Post by S u N f r O s t ~ on Apr 20, 2014 12:03:54 GMT -5
Pedigree: News Flash x Forbidden Wings
Race Record: 74/37/16/16
Awards Won:Y9 Prospect of The Year
Y9 Best Prospect Colt
Y10 Best Two Year Old
Y10 Best Grade Three
Y11 Encouragement Award
Y12 Encouragement Award
Y13 GHF July Horse of the Month
unannounced Y13 awards - nominated for Sire To Watch, Horse of the Year, Colt of the Year, Dirt Horse of the Year, Best Dirt Horse, Best Older Horse
Flashy Wings is one of the best horses I have ever trained. He was a champion from day one. As a prospect he won the Next Top Racehorse Series and definitely ended up fulfilling that prophecy. He took home Prospect of the Year and Best Prospect Colt, starting his racing career with two awards already. As a juvenile he was far from disappointing. He took nine races. These nine races included his first start in the Greasy Giraffe Stakes as well as big wins over both dirt and turf. He even won the second start of his career in the Unicorn Horn Juvenile, stamping himself as an early leader of his division. He progressed nicely until the Stable Face off in late March. Flash opened up some real eyes here - he won against a field of ten including older horses early in his juvenile season!
After such success Flash continued to prove himself. His next win came in the Silk Road Stakes, once again versus older horses. This trend of defeating older horses as a juvenile continued throughout the season. Following his start in the Seaspray Cup Grade Four, Flashy Wings stood at an amazing record of 9-7-2-0 just into the middle of his juvenile season. He then switched his focus over to the dirt. He took the Youth Challenge and then took the jewel of the dirt in the Breeders Cup Juvenile. He won it over future rival Sunset Crusade. These two colts would engage in a bitter rivalry for the rest of Flash's career.
Flash entered his three year old season as a big favorite for the Triple Crown. He moved away from his turf oriented juvenile year and focused heavily on the dirt all season. His season was made up of solid Horse of the Year selection races. Record wise, it was not as impressive, but his performances and the races he ran in were impressive. He won the Blue Grass Stakes, took two out of three legs of the Triple Crown (after losing the Kentucky Derby to bitter rival Sunset Crusade) and even took the Climax Cup. Flash exited the year with a third place finish in the Breeders Cup Classic. This would be his first try at the Classic and he lost it to rival Sunset Crusade. The fire of that defeat fueled Flashy Wings for an energetic four year old campaign.
Flash hit minor races at the Wire and major races at Green Horse Fields for his four year old season. He improved to twelve wins for the year. Among these victories were the Unicorn Horn Dirt Classic, the Babbling Brook Handicap and the coveted Breeders Cup Classic. He once again placed second in the Dubai Colt Cup and fourth in the Dubai World Cup, the same placings he got during his three year old season, but was not denied the Classic for his second appearance. Sunset Crusade shortly retired and Flashy Wings faced a new rival in his half brother Euphoria's Warrior. His five year old season poised to start, Flashy Wings went into Year Thirteen with a mere encouragement award for his efforts but as an undisputed top dog.
He defended his title in the Unicorn Horn Dirt Classic and then improved even more. He took the Starry Night Stakes and the Impressario Memorial Stakes before briefly switching to the turf to fill in for a stablemate. He didn't like it too much - he had evolved beyond his turf liking from his juvenile season. Back on the dirt he became formidable once more. He seemed to know that the end of his racing career was coming. He took the first leg of the Senior Superstars series in the Who's More Youthful Stakes before losing the Kiss Your Title Stakes to stablemate and reigning Horse of the Year Eternal Phantom. He also placed second in the Senior Superstars Finale.
Those were the last losses of his career. Now Flash was approaching the end and boy did he know it, and boy did he make amends for the races he had missed in past years. He rode a four race win streak of glory into the sunset of his career. First he won the Dubai Colt Cup after placing second in it for two years straight. Then he won the Dubai World Cup after placing fourth in that race for the past two years. We all know who Flashy Wings beat in pursuit of these wins - he beat the best dirt horses on the track. And he did it again and again in the last two months of his career. He went on into the Breeders Cup Classic and became the only horse in history to win it twice, successfully defending his title. And from there, the legacy only grew.
The Dubai World Championship called his name. A sand race, one Flash had not tried before, against the best on both surfaces. And Flash went into this race, and he delivered. He won the thirty-seventh race of his career, a win total only surpassed by Rising Fury. And he beat the best of the best in the Dubai World Championship - Breeders Cup Turf winner and future Wire champion Frozen Motion, three year old champion and stablemate Infinite Warcry, Turf Triple Crown champion and Breeders Cup Mile winner Bella Luna, Breeders Cup Juvenile winner and highly rated Nightshade as well as long time rival Euphoria's Warrior.
Flashy Wings proved himself the best of the best and he deserves this spot among the best.
MAJOR RACES WON
Y10 Unicorn Horn Juvenile
Y10 Summer Cup Grade Four Turf
Y10 Seaspray Cup Grade Four Dirt
Y10 The Youth Challenge
Y10 Breeders Cup Juvenile
Y11 Spring Cup Grade Three Dirt
Y11 Blue Grass Stakes
Y11 Preakness Stakes
Y11 Belmont Stakes
Y11 Climax Cup
Y12 Unicorn Horn Dirt Classic
Y12 Spring Cup Grade One Dirt
Y12 Babbling Brook Handicap
Y12 True Enough Memorial Stakes
Y12 Winter Cup Grade One Dirt
Y12 Breeders Cup Classic
Y13 Unicorn Horn Dirt Classic
Y13 Summer Cup Grade One Dirt
Y13 Starry Night Stakes
Y13 Impressario Memorial Stakes
Y13 Who's More Youthful Stakes
Y13 Dubai Colt Cup
Y13 Dubai World Cup
Y13 Breeders Cup Classic
Y14 Dubai World Championship
NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS
Flashy Wings won exactly half of his career starts - 37 out of 74. He took the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes as well as the Climax Cup. He has won an award for every year he has raced in. He defended his title in the Breeders Cup Classic. He won the Dubai World Championship. He finally took the Dubai Colt Cup and the Dubai World Cup. There is truly not much more to be said about this fabulous stallion. I would rank him only behind Impressario and Wildly Natural in my barns. He is a champion and deserves to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
