2023 Mating Plans, Presented by Spendthrift: A Selection From Flightline’s Book

The most exciting and highest-priced horse to go to stud in 2023, at a fee of $200,000, Flightline has amassed a book of mares as deep as any in recent memory for a first-season sire. We sat down with Lane's End Bloodstock's David Ingordo to hear about just 10 of those famous mares–a tough number to narrow down in a book so full of riches.

“We've got a ton of great support for the horse, from Eclipse Award-winning owner-breeders to successful commercial breeders,” said Ingordo. “We went out and bought five mares to support him, spending $4.5 million to do so. The book is a phenomenal first-season book, and it's hard to name all the good mares going to him. I have chosen just a few here, and we have just scratched the surface. It's such a deep, exciting group, both young mares off the track and proven producers like Queen Caroline, the dam of 2-year-old champion Forte (Violence).”

Ingordo said that a lot of thought went into what the champion's book size would be, and that many factors had to be balanced before a decision was reached by the Lane's End team, which included Bill Farish, Ingordo, Jill McCully, Chris Knehr and Bill's son, Will Farish III.

“We've committed to keeping him right at 150 mares,” said Ingordo. “We felt at the price for which we're standing him, that's a fair number. We need him to have enough mares that he has a chance, but we don't want people breeding to the horse at a very high stud fee to think they don't have exclusivity. The Lane's End policy and that of everyone in the ownership group has never favored big books, and that's how we agreed upon that number.”

With that in mind, Ingordo kicks off Flightline's book with two mares from one of the world's best operations: Juddmonte.

OBLIGATORY (5, Curlin-Uno Duo, by Macho Uno). Obligatory is a maiden mare by Curlin from one of their very, very deep families that they have curated for so long. She's the winner of the GI Derby City Distaff S., and a multiple graded stakes winner who placed in filly classics like the [GI] Acorn S. and the [GI] Cotillion S., amongst other races. She is the typical great Juddmonte race filly and this offspring will obviously go into their racing stable. We're very excited to have a mare like this.

PAULASSILVERLINING (11, Ghostzapper-Seeking the Silver, by Grindstone). Paulassilverlining is the other mare Juddmonte is sending us. She is the winner of the GI Humana Distaff S. at Churchill and the GI Madison S. at Keeneland. She placed in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint. Paulassilverlining has already produced Artorius (Arrogate) as her first foal, who was a nice late-developing 3-year-old that looks like he could be a force either sprinting or in the handicap ranks next year. She is a Juddmonte mare they purchased for Arrogate in the past, and to get her in Flightline's book is nice.

ROYAL FLAG (7, Candy Ride {Arg}-Sea Gull, by Mineshaft). From Lane's End, we're breeding one of our best maiden mares off the track, Royal Flag. She is a third-generation mare from Mr. Farish's breeding program. She won the GII Beldame S. and the GIII Shuvee S. and was placed in the GI Personal Ensign S. Royal Flag is a great physical and we love the cross with Flightline over Candy Ride mares or Gun Runner mares, because Candy Ride over Tapit seems to be working well, so we're doing that cross here. She's a beautiful maiden mare owned by Mr. Farish who is a half-sister to the very promising Lane's End first-crop 2-year-old sire of 2023, Catalina Cruiser.

QUEEN CAROLINE (10, Blame-Queens Plaza, by Forestry). Befitting Flightline–the co-highest rated horse in history along with Frankel, and now Horse of the Year–we are breeding him to the mare who produced the three-time Grade I winner and champion Forte (Violence). Forte is an exceptional prospect for the classics as well as down the road as a stallion, and so that Queen Caroline is going to Flightline is exciting. Her pedigree goes back to horses that Mr. Farish has had his hands on, like Jeano, and champions Folklore and Essential Quality hail from this family. That Queen Caroline is now coming to the most important stallion we've ever retired brings this pedigree back into association with the farm. There are three champions under the first four dams and we're very excited about having her in the book.

DELIGHTFUL QUALITY (14, Elusive Quality-Contrive, by Storm Cat). Speaking of the family of Queen Caroline, Flightline will be bred to Delightful Quality, a daughter of Elusive Quality and the dam of Essential Quality, by Tapit. Essential Quality, of course, was a champion 2-year-old and 3-year-old, a classic winner of the GI Belmont S., the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile, the GI Runhappy Travers S., among many other races. This is another mare from the same family as Forte and not a one-hit wonder; she's also the dam of dual stakes winner Famed (Uncle Mo), who looks to be ready to have a good 2023 as well.

SHAMROCK ROSE (8, First Dude-Slew's Quality, by Elusive Quality). We are blessed that the Japanese have taken a strong interest in Flightline and they have committed Shamrock Rose, who was purchased by KI Farm for $3 million at the Keeneland November sale. She was the Champion Female Sprinter of 2018 after winning the GI Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint, along with multiple other stakes. We purchased a War Front yearling out of the mare and are quite happy with how he is training at this stage.

JUJU'S MAP (4, Liam's Map-Nagambi, by Flatter).This filly has a big pedigree. She was the winner of the GI Darley Alcibiades S. at two, and was second in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. In addition to having a lot of 2-year-old form, she is a beautiful physical, an Albaugh family runner and another exciting young mare off the track that we think really fits Flightline.

BELL'S THE ONE (7, Majesticperfection-Street Mate, by Street Cry). Multiple graded stakes winner. She's the Grade I winner of the Derby City Distaff, and placed in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint. She was a tough and durable racemare, campaigned from two to six, with 13 wins. She's also a very pretty filly with a good family with which we have a lot of experience. This is a Ned Evans family, and a mare who I just loved on the track and worked hard to get into his book. I raced her sire Majesticperfection under Padua Stables with Satish Sanan, and thought he was a very underrated stallion, and this is arguably his best offspring to date. I thought she was one of the best fillies out there. She was one of the top mares I wanted to get into his book, and I really like the cross. Sid Fernando at Werk Thoroughbred Consultants was very helpful. We did some research work with him on pedigrees that would work well at the sale, including Bell's The One, and he's been a big help in crafting Flightline's book.

POLLY FREEZE (10, Super Saver-Elusive Gold, by Strike the Gold). Polly Freeze is a proven mare from Hertrich and Fielding, the breeders of Eclipse Award winners. She is the dam of Americanrevolution (Constitution), the winner of the GI Cigar Mile H. with earnings of $1.2 million. She's has a wonderful pedigree. Americanrevolution is by a son of Tapit, so this mating makes a lot of sense. She is also the dam of another winner, Bold Journey (Hard Spun) and I own the 3-year-old, Paleta (Collected), for whom we have high hopes. She's a proven mare with a good family from outstanding breeders.

LITTLEPRINCESSEMMA (17, Yankee Gentleman-Exclusive Rosette, by Ecliptical). From the Summer Wind broodmare band of Flightline's breeder and co-owner Jane Lyon, we have one of her crown jewels, Littleprincessemma, the dam of none other than Triple Crown winner and sire American Pharoah. She is also the dam of Grade I-placed American Cleopatra (Pioneerof the Nile), GI Starlet S. winner Chasing Yesterday (Tapit) and Flightline's paddock mate as a baby, Triple Tap (Tapit).

EDGEWAY (6, Competitive Edge-Magical Solution, by Stormin Fever). A new acquisition on behalf of Summer Wind for Flightline's book was Edgeway, purchased at Keeneland November for $1.7 million. John Sadler thought she was an exceptionally talented filly–a tough runner who raced from three to five for Hronis Racing. She was second in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint, and was a multiple graded stakes winner over her three seasons of racing. She comes from a deep family of tough, classy graded stakes runners in New York and California. Flightline always seemed to have an affinity for her; when she was walking around John Sadler's shedrow, he'd always look at her and nicker.

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First Foal For Taylor Made’s Knicks Go

Taylor Made Stallions' Horse of the Year Knicks Go (Paynter), a five-time Grade I winner and two-time Breeders' Cup winner, sired his first reported foal when a filly bred by Alex and Kendra Penn was born on Thursday evening, Jan. 12.

Her dam Seeking a Star (Pioneerof the Nile) is a half-sister to 2-year-old SW Miss Interpret (Street Sense), and out of a half-sister to MGISW Paulassilverlining (Ghostzapper), the dam of Artorius (Arrogate), winner of the 2022 Curlin S. at Saratoga.

Victorious in the GI Breeders' Futurity at two, Knicks Go took the 2020 renewal of the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile before adding wins in six graded stakes the following season, including the GI Pegasus World Cup, GI Whitney and GI Breeders' Cup Classic. He retired with 10 of 25 wins and earnings of $9,258,135. His stud fee is $15,000 S&N for 2023.

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Artorius Has Arrogate-Sized Shadow to Outrun in Travers

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY–During a pre-season interview in early July, trainer Chad Brown offered another colt–at that point, with a low profile–to a discussion of his deep bench of GI Travers prospects: Zandon (Upstart), Early Voting (Gun Runner) and Jack Christopher (Munnings).

“I have a late -bloomer, a horse named Artorius (Arrogate), that I really like,” Brown said.  “He's going to run in the Curlin Stakes. Much like the dad, he's late bloomer. I'm not saying he's a threat to win the Travers, but I'm going to tell you: he's lightly raced and he's very good. And his mother was very good, Paulassilverlining (Ghostzapper), who won two Grade Is for us. Obviously, Arrogate was a great race horse, that I didn't train. He's very well bred. He's a horse we've always liked all winter. He just got started a little late.”

Seven weeks to the day later, Artorius, will be entered Tuesday with Zandon and Early Voting in the Travers, which will be run for the 153rd time on Saturday. Following a third as the favorite in the GI Haskell S. July 23, Jack Christopher returns to sprint distances in the seven-furlong GI H. Allen Jerkens on the Travers program.

Artorius thoroughly confirmed Brown's assessment that he was of Travers quality with a 4 3/4-lengths score in the 1 1/8 miles ungraded Curlin July 29. He has continued to train well, most recently a :47.00 half-mile on Saturday, and just like his famous father did in 2016, will make his graded stakes debut in the Travers.

In what was his fifth career start, Arrogate (Unbridled's Song) cruised into Saratoga history for trainer Bob Baffert in 2016 with a stakes and course record of 1:59.36 for the 1 1/4-miles Travers. He broke the record of 2:00 set in 1979 by General Assembly over a very wet track. The Travers was the launching pad for Arrogate, who died in 2020 during his third season at stud. He followed that 13 1/2-length Travers score with wins in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic, the GI Pegasus World Cup and the GI Dubai World Cup. The week of his victory in the Pegasus in an anticipated showdown with California Chrome (Lucky Pulpit) that never materialized, he won the Eclipse Award as 3-year-old male champion.

Brown said that Artorius had typical 2-year-old shin issues in 2021 and had another problem that delayed his arrival to the races. He broke slowly in his first start on Apr. 16 in a six-furlong race at Keeneland and finished second. The maiden-breaker came at a mile at Belmont Park June 10 and he followed that up with what turned out to be an easy victory at nine furlongs in the Curlin.

“He's doing great,” Brown said. “His last race was terrific, first race around two turns. I was very pleased with it. ”

Brown acknowledged that it is a big ask to send Artorius into the Travers against an accomplished field whose headliner is GI Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike. His stablemates Early Voting, victor of the GI Preakness S., Zandon, third in the Derby after a win in the GI Blue Grass S. will be in the gate, along with Epicenter (Not This Time), second in the Derby and Preakness and the winner of the GII Jim Dandy, and GI Arkansas Derby and GI Haskell winner Cyberknife (Gun Runner).

“I'm having to step him up. He seems like he's willing to do it,” Brown said. “I don't feel like I'm doing anything to compromise his development by doing it. Yes, it's a really tough race, but he's got a nice race over this track, albeit against lesser horses than he's going to meet in the Travers. He did it the right way and came out of it the right way. The Travers is a once-in-a-lifetime for a horse to try. You only get one shot to run in it when you're three. So, if they're sound and doing well, and their numbers look like they're heading the right way, have a race over the track, which is in this particular case is possibly beneficial, and a leading jockey riding the horse, you've got to take a shot.”

Juddmonte purchased Paulassilverling from breeder-owner Vincent Scuderi prior to her 5-year-old season in 2017 and turned her over to Brown. She promptly won the GI Madison and the GI Humana Distaff. Artorius is her first foal.

“He's not real big now,” Brown said. “He'd be more of his mom's size than his father's size, but he's good combination between the two. He's got the stamina and the movement of his father, who moved like a cat. His mother was a smaller filly, not the best mover, but had a lot of heart. When you're breeding the best of the best, you hope for the best. This horse got a good blend of both, which is what you really hope for in a lot of cases when you breed Grade I horses to Grade I horses.”

An hour or so after Artorius worked alongside multiple GI winner Search Results (Flatter) Saturday, Brown said he was certain that the colt had the physical tools for the Travers and it just was a matter of timing whether he would make it to Saratoga's signature race.

“It's not a surprise at all. We always thought that he's talented enough,” Brown said. “I'd use the word “relieved” that he was able to do it. There was a small percentage chance that he'd be able to advance this quick. We knew he had the ability, but things happen. Horses have setbacks, right? Horses don't always run the way you think they're going to run. For him to actually hit all the marks and really get there, the only way was if everything sort of went right. Everything went right along the way with his works and spacing and weather, health of the horse. Everything has for this horse. I've been relieved. We gave it a shot to put him on a path to get here and he hit it.”

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Immaculately Bred Arrogate Colt Gets ‘Rising Star’ Nod

Juddmonte's Artorius (c, 3, Arrogate–Paulassilverlining, by Ghostzapper) backed up his highly impressive runner-up effort on his six-furlong debut behind 'TDN Rising Star' Under Oath (Speightstown) at Keeneland Apr. 16 with a similarly promising performance when stretched to a mile Friday at Belmont. His deceptively easy 3/4-length success over big-figure maiden Gasoline (Curlin x Yellow Agate) earns him the 'Rising Star' designation.

With the vanguard early, the dark bay eased back to sit third and on the fence behind a sharp opening quarter-mile in :22.98. Shuffled back one position to sit midfield past the half in :46.61, Artorius was back into the bit and ready to roll, but in need of running room as the field hit the top of the stretch. The gap came one off the inside with a bit more than a furlong to travel, and Artorius took it professionally, but wanted to run around a bit at the eighth pole. The colt received a few reminders from Irad Ortiz, Jr. and held sway to win narrowly, albeit comfortably, in racehorse time. Gasoline, who finished a neck behind subsequent Texas Derby winner King Ottoman (Curlin) in a May 7 Churchill maiden going this one-turn mile configuration, prompted the pace throughout and boxed on gamely once passed in another high-class outing.

Artorius is the first foal out of Paulassilverlining, a four-time graded winner and third in the 2016 GI Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint for her breeder Vince Scuderi, then was acquired privately by Juddmonte prior to her 5-year-old season in 2017, with an eye on a future mating with Arrogate. The plan paid immediate dividends when Paulassilverlining won the GI Madison S. and GI Humana Distaff S. in her first two appearances in the legendary Juddmonte green-and-pink before her retirement at the end of that campaign.

A half-sister to dual GI Carter H. hero Dads Caps (Discreet Cat) and to the dams of SWs Long Weekend (Majesticperfection) and Miss Interpret (Street Sense), Paulassilverlining has a 2-year-old half-sister named Parameter (Into Mischief) and a foal half-sister by Tapit. Artorius carries 3 x 4 inbreeding to Unbridled.

Read more on Artorius in Steve Sherack's 'Second Chances' column.

1st-Belmont, $90,000, Msw, 6-10, 3yo/up, 1m, 1:35.07, ft, 3/4 length.
ARTORIUS, c, 3, by Arrogate
1st Dam: Paulassilverlining (MGISW, $1,516,230), by Ghostzapper
2nd Dam: Seeking the Silver, by Grindstone
3rd Dam: Apache Pines, by Pancho Villa
Lifetime Record: 2-1-1-0, $68,000. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG. Click for the free Equineline.com catalog-style pedigree.
O-Juddmonte; B-Juddmonte Farms Inc (KY); T-Chad C Brown.

 

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