Could Flightline Race And Breed Simultaneously?

There is a lot of pressure for elite horses to perform in the breeding shed and on the track. Stallions stand to cover mares two to four times a day during the season. Some horses are not test-bred before they are retired. The Paulick Report publisher Ray Paulik explains why some horsemen believe a horse loses competitive fire once he ejaculates. The owner of Flightline refused to send his horse to a major European race because he didn't want him to ejaculate for the test prior to the race. A mystery buyer paid $4.6 million for a 2.5% stake in Flightlin.

Flightline has a perfect record of six wins in six starts. He was brought to the track by trainer John Sadler cautiously. Flightline is being retired to stud at exactly the right time. The only thing that could theoretically increase his worth would be a victory in one or more Triple Crown races.

Flightline is a potential breeding stallion. He's not a good prospect as a breeding stock. But it's been done before. Precisionist and Battle of Midway were successful racing horses who were retired to stud. Both horses died in training.  Precisionist won 20 races in 46 starts and earned $3.5 million. Battle won eight of 16 starts. They both died of old age. The current breeding program is not very successful.

Flightline earned $4.5 million in his six career starts. His stud fee has not been established, but it's a safe bet that a swift, intimate date with Flightline will cost a hopeful mare owner hundreds of thousands of dollars.