For top-tier Thoroughbred racehorses, their journey truly begins on the racetrack. The conclusion of their racing days isn’t the end; in fact, it’s just the beginning because, regardless of their racing earnings, the significant wealth – the truly substantial wealth – lies in breeding.
Consider Flightline. This bay Tapit colt, acquired for $1 million as a yearling by West Point Thoroughbreds, debuted in the spring of 2021 at Santa Anita Park, achieving a 13 ¼-length victory. Subsequently, he secured five more wins by impressive margins, concluding in November 2022. He completed his racing career with an 8 ¼-length triumph in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Keeneland Race Course. Flightline’s retirement marked him as a contender for the title of the fastest dirt racehorse in North America this century. He earned the title of 2022’s Horse of the Year via Eclipse Award voters. Only Ghostzapper, with nine victories in 11 races and Horse of the Year honors in 2004, consistently matched Flightline’s speed ratings.
During his racing career, Flightline was co-owned by a group of established industry figures, including West Point. After his Keeneland finale, his owners transported him to Lane’s End Farm in Versailles, Ky., to begin his career as a stallion. They offered a 2.5% share in Flightline at the Keeneland November Sale after the Breeders’ Cup, selling it for $4.6 million. This implied an overall value of around $184 million for Flightline as a stallion. Flightline’s initial stud fee for 2023 was $200,000, and he covered (mated with) 152 mares. That equates to $30.4 million for his first year at stud, versus the $4.5 million earned during his racing career.
Those 152 mares bred in 2023 bore 124 foals in 2024. Last year at Lane’s End, Flightline bred with the same amount of mares for his second season. His fee was adjusted to $150,000, a common occurrence in the breeding world as attention shifts to new stallions. Last fall, another 2.5% interest in Flightline was auctioned by Keeneland at a sale held at Del Mar, this time realizing $2.5 million.
Now, in the summer, Flightline’s initial foals will debut at North America’s yearling auctions. On Aug. 4 and Aug. 5, Fasig-Tipton Co. hosts the premier yearling sale of the year at Saratoga Springs, N.Y., near Saratoga Race Course. Nine Flightline yearlings are slated for auction as of July 31.
In 2024, only five Flightline weanlings – foals in their initial year after weaning – were sold at auction in North America, totaling $2.325 million, averaging $465,000. Expect Flightline’s average yearling price to hover in the mid-hundreds of thousands, if not higher, at Fasig-Tipton. Many of these youngsters are out of dams who excelled in racing, descended from equine families of great prestige, or both.
Potential buyers will seek hints of Flightline’s exceptional traits on the track: a blend of speed and stamina. With an impressive pedigree (his sire, Tapit, has produced four Belmont Stakes victors), Flightline triumphed at distances from six furlongs to the classic mile and a quarter of the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Can he transmit these genetic qualities?
It’s challenging to gauge a yearling Thoroughbred’s potential to match his sire’s (or dam’s) talent. They haven’t yet begun basic training. Experts will meticulously scrutinize each entrant in the Fasig-Tipton sale. Breeding a champion racehorse blends data-driven science and intuition. When successful, it can produce huge financial rewards for owners and make a lasting impact on the Thoroughbred industry.
This is an exciting time for Flightline’s fans and those seeking the next standout horse. More Flightline foals will be offered at the Keeneland September yearling sale and other sales throughout 2025. Next year, his first crop will be at 2-year-old auctions, with some having aerial-themed names registered with The Jockey Club. Then, racing will commence!
As they compete, the next few years will be crucial for Flightline’s offspring at racetracks. If a portion of his progeny match his excellence, he will have a long, profitable breeding career. This is not guaranteed. Ghostzapper, Flightline’s speed-figure peer, is concluding his breeding tenure in Canada, known as a good, but not elite, sire. Flightline may not even reach that level. For now, anticipation will build at Fasig-Tipton in Saratoga Springs as this horse’s second career reaches a new height.
Don’t miss two America’s Best Racing livestreams produced on-site at Fasig-Tipton next Monday and Tuesday covering the Saratoga Sale of Selected Yearlings. Our shows will start at 6 p.m. ET both nights, hosted by Ren Carothers, Rachel Miller, and Dan Tordjman and with roving reporting from Alexa Zepp and special guests to offer insights into the fast-paced, often thrilling world of Thoroughbred auctions. “Live from the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale!” will stream on ABR’s Facebook, X, and YouTube channels.
