going to be a good distance for him. It will be his first time against better horses, but we're excited about the challenge."

Dr. Schivel will be one of those posing a challenge for Flightline. He took a five-race winning streak into the Qatar Racing Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) that included two grade 1 races and a grade 2 event. In the Sprint he grabbed the lead from favored Jackie's Warrior , but couldn't quite hold off another closer, Aloha West , by the slimmest of noses.

Mark Glatt trains Dr. Schivel for Red Baron's Barn, Rancho Temescal, Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, and William Branch. Branch and Arnold Hill bred the son of Violence   in Kentucky.

"Flightline has been something unreal so far—never seen anything like it," Branch said. "But if we take him on and beat him, that would make quite a story. I have the utmost respect for all of the horses stepping up for this race."

Juan Hernandez beat Prat to be leading rider of Del Mar's recent fall meet and finished second to him in the two Santa Anita meets and Del Mar's summer meet. Hernandez rode Dr. Schivel when he broke his maiden at the 2020 summer Del Mar meeting in his third start and will be back aboard in the Malibu from post 4.

Triple Tap may have the most glamorous pedigree of the entire field. Also a son of Tapit, he is out of Littleprincessemma , dam of American Pharoah. Bob Baffert trains the colt for owner/breeder Summer Wind Equine.

Though the winning margins in his two races haven't come close to that of Flightline, Triple Tap has won both his starts by daylight: 4 1/4 lengths in his March 13 debut and 2 1/4 lengths Nov. 5. Also like Flightline, Triple Tap is trying stakes competition for the first time. John Velazquez, the Hall of Fame jockey from New York who will ride at Santa Anita regularly this winter, pilots Triple Tap from post 7.

Timeless Bounty  and Baby Yoda  have shipped in for the Malibu. They met in the Nov. 22 Steel Valley Sprint Stakes at Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley Racecourse in Ohio. Michigan-bred Timeless Bounty sprang a 59-1 upset, while favored Baby Yoda had a bad start and a nightmare trip in the stretch before finishing unplaced in the six-furlong test for 3-year-olds.

Now trained by Bob Hess Jr. for Willow's Green Stables, Timeless Bounty was a $15,000 claim at Thistledown Oct. 6. Baby Yoda, trained by Bill Mott for Pantofel Stable, Wachtel Stable, Gary Barber, and Jerold Zaro, ran third in the Oct. 9 Vosburgh Stakes (G2) at Belmont Park. Umberto Rispoli is scheduled to ride Timeless Bounty from post 2, while Jose Ortiz is aboard Baby Yoda from the rail.

Stilleto Boy  (Kent Desormeaux, post 3), who cuts back in distance after finishing fifth in the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1), and Team Merchants  (Mario Gutierrez, post 6), a stakes winner on turf, round out the field.

Entries: RUNHAPPY Malibu S. (G1)

Santa Anita Park, Sunday, December 26, 2021, Race 10

• Grade I
• 7f
• Dirt
• $300,000
• 3 yo
• 3:49 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Baby Yoda (FL)	Jose L. Ortiz	120	William I. Mott	6/1
2	2Timeless Bounty (MI)	UMBERTO RISPOLI	120	Robert B. Hess, Jr.	20/1
3	3Stilleto Boy (KY)	Kent J. Desormeaux	120	Ed Moger, Jr.	12/1
4	4Dr. Schivel (KY)	Juan J. Hernandez	124	Mark Glatt	5/2
5	5Flightline (KY)	Flavien Prat	120	John W. Sadler	4/5
6	6Team Merchants (KY)	Mario Gutierrez	120	Doug F. O'Neill	20/1
7	7Triple Tap (KY)	John R. Velazquez	120	Bob Baffert	5/1