Flightline yearlings take off as Japanese owner lands $1.7 million Keeneland colt

Monday's opening session of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale saw sustained demand for the first crop of the 2022 horse of the year Flightline as his offspring filled places right at the top of the standings.

Lane's End's unbeaten champion had two of the five most expensive yearlings on the day and three of the top ten. Flightline ended up with nine yearlings selling at an average of $975,000, which was a figure beneath only that of Gun Runner.

Japanese owner Naohiro Sakaguchi signed for his most expensive offspring of the session, reaching $1.7 million for a hip 45, a half-brother to Grade 3 winner Promise Keeper and stakes winner Wicked Awesome. Consigned by Warrendale Sales, he is out of the Curlin mare Mira Alta and from the family of Grade 1 winner Great Hunter and Grade 3 winner Owendale.

He will head to trainer Makoto Saito,  who said: "He looks like he will fit in Japan. We feel like Flightline has good potential. Flightline is a favourite in Japan."

Hunter Simms of Warrendale said the colt coped with the attention well.

"He showed over 220 times over the last three days,” Simms said. “He just handled everything with class and was such a great individual to be around.”

The colt was bred by Rock Ridge Thoroughbreds. "They raise a really good horse,” Simms said. “We had good sales for them in the past, and this is just kind of the icing on the cake for everything that they put into it over the last few years. Invested in a lot of mares and stud fees and everything else. So I’m glad it paid off for them."

Sakaguchi acquired another yearling by Flightline when he paid $1.5 million for a filly from the family of Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile winner and sire Liam’s Map (168) as well as Grade 3 winner and sire Not This Time. Out of stakes winner Taylor S, by Medaglia d’Oro, she was consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency.

John Stewart’s Resolute Bloodstock paid the amount for Stock Rising (10), a colt by Flightline who is a half-brother to two-time Breeders’ Cup winner Golden Pal and out of multiple stakes winner Lady Shipman.

The colt was the first Keeneland sales yearling consigned by VanMeter Sales of Headley VanMeter, son of veteran consignor.

"I grew up in Lexington in this business," Headley VanMeter said. "I spent five years working at Lane’s End, so that makes this colt even more special because I was there when Flightline came to the farm and I saw the first foals hit the ground.

"For us to raise this colt, where we foal about 35 to 40 mares a year, the first horse [breeder Randall Lowe] has ever sold, this is incredible. We had high expectations, but we didn’t think he would do that."

Stewart said he had shortlisted the colt using the analysis tool Pedigrees 360, which he owns. "The horse rates really well in that,” Stewart said. “That’s how we shortlist the system and kind of look through everything. And then, you know, we have a bunch of people that look at the horse, and it was on all of our lists and Flightline, you know. I really like the way those horses are looking, and I think it was the number one colt today."

More from Keeneland:

'All the lads really liked him' - Coolmore join the hunt for Gun Runner with $3.3 million Keeneland session topper 

'Records are one thing but what we want to do is maintain a health in the marketplace' - dizzying numbers as world's biggest sale begins