John W. Sadler

Birthdate: July 30, 1956

Birthplace: Long Beach, Calif.

Sadler has amassed more than 2,700 victories since he took out his trainer's license in 1978. Horses trained by Sadler have won more than 120 graded stakes.

Sadler trained 2015 champion 3-year-old filly Stellar Wind and Grade 1 winners Hard Aces, Talco and Iotapa. Sadler also trained multiple Grade 1 winners Lady of Shamrock, Zazu and Switch.

In 2017-18, Sadler conditioned Accelerate, one of the best long-distance dirt horses in North America. The Lookin At Lucky horse upset champion Arrogate in the Grade 2 San Diego Handicap during summer 2017 and was even better in 2018, winning four Grade 1 stakes in California and then shipping to Churchill Downs and winning the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic on Nov. 3. Accelerate gave Sadler his first Breeders’ Cup victory in the Classic.

Sadler gained even greater recognition in 2021-22 as the trainer of Flightline. That Tapit colt reeled off six consecutive wins to start his career, beginning in April 2021 and ending with a dominant victory in the Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic Nov. 5, 2022 at Keeneland, Sadler’s second win in the race. Flightline established himself as one of the best racehorses of the 21^st century during an amazing run where he defeated his opponents by a combined 71 lengths.