One of the most memorable Cal-breds of all time, he dominated racing in his home state in three of his four seasons as a racehorse. That other season might have been different had not one horse arrived on the Southern California scene, but this son of the legendary California stallion Gummo (which made him part of the famed Nasrullah line) still showed his class during that time.

Bred and owned by noted California racing figure B.J. Ridder and trained by Gordon Campbell, this bay horse out of the Acroterion mare Procne would become the talk of the circuit in the late 1970s and late 1980s thanks to the different abilities he showed on track that would make him a champion.

No one could have predicted it at the time, but Flying Paster was the Cal-bred who would follow Crystal Water in terms of being the next top horse born in the state. Debuting about a month and a half after Crystal Water's last race, the favored Flying Paster took care of nine fellow maidens at Hollywood Park while going five furlongs. Piloting him was jockey Don Pierce, who would be the regular rider for most of the Paster's career.

Flying Paster would stay at the Track of the Lakes and Flowers for the rest of the spring and part of summer, finishing second each time. First came the Haggin Stakes, where he overcame trouble at different parts of the race to finish just behind the winner. In the Cabrillo Handicap, Flying Paster again made up ground to take the place spot, and that continued in the Hollywood Juvenile Championship when he was off the pace early but only finished behind Terlingua (who would go on to win or place in several stakes).

After his stint at Hollywood Park, three things were clear about Flying Paster: he was consistent; he looked like a horse who wanted more distance as his three stakes appearances to that point were all either five and one-half furlongs or six furlongs; and being closer to the pace would help.

One of those was remedied when the Paster showed up at Del Mar later in the summer. Entered in the six furlong De Anza Stakes in mid-August, Flying Paster was much closer to the pace this time around. Named the chalk again after that streak was halted courtesy of Terlingua in the Hollywood Juvenile Championship, the bay got back to the winners' circle while well clear of the runner up.

From that point on, Flying Paster could not be stopped for the rest of 1978. After the De Anza, he went on to win his last five races of the season. No one could touch him on track or on the tote board during those months. What's more, Flying Paster showed he could thrive with more distance. Between Del Mar and Santa Anita, Flying Paster demonstrated he could be both a stretch out sprinter and router:

Del Mar, August 30: Balboa Stakes (one mile) - won by five lengths

Del Mar, September 13: Grade II Del Mar Futurity (one mile) - won by two lengths (his first graded stakes win) and set a stakes record

Santa Anita, October 18: Grade III Sunny Slope Stakes (seven furlongs) - won by seven and one-half lengths

Santa Anita, October 29: Grade II Norfolk Stakes (a mile and one-sixteenth) - won by five lengths

Santa Anita, December 30: California Breeders' Champion Stakes (seven furlongs) - won by nine lengths

He raced off the pace more than once during that stretch, but there were no problems for Flying Paster. He wrapped up the year with a stupendous record of seven wins and three seconds in ten starts to win both the California Thoroughbred Breeders' Association Champion Two-Year-Old Male and Horse of the Year honor.

Returning to action in early February, Flying Paster picked up where he left off in the early days of Santa Anita's winter/spring meet. No one saw any him having any problems in the Grade III San Vicente Stakes, and that turned out to be the case as Flying Paster stayed within a couple lengths of the leader before moving ahead and dominating the race by six lengths at odds of 1-10. Firmly on the Kentucky Derby trail, Flying Paster stayed in California for the rest of winter and early spring. After the San Vicente, the Cal-bred's seven-race winning streak was stopped in mid-March when he took third in the Grade II San Felipe Stakes after experiencing a less than favorable path in the mile and one-sixteenth race. Still, Flying Paster showed his resilency by barely losing in the San Felipe.

That would be the lone blemish in his Kentucky Derby prep season. On April 1, Flying Paster tried his longest distance yet. Off the pace at one point, he handled the mile and one-eighth Grade I Santa Anita Derby and easily won by six and one-half lengths at 1-10 odds. Along with capturing the state's biggest Kentucky Derby prep race and his first Grade I, Flying paster enjoyed a side benefit to the race as he defeated Terlingua after they met in the Hollywood Juvenile Championship. In addition, he beat Pole Position after the latter took first in the San Felipe.

Next up was a stop at Hollywood Park for another nine furlong Grade I event about two weeks later. Returning to the track where he started, Flying Paster became a Grade I winner again as he stayed near the leader before powering home by ten lengths (and again beating Pole Position). With that, Flying Paster was ready to head for Churchill Downs in Louisville and take part in the Kentucky Derby.

On the first Saturday in May, Flying Paster faced nine rivals under the Twin Spires. While he had been the star horse out West, his main competition was the big horse from the East: Spectacular Bid. Going by to his debut the previous summer, the Bid had only experienced two defeats. Going into the Kentucky Derby, the Bud Delp trainee was in the midst of a ten-race winning streak and was the sport's reigning Champion Two-Year-Old. A look at the tote board when the betting stopped showed one of three scenarios would take place after a mile and one-quarter: either Spectacular Bid would win; Flying Paster would win; or another horse would spring a surprise.

Spectacular Bid was made the favorite at 8-5 after taking his last three starts (the Florida Derby, Flamingo Stakes and Blue Grass Stakes) by more than a combined twenty lengths. But Flying Paster was anything but forgotten in the wagering, as he was made the second choice at 2-1. When the race was finished, Spectacular Bid stood atop the mountain as he came off the pace to win handily. Flying Paster was in the mix going around the far turn, but came home fifth for his first off the board finish.

The two met again a fortnight later in the Preakness Stakes in Baltimore. Only three other horses showed up at Pimlico for the second leg of the Triple Crown. Spectacular Bid was expected to continue his march to the Triple Crown at 1-10, and he did just that as he took advantage of a decent early pace and rallied from behind for a five and one-half length victory. For Flying Paster, the day did not go much better compared to the Kentucky Derby. Involved in a battle up front early on before settling into a tracking trip on the inside, Flying Paster had nothing left as he took fourth. That would be the last start for Flying Paster in 1979.

After a lengthy sabbatical from the races, Flying Paster was back home in California for the 1980 racing season. He would see plenty of action at Santa Anita during the winter/spring meet, and he would also see plenty of a certain horse. The time could have reminded one of Pete Townshend's line from The Who's classic song, "Won't Get Fooled Again." As Flying Paster and the circuit would soon find out, they would meet a new boss. But he would be even better than the old boss.

Joining Southern California racing in 1980 was none other than Spectacular Bid. With the champion horse in town, Santa Anita's 1979-1980 winter/spring season became remembered for the matchups between the Bid and the Paster. They met four times during that meet: the Grade II seven-furlong Malibu Stakes; the Grade II mile and one-eighth San Fernando Stakes; the Grade I mile and one-quarter Charles H. Strub Stakes; and the Grade I mile and one-quarter Santa Anita Handicap. To Flying Paster's credit, he had not lost the consistency he had shown throughout his career. He took second in every single one of those races. The trouble was, Spectacular Bid was invincible, and he finished ahead of Flying Paster in each of those races (the Bid would go on to be undefeated that year while winning Champion Older Male and Horse of the Year honors). Despite not having the Bid to contend with in the one and one-half mile Grade I San Luis Rey on turf, Flying Paster did not have the stamina for the marathon event (which was won by John Henry), finishing in sixth.

After Santa Anita, the circuit went back to Hollywood Park. The change of scenery did not help Flying Paster significantly. He made two starts at the meet, with his best result a third in the Grade III Native Diver Handicap going a mile. After that, he checked in fourth in the mile and one-sixteenth Grade II Mervyn LeRoy Handicap. Winning that one was Spectacular Bid, and that would be the final time the two would meet on the racetrack.

The Mervyn LeRoy would also be the 1980 finale for Flying Paster, who went winless that season. Again taking a long break, he started up his five-year-old campaign in the early days of 1981 at Santa Anita. The Paster of old returned that winter, but he would work with a new jockey for the first time. Chris McCarron had the riding assignment now (he would have it for the rest of the Paster's career), and the two started off the new alliance with a score in the Grade II San Carlos Handicap at seven furlongs while setting a new stakes record of 1:20 1/5 to boot. They followed that up by capturing the Grade II San Pasqual Handicap while stretching out to a mile and one-sixteenth, and Flying Paster earned his way into the millionaire's club with that effort. After staying near the leaders before taking the Grade I San Antonio Handicap at nine furlongs, Flying Paster got another chance at the Santa Anita Handicap one year after losing to Spectacular Bid. But Flying Paster would not experience victory in the Big 'Cap. John Henry would win the race while Flying Paster was fourth while being nosed out for third.

After going to the bench with an ankle injury following the Big 'Cap, Flying Paster was retired during the summer. He put together an excellent record of thirteen wins, seven seconds and two thirds in twenty-seven starts. He also retired as a graded stakes winner at Del Mar, Hollywood Park and Santa Anita, and he captured graded stakes wins at two, three and five years of age. In short, Flying Paster had staying power.

He went on to stud in his home state, siring the talented Flying Continental. Ten years after finishing second in both the San Fernando and Strub, Flying Paster would get wins in both races thanks to Flying Continental, and the latter would head East and take the prestigious Grade I Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont park that year as well. Flying Continental also joined his dad as a CTBA champion, as he was Champion Cal-bred Older Male in 1990.

Flying Paster also fathered Cat's Cradle, who joined his dad as a California Breeders' Champion Stakes winner in 1995 before winning Oaklawn Park's Grade II Fantasy Stakes and the prestigious Grade I Acorn Stakes at Belmont Park that same season. Cat's Cradle earned her share of accolades, too. In 1995, the CTBA named her Champion Cal-bred Three-Year-Old Female and Cal-bred Horse of the Year, and Champion Cal-bred Older Female in 1996. Also among Flying Paster's progeny were Grade II winner Approved to Fly and Grade III winner Hasty Pasty.

Flying Paster lived to the age of sixteen, passing away in 1992. He is still a presence in the record books, as he still owns the stakes record for the San Carlos. As for his time in the Del Mar Futurity, only Althea managed to equal the Paster's one-mile standard of 1:34 4/5 in 1983. The Del Mar Futurity was reduced to seven furlongs starting in 1993, so Flying Paster has long shared the fastest time at a mile for one of Del Mar's biggest races.

In 2008, thirty years after his outstanding juvenile campaign, Flying Paster was inducted into the CTBA Hall of Fame. And nearly forty years after participating in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, Flying Paster would again be linked to the Triple Crown: he is a relative of 2015 Triple Crown champion American Pharoah.

When studying his career, Flying Paster can be called a nuanced horse thanks to his ability to handle multiple distances while also capable of employing different running styles when needed. He might not have ever beaten Spectacular Bid, but that was nothing to be ashamed of. Very few horses were able to top the Bid, who was simply an other-worldly talent.

Flying Paster was respected and loved. Even after not getting a win throughout 1980, his fans and horseplayers never gave up on him. In his four starts in 1981, the Paster was favored in every one of them. That followed him being the top choice in the majority of his races beforehand. Many believed in him, and he showed time and again why they should have believed in him.

A classy horse who loved to win and dominate, Flying Paster was something special.