Exceptional racehorse and North American sire Flightline, who produced four devastating Grade 1 performances in succession to be rated the world’s best in 2022, has been valued at more than A$150 million.
As he is about to begin his third season at stud, a 2.5 percent share in Flightline, who put a combined 71 lengths on his rivals during his short but brilliant unbeaten six-start racing career, sold for US$2.5 million (A$3.8 million) at the inaugural Keeneland Championship Sale at the Breeders’ Cup on Thursday (Australian time).
Two years after Flightline’s 8.25-length racecourse swansong in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Keeneland, the sale of a 1/40th share in the Lane’s End-based stallion was the standout offering at the Championship Sale at Del Mar.
Modelled on the Goffs London Sale, which takes place on the eve of the Royal Ascot meeting in the UK each June, the pre-Breeders’ Cup sale also saw a 1/40th breeding right in recently announced Widden Stud-bound shuttle sire Cogburn, branded as the “fastest horse in the world”, sell for US$475,000 (A$723,000).
Valuing him at A$29 million, Cogburn is accepted for the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at Del Mar on Saturday which is slated to be his final race start before joining the WinStar Farm stallion roster in the US and Widden in the Hunter Valley.
The share in Flightline, which values him at US$100 million, was bought by Summer Wind Equine’s Jane Lyon, who bred and co-raced the John Sadler-trained son of three-time champion US sire Tapit.
“Jane loves the horse, and I thought it was a fair price,” said Steve Jackson who signed the docket on Lyon’s behalf.
“She has 10 or 12 foals by Flightline now. And she has plenty of mare power. The (Flightline) foals are very, very nice: athletic, plenty of muscle and correct with lots of presence.”
Flightline will stand his third season in Kentucky at a fee of US$150,000 (A$228,241) in 2025.
Six of his first crop weanlings will be offered at the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale starting on November 5 while two weanlings will be auctioned at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale on November 4.
Prior to going to stud, a share in Flightline sold for US$4.6 million (A$7 million) at the 2022 Keeneland November sale.
Meanwhile, Listed winner and Group and Grade placegetter Pandora’s Gift, a daughter of Coolmore shuttler Churchill, also sold for US$850,000 at the invite-only boutique sale on Wednesday.
Bought by Larry Sarf’s LSU Stables, the Stuart Williams-trained Pandora’s Gift is entered for the Breeders’ Cup Fillies & Mares’ Sprint on Sunday. She will be transferred into the care of French trainer Christophe Clement.
“We think she has good potential. We liked the way she ran on synthetic and we liked her movement,” Sarf said.
The Keeneland Championship Sale grossed US$4.325 million (A$6,583,152) with five lots selling with a further five passed in (two lots were withdrawn).
“We have said from the beginning we wanted to be innovative and creative, and I think this sale accomplished those goals,” Keeneland president and CEO Shannon Arvin said.
“Breeders’ Cup Week is about celebrating all the champions that are running this weekend. Keeneland has 58 sales graduates participating in the Breeders’ Cup.
“Hosting a boutique sale during Breeders’ Cup week just made sense. But we wanted to have a party with a sale, not a sale with a party. That was the intention, and we are thrilled with the results.”
