Ludicrous value placed on Flightline shows where breeding goes wrong

Racing doesn't help itself sometimes. That's a proposition I reckon we can all agree on but the specific example I have in mind is the extraordinary value as a stallion that has just been slapped on Flightline.

Unusually, 2.5 per cent of the Breeders' Cup Classic winner was put up for sale on Monday, in an auction at Keeneland, held about 100 yards from the spot where he roasted his rivals on Saturday night. That share was knocked down to an undisclosed buyer for $4.6 million (£4m), suggesting that the whole of Flightline would be worth $184m (£162m).

That puts him in some extremely exalted company. According to recent guesses elsewhere in the media, he is now worth about the same as Hugh Jackman, although he still has a few lengths to make up on Ariana Grande.