'He breathes a different air to other horses' - colt by unbeaten champion Flightline smashes Ocala sale record at an eye-watering $10.5 million

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History was made during the fourth and final session of the Ocala Breeders' Sales (OBS) Spring Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale on Friday when a colt from the first crop of unbeaten champion Flightline sold to Donato Lanni – who was bidding on behalf of Zedan Racing Stable – for a record-shattering $10.5 million. 

"Bob [Baffert] loved him. The first time he saw him, he loved him," Lanni told Bloodhorse. "And obviously, Amr [Zedan], he's tough. He's tough to outbid. He's an emotional guy. He's great for the sport. He loves the racing. His enthusiasm is unbelievable.

"When he worked, everybody got on that rail and watched. He delivered. He did everything you asked him and plus. Bob said the only other horse that he reminded him of was Unbridled's Song at the two-year-old in training sale when he went to Barretts.

"[Flightline] is one of the greatest racehorses of all time. And, he's out of an Into Mischief mare. This horse looks fast, and he looks like he'll carry his endurance like Flightline."

The result makes the colt the second-highest priced two-year-old ever sold in America and eclipsed the previous Ocala record held by subsequent Grade 1 winner Brant. That son of Gun Runner was also bought by Zedan for $3 million at last year’s edition of the two-year-old sale. Trained by Baffert, the colt proved money well spent when he landed last season’s Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity. 

Bred by Edward and Beverly Seltzer and Bill Farish and offered by Hartley/DeRenzo Thoroughbreds, Friday's top-seller is out of the stakes-winning Into Mischief mare Lucrezia, who was also placed at Grade 2 level. 

He was bought by Classic Equine for $575,000 as a foal at the 2024 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale.

Randy Hartley and Dean DeRenzo's Hartley/DeRenzo Thoroughbreds now hold the record for the highest-priced colt and filly ever sold at an OBS two-year-old sale, having sold a filly by Jackie's Warrior for $2.3m to Dermot Farrington earlier in the week. 

"Amazing horse," Hartley said of the record-breaking colt. "We rarely see these kinds of horses come through the two-year-old sales. [We] thank Tom Durant so much, and his farm, and Jack Bruner, who runs the ranch out in Texas, for believing in us, that we could do this with these kinds of calibre horses.

"When you're around him for five seconds, you can just see that he breathes a different air to other horses."

Flightline, the 2022 Horse of the Year, stood his first season at Lane’s End Farm in Kentucky for $200,000, the highest opening fee for a stallion since 2016. He currently is covering his fourth book of mares at a fee of $125,000. 

Spring sale breaks records

After four days of vibrant trade, the OBS Spring sale finished with records across nearly all metrics. A total of a 637 juveniles sold for a record gross of $113,823,000, up 28 per cent year-on-year. The average increased 29 points to $178,686, while the median improved 23 per cent to weigh in at $80,000. 

Tod Wojciechowski, director of sales at OBS, said the hype surrounding the Flightline colt was felt all week, but even his wildest expectations were exceeded.

"Mind-blowing," Wojciechowski said of the top-priced colt. 

OBS president Tom Ventura added: "The best description of this horse is Lebron James coming out of high school. He was just that much heads above the class. 

"His imposing physical is one thing. The way he did it on the track looked effortless. But his class was in the ring. There was a lot of chatter, and it was hectic. He was just all class."

The crowds gather before the Flightline colt sold for $10.5 million at OBSCredit: OBS

The sale proved there was depth throughout all ends of the market.

“I do think you saw some depth here. The top typically takes care of itself but there was plenty of money in that second and third tier for horses all through the week,” said Wojciechowski. “That was the impressive thing all week was not just the domestic buyers but the increased amount of interest we saw from all regions of the world. A deeper bench of buyers from Japan, more and more of the Middle East buyers coming in, European buyers. It just continues to grow.

“We are the largest two-year-old sale in the world. No one sells more two-year-olds over more days than OBS. And I think it just continues to prove itself as the two-year-old source to the world.”

Read more:

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Coolmore's dual Group 1 winner Tuesday covered by new resident Delacroix 

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