The National Awards Dinner will be held Saturday, Sept. 9 at Fasig-Tipton in Lexington, KY and the National Awards Luncheon, which honors breeders from 20 states and Canada, will be held Friday, Sept. 8 at WinStar Farm.

The finalists for the National Owner of the Year are Peter M. Brant, Godolphin, Hronis Racing, Klaravich Stables, and Winchell Thoroughbreds.

The three finalists for the National Breeder of the Year are Godolphin, Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings LLC., and Summer Wind Equine.

The entire list of finalists and winners can be viewed here.

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The post Party On Beats The Boys In Debut At Woodbine appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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O-Courtlandt Farms; B-Summer Wind Equine LLC; T-Steve Asmussen. Sales History: $650,000 ylg '22 KEESEP.

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He's a stunning and athletic physical specimen, standing 16.2 hands, with length to go with height and balance. He's so well put together and pleasing to look at that at first glance no one single feature jumps out and grabs the eye, because all of him does at once, flooding the senses. But zoom in here and there and it's evident that the parts that make up the whole are of the finest quality: a well-defined and chiseled masculine shoulder with depth; strong forearms over clean and smooth limbs with short cannons; pasterns at exactly the right angles that are neither too short nor too long; a big hip and butt; and hind legs set perfectly underneath. He'd first caught the eye of Lane's End Bloodstock's David Ingordo as an early and unfinished yearling at breeder Jane Lyon's Summer Wind, and later that year, in August, was purchased by his current ownership group on Ingordo's advice for $1 million at Fasig-Tipton's marquee Saratoga sale.

It's evident that Flightline gets some of his looks from broodmare sire Indian Charlie, who also had size, strength, masculinity, and similar patterns of muscling, except Indian Charlie was slightly back at the knee and had rough ankles, neither of which plagues Flightline.

What stands out the most about Flightline is his mind and presence: he's non-plussed, intelligent, and kind. Here he was, two days after he'd clobbered a high-level field in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic, calmly and confidently surveying his new home, and it's easy to understand how he overcame several mishaps and one major injury along the way and continued to train on with gusto and win at the highest levels.

At the moment, Flightline is being let down cautiously, spending time in a round pen when he's not in his stall. It's expected that by the end of next week he'll be in a paddock like the other studs at the farm, as he's transitioning quickly from a life of hard training at the track to an easier life on the farm for his next career as a stallion.

The Share

Flightline is owned by a 40-share syndicate, with Kosta Hronis and family controlling 15 shares; Lyon's Summer Wind, 10 shares; Terry Finley's West Point, seven shares; Bill Farish and partners' Woodford, four shares; and Anthony Manganaro's Siena Farm, four shares. Lane's End will get breeding rights for standing the horse, and a few others are in the hands of trainer John Sadler and David Ingordo.

The share–a 2.5% fractional interest–that was auctioned came from the West Point group, which is composed of seven individual partners with one share each (2.5% of 40 is one share). Some of them pooled portions of their fractional interests to form one share or 2.5% to offer at auction, and Freddie Seitz, as agent for an undisclosed Seattle-based owner and client with interests in the coffee business, held off underbidder Coolmore to secure the share for the $4.6 million, placing a “value” of $184 million on Flightline's head. In comparison, Triple Crown winner Justify (Scat Daddy) had a book value of $75 million as a new sire just a few years ago.

The big share price is, of course, a trophy prize, and in the strictest sense it will not bear a direct relationship to his stud fee, which is $200,000 live foal–as much as the entering fees of American Pharoah, Ghostzapper, and Devil's Bag. At that fee, based on a four-year return and, say, a 160-mare cap, a traditional market value for a share would likely be about $2.8 to $3 million based on pure back-of-napkin math without expenses: two seasons each year (each shareholder gets two seasons) is $400,000, multiplied by four years, is $1.6 million; and on the back end, a bonus pool of $12 million a year (say 60 mares at $200,000 is $12 million), divided by 40 shares, is $300,000 per share per year, times four years, is $1.2 million. Extending this example over five years, a case could be made for $2 million in stud fee income and $1.5 million in bonus-pool money (assuming the stud fee stays the same), for a value of $3.5 million, plus depreciation. And there's also the possibility of added bonus-pool monies from expanding his book and from breeding Flightline at Lane's End on Southern Hemisphere time.

The Flightline syndicate, of course, is tightly held by the colt's original ownership group, which is to say that not many shares will become available. That scarcity–think of it as an illiquid market–means that the shares that do become available will be snapped up by those few that have the means to pay premium-plus, like the unnamed buyer at $4.6 million and the underbidder, Coolmore, at $4.5 million.

For such owners, that type of money may not be as outlandish as it seems to some. An entity like Coolmore, for example, could breed to Flightline a mare like Gamine, who was purchased for $7 million, and race the offspring, hoping to get a top-class winner. And if Flightline becomes a success at stud like undefeated Frankel, who will stand for about $315,000 in 2023, that would be money well spent in hindsight.

Betting on any unproven stallion is a gamble, but Flightline has the impeccable credentials to succeed as a stallion. Not only is he a son of the elite stallion Tapit, whose son Constitution will stand for $110,000 at WinStar in 2023, he's from a mare, Feathered, who won a Grade 3 race and placed three times in Grade I races, earning $577,474. Moreover, Feathered, who was bred by Teresa Viola, spouse of Vinny Viola (who has a Flightline share under the West Point umbrella), is from the sought-after Phipps family of Blitey/Lady Pitt and was purchased by Lyon in 2016 at Keeneland November for $2,350,000.

In other words, Flightline was bred to be a superstar, and he's that rare example of a horse that realized his lofty potential–and some.

Combine this pedigree with Flightline's exceptional looks, astonishing talent, and undefeated race record, and he is–as the share price reflected–the most desirable new prospect to enter the marketplace in a long time.

   Sid Fernando is president and CEO of Werk Thoroughbred Consultants, Inc., originator of the Werk Nick Rating and eNicks.

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“He jogged a mile which is pretty routine,” trainer John Sadler said. “We think his setback is over and he's back to training.”

Flightline, campaigned in partnership by the powerhouse line-up of Hronis Racing, Siena Farm, Summer Wind Equine, West Point Thoroughbreds and Woodford Racing, made it a perfect three-for-three with an 11 1/2-length victory while making his stakes debut in the Dec. 26 Malibu.

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Campaigned in partnership by the powerhouse lineup of Hronis Racing, Siena Farm, West Point Thoroughbreds, Woodford Racing, and breeder Summer Wind Equine, the $1-million Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling made it two-for-two for trainer John Sadler in spectacular fashion, crushing a first-level group of optional claimers by 12 3/4 lengths over Labor Day weekend at Del Mar (video).

The bay earned an astronomical 114 Beyer Speed Figure for the effort, the co-highest rating recorded throughout all of the 2021 season.

After flirting with a potential start against older horses in the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint at Del Mar last month, Flightline instead began gearing up for the seven-furlong Malibu versus fellow sophomores with five workouts since Halloween, most recently breezing a bullet five-eighths in :59.60 (1/28) at Santa Anita Nov. 28 (video).

“Very very happy with the way he's been,” Terry Finley said while checking in from Ocala on West Point's yearling class of 36 strong.

“John Sadler was able to give him a little bit of a blow after the Del Mar race. I know he's right on target, and is very comfortable. John just really thinks he's a special horse and a special talent. Everybody in the partnership is anxiously awaiting Christmas time and opening day at Santa Anita. It will be a good test. The water will be a lot deeper. Dr. Schivel (Violence) is a multiple Grade I winner and just got nipped in the Breeders' Cup Sprint. It's gonna be a formidable task and we are excited to see how he responds and runs against a really good group of horses.”

Finley continued, “It's very tough individually to buy these kind of horses anymore. The market has been white hot and it's a long way down when you spend $1 million for a horse all by yourself. It's easy to say, but this is a really good group of people and experienced. Everyone knows the ups and downs and has been around a long time. We all get along really well and we're all rolling in the same direction, which is absolutely essential in these type of partnerships.”

Flightline previously debuted with an equally impressive 13 1/4- length jaw-dropping 'Rising Star' performance at Santa Anita Apr. 24. So why all the time between starts? Is Flightline just too fast for his own good?

“People do ask all of us this on a regular basis–it was a simple foot bruise that kind of caused us to have to back up after his debut,” Finley responded.

“We all thought we had a special talent before he even ran. It's rare–very few horses run that well in their first start. And then he just had a foot bruise. It was nothing else. You could see his works. John took his time with him and we pointed for that race at the end of Del Mar. I'm not sure there's ever been another horse that has run a 114 Beyer in his second start. John is the captain of the ship and we all agreed that it would be the best thing in terms of development for this colt to bypass the Breeders' Cup Sprint and point for the Malibu.”

Summer Wind purchased Flightline's dam Feathered (Indian Charlie), a granddaughter of the Phipps Stable-bred MGISW Finder's Fee (Storm Cat), for $2.35 million in foal to War Front at the 2016 Keeneland November sale. Flightline is her second foal.

The versatile Feathered captured the grassy 2015 GIII Edgewood S. and was also second in the GI American Oaks and GI Starlet S., and third in the GI Frizette S. Feathered has a Tapit colt of 2020 ($390,000 FTSAUG RNA) and a Curlin colt of this year in the pipeline. She was bred back to Into Mischief.

“We all know these are the kinds of horses that we're all shooting for the stars with,” Finley concluded. “When you get one like this, it's absolute magic on a big scale. We're blessed– it's a cool thing to be part of the ride with a horse like this. I don't think that we've ever had the kind of anticipation that's starting to build as we have for this horse in the Malibu.”

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The post ‘Pharoah’ Half Brother Impressive in Return at Del Mar appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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MGISW WEDDING TOAST SON DEBUTS AT CHURCHILL
10th-CD, $120K, Msw, 2yo, 6.5f, 7:23 p.m. ET
Godolphin's WORDS OF WISDOM (Tapit) kicks off for trainer Brad Cox following a string of workmanlike moves, including the latest a five-furlong work in 1:01 4/5 (20/42) at Churchill Oct. 29. The homebred is the second foal out of Wedding Toast (Street Sense), winner of four graded stakes, including the GI Beldame Invitational S. and GI Ogden Phipps S. while banking over $1.4 million under the care of Kiaran McLaughlin. Also getting his start is Willis Horton Racing's Rider's Special (Union Rags), a $425,000 Fasig-Tipton Florida sale buy–the second-highest priced colt by the sire this season. Trained by Steve Asmussen, the April foal is out of unraced Fastbridled (Unbridled's Song), a great-granddaughter of undefeated champion older mare and blue-hen mare Personal Ensign. Lori Gervais and West Point Thoroughbred's Keen Heir (Keen Ice) is unveiled by Dallas Stewart. A $225,000 purchase at last spring's Fasig-Tipton Midlantic sale, the chestnut is the highest-priced offspring by the freshman stallion this season. Gold Square LLC's Cyberknife (Gun Runner), a $400,000 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky yearling grad, returns after being disqualified from an apparent debut victory going a sixteenth shorter over this track Sept. 25. The Brad Cox trainee loses the blinkers for this return. TJCIS PPs

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