It’s been a little more than two years since Flightline won the Breeder’s Cup Classic before an energetic crowd at Keeneland Racecourse on November 6, 2022. Shortly after his emphatic win the decision was made to retire him to Lane’s End Farm where he would begin his “second career” as a stallion.
While many racing enthusiasts would have liked to see Flightline continue racing, the economics just didn’t make any sense. Flightline earned $4,100,000 on the racetrack which is a significant amount of money, although it’s not significant when you compare it to the breeding opportunity.
Bloodhorse.com article on Flightline here.
Upon Flightline’s retirement, the five ownership groups that raced him retained their respective percentage of ownership for purposes of his stallion career. The stallion deal was structured with 40 shares, so if a group owned 25% of Flightline when he raced, they own 10 shares of him as a stallion. One of the ownership groups sold one of their shares at auction on November 8, 2022 for $5 million. This established a “hypothetical” value for Flightline at $200 Million (40 shares x $5 million).
Flightline’s stud fee was established by Lane’s End at $200,000 per mating for his initial breeding season (year) in 2023. Each of the 40 shares in Flightline’s stallion deal include the ability to breed a mare to him each year without having to pay the $200,000 stallion fee. During the 2023 breeding season, Flightline was bred to approximately 150 mares with more than 90% determined to be in foal (impregnated). The vast majority of mare owners (110) would be responsible for paying the $200,000 stallion fee (110 x $200,000 = $22,000,000) and the other 40 were shareowners in Flightline. Each share owner receives 1/40th of the $22,000,000.
Information on Flightline’s racing and stallion careers here.
Expectations regarding Flightline’s potential as a sire have been high since he was retired. The mares he was bred to in 2023 are a “who’s who” of mares. Some were Grade 1 Winners on the racetrack: (e.g. Obligatory, Paulassilverlining, Juju’s Map) and some have produced Grade 1 Winners on the racetrack (e.g. Littleprincessemma the dam (mother) of Triple Crown Winner American Pharoah, Delightful Quality the dam (Mother) of Grade 1 Belmont Stakes and Travers Stakes Winner Essential Quality).
In 2023, thirteen of the mares in foal to Flightline sold at public auction for an average of $1,074,231. In 2024, eight of Flightline’s weanlings (less than one year old) sold at public auction for an average sale price of $655,897. Three of the eight sold in Japan and five in Kentucky.
Lane’s End Farm Stallion Barn
In 2024, Flightline was again bred to approximately 150 mares. His stud fee was lowered to $150,000 to ensure a full book of mares. This type of reduction in Year 2 of a stallion’s career is very common. With new stallions beginning “second careers” every year and breeders often looking for the next, new “shiny penny”, it’s important to keep their attention on Flightline.
As we enter 2025, Flightline’s first yearlings (one year old) will go to market. I fully expect the demand to be high at the Fasig Tipton Select Yearling Sales in July (Kentucky) and August (Saratoga) followed by the Keeneland September Sale.
Flightline’s first 2 year olds will begin their racing careers on the track in 2026. It’s not soup yet, but we’re getting close!