OBS History Shattered: Flightline Colt Sells for $10.5M

The atmosphere in the pavilion turned electric as the highly anticipated Flightline colt (Hip 1056) made his entrance into the ring during the April 17 finale of the Ocala Breeders' Sales Spring 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale. Following a week of relentless buzz, the opening bid shattered expectations, starting the floor at a cool $1 million. A spirited bidding war ensued, but Donato Lanni, bidding on behalf of Zedan Racing Stable, prevailed with a winning bid of $10.5 million, shattering the previous record for a juvenile at OBS. Grade 1 winner Brant, who was also bought by Zedan during last year's OBS March 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale for $3 million, had held the previous record. Hip 1056 is the second-highest-priced 2-year-old ever sold in North America, trailing only the $16 million The Green Monkey sold in 2006. Lanni said he expected the competition to be fierce, but had no idea the price would go that high. "Bob (Baffert) loved him. The first time he saw him, he loved him," Lanni said of the son of Flightline. "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." Hip 1056 breezed an eye-catching furlong in :09 3/5 during the under-tack show for consignors Hartley/DeRenzo Thoroughbreds. "When he worked, everybody got on that rail and watched. He delivered," Lanni said. "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 2-year-old in training sale when he went to Barretts." From the first crop of 2022 Horse of the Year and Lane's End stallion Flightline, the colt was bred in Kentucky by Edward and Beverly Seltzer and W.S. Farish. Hip 1056 is out of the graded-placed, stakes-winning Into Mischief mare Lucrezia. He was purchased as a weanling for $575,000 by Tom Durant's Classic Equine at the 2024 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale. "(Flightline) is one of the greatest racehorses of all time," Lanni said. "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 progeny of Flightline, who entered stud for $200,000 in 2023, have been hot commodities since they debuted at the sales. His first weanlings averaged $655,897 in 2024, and he was the third-leading yearling sire in North America last year with an average of $712,500 for 54 sold. 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 2-year-old sale. Earlier in the week, they sold a filly (Hip 570) by Jackie's Warrior for $2.3 million to Dermot Farrington. "Amazing horse," Hartley said. "We rarely see these kinds of horses come through the 2-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 kind of caliber horses." Hartley said the colt never missed a beat, breezing and then showing with the utmost class all week. "When you're around him for five seconds, you can just see that he breathes a different air than other horses," Hartley said. Hartley and DeRenzo have been consigning 2-year-olds since 1992. Some of their top graduates include the 2025 champion female sprinter, Shisospicy, and multiple grade 1 winner Taiba. "It's hard to stay at that level," Hartley said. "There are so many good horsemen out here, and they're all trying to buy the same horses." Hartley said they are constantly evaluating their program, making changes as necessary. "I even switched breeze riders for this sale," he explained. "I just felt like I needed something different. I found this young kid named Adrian Martinez. He doesn't get on a lot of horses, but I saw something in him. He's the smoothest rider I've ever seen on a horse. It just felt right." Spring Sale Breaks RecordS After four days of vibrant trade, the OBS Spring sale finished with records across nearly all metrics, with a record gross of $113,823,000, including post-ring sales, from 637 horses to change hands. The average stood at $178,686, with a median of $80,000. The RNA rate was a healthy 17.8%, representing the 138 horses who failed to meet their reserve. Last year's sale saw 638 horses sell for gross receipts of $88,496,500. The average was $138,709, with a median of $65,000. Tod Wojciechowski, director of sales at OBS, said the hype surrounding Hip 1056 could be felt all week, but even his wildest expectations were exceeded. "Mind-blowing," Wojciechowski said of the top-priced colt. "The best description of this horse is Lebron James coming out of high school. He was just that much heads above the class," OBS president Tom Ventura said. "His imposing physical is one thing. The way he did it on the track looked effortless. But his class was in the ring." The Flightline colt drew a slew of followers as they packed the pavilion tight and yelled for the colt after the hammer dropped at $10.5 million. "There was a lot of chatter, and it was hectic. He was just all class," Ventura added. The sale proved there was depth throughout all ends of the market. "The top typically takes care of itself, but there was plenty of money on the second and third tier for horses all through the week," Wojciechowski said. Zedan's single purchase made him leading buyer of the sale by gross. Hartley/DeRenzo finished the sale as the leading consignor with just four horses totaling $13.55 million. "Dean and Randy were the first true believers of the April sale," Ventura said. "Silver Charm was the first horse to put them on the map. They put us on the map too." Silver Charm, winner of the 1997 Kentucky Derby (G1) and Preakness Stakes (G1), was sold for $100,000 to C.J. Gray by Hartley/DeRenzo at the 1996 OBS Spring sale. They purchased the colt as a yearling for $16,500 at the 1995 OBS Open Yearling Sale. The Florida-bred was named champion 3-year-old male in 1997, and retired with earnings just shy of $7 million. He was elected into the Racing Hall of Fame in 2007. "They've been doing this a long time here," Ventura continued. "They also sold the first $1 million horse (at an OBS 2-year-old sale) with Warners (in 2001). OBS will now set its sights on the upcoming June 2-Year-Olds and Horses of Racing Age Sale held June 16-18. The under-tack show will be held June 9-13.