Speaker's Corner, Flightline a 'Championship-Type Bout'

Flightline  has never lost in three starts, trouncing the competition by an average margin of victory of 12 1/2 lengths, and Speaker's Corner  has been nearly as flawless, riding a six-race win streak in races around one turn after losing his career debut.

June 11 they meet, alongside fellow grade 1 winners Aloha West  and Happy Saver , as the headliners in the $1 million Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan Handicap (G1). A one-mile race on the Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1) undercard, the "Met Mile" serves as a Breeders' Cup Challenge qualifier for the Big Ass Fans Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) at Keeneland this fall.

Aside from being short of depth, a side effect of drawing stars as Flightline and Speakers Corner, the Met Mile is a Breeders' Cup-caliber race. Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners' Aloha West, in one example, won the 2021 Qatar Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) before running third in the Churchill Downs Stakes Presented by Ford (G1) at Churchill Downs on Derby Day, May 7, in his 5-year-old season debut.

Though Flightline is likely to go off favored in the Met Mile—he was the 2-5 choice the day he won the Runhappy Malibu Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita Park in his last start Dec. 26—Speaker's Corner might come close in his mutuel support. He is perfect in three starts this year, taking the Fred W. Hooper Stakes Presented by Hill 'n' Dale Farms at Xalapa (G3) at a mile Jan. 29 by 1 1/4 lengths over Fearless  at Gulfstream Park before elevating his performances further in two follow-up starts.

He won the WinStar Gulfstream Park Mile (G2) March 5 by 5 1/2 lengths over Fearless, and then took the April 9 Carter Handicap (G1) at Aqueduct Racetrack by 4 1/2 lengths over the multiple grade 1-placed Reinvestment Risk . He won the Gulfstream Park Mile in 1:21.34, and the seven-furlong Carter in 1:21.34.

"As far as I'm concerned, the Met Mile is a heavyweight championship-type bout," Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott said. "It should be a good race. If our horse shows up and the other horse shows up, it should be interesting."

Junior Alvarado returns in the irons aboard Speaker's Corner, a 4-year-old son of Street Sense   owned by Godolphin. Godolphin pursues a second win in the Met Mile after taking the 2016 race with Frosted  . 

Flightline retains his usual jockey, Flavien Prat, for his first start of the year. He missed a scheduled start in the San Carlos Stakes (G2) this winter due to what trainer John Sadler said was a strained hock.

"He's done beautiful since we got over his hiccup. He's been training super," Sadler said.

Beyond facing the classiest rivals of his short career, Flightline, a 4-year-old son of Tapit   owned by Hronis Racing, Siena Farm, Summer Wind Equine, West Point Thoroughbreds, and Woodford Racing, also attempts a new distance with a stretch out to a mile, not having raced farther than seven furlongs.

"I think it's going to be better for him because he has such a high cruising speed," Sadler said.

Flightline would appear likely to try to dictate the pace from his inside post, though Speaker's Corner figures to be in close attendance, breaking right to his outside. Since adding blinkers last fall, Speaker's Corner has been first or second at the first call in five straight races.

"I don't know if anybody is going to beat (Flightline) if you give him a six-length lead," Mott said.

Wertheimer et Frere's Happy Saver won the 1 1/4-mile Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes (G1) in 2020 at Belmont, one of three victories he has over the track in four local starts. Most recently, the stalker finished second to the streaking Olympiad  in the 1 1/16-mile Alysheba Stakes presented by Sentient Jet (G2) on Derby Day, coming up a little empty late in his first start of 2022.

"The (Met Mile) may turn out to be too short for him, but the two favorites have similar running styles and he has run well here at Belmont. So we thought we'd take a chance," Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher said.

Pletcher is a dual winner of the prestigious race.

Also making his second start of the year is Aloha West, whose typically strong late rally was negated when staying close to a slow pace set by victorious Jackie's Warrior  in the Churchill Downs Stakes last month. Like Flightline, he stretches out beyond seven furlongs for the first time.

The field is completed by longshot Informative , who upset the Salvator Mile Stakes (G3) at Monmouth Park at 79-1 odds a year ago for owner/trainer Uriah St. Lewis. 

St. Lewis has occasionally lit up the toteboard in New York. Discreet Lover   won the 2018 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont for the trainer at odds of over 45-1.

Entries: Hill 'N' Dale Metropolitan H. (G1)

Belmont Park, Saturday, June 11, 2022, Race 9

• Grade I
• 1m
• Dirt
• $1,000,000
• 3 yo's & up
• 4:43 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Flightline (KY)	Flavien Prat	124	John W. Sadler	3/5
2	2Speaker's Corner (KY)	Junior Alvarado	125	William I. Mott	8/5
3	3Aloha West (MD)	Jose L. Ortiz	123	Wayne M. Catalano	6/1
4	4Happy Saver (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	122	Todd A. Pletcher	8/1
5	5Informative (KY)	Dexter Haddock	116	Uriah St. Lewis	50/1