Half Sister to Salty Fetches $2M at Keeneland

Although his retirement has just been announced, Flightline  's book of potential mares is growing by the day. During the opening session of the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale Nov. 7, Terry Finley of West Point Thoroughbreds signed the ticket on a half sister to grade 1 winner Salty  (Quality Road  ) on behalf of Determined Stud and Gage Hill in what is the beginning of a new breeding partnership put together for the undefeated Longines Breeders Classic (G1) winner. 

Salty As Can Be (Hip 154), a stakes-placed daughter of Into Mischief  , carrying a three-quarter relation to Salty, dropped the hammer for $2 million.

"She will be bred to Flightline," Finley said. "We’re buying a couple of others too. The idea just came internally; our partners just said 'let’s do something for Flightline when he retires' so that’s what we’re doing. Determined Stud is taking a piece of the deal and Lane’s End will be part of it as well. The power of the partnership is going to Flightline. We're excited about his future."

Earlier in the day, a 2.5% share in Flightline sold for $4.6 million to agent Freddy Seitz for an undisclosed client. Flightline, a son of Tapit  , retired to Lane's End Farm after last Saturday's Classic with a perfect 6-for-6 record.

The Flightline breeding partnership purchased two additional mares Monday, landing the Malibu Moon mare Amiche (Hip 11) for $500,000 and the Lemon Drop Kid  mare High Opinion (Hip 68) for $400,000. Both mares were consigned by Lane's End. The stakes-placed Amiche was sold in foal to Quality Road.

Chris Baccari of Baccari Bloodstock originally purchased Salty As Can Be's dam, the Dixie Union mare Theycallmeladyluck, for $60,000 at the 2009 Keeneland November Sale. The mare has since rewarded Baccari fabulously, with four of her offspring bringing tickets of $500,000 or more in the sales ring since 2013. Salty As Can Be sold for $850,000 as a yearling at the 2019 Saratoga Sale, Fasig-Tipton's New York Sale of Select Yearlings.

"She’s a very special mare. That family breeds out the book," Baccari, who consigned the 4-year-old mare, said of Salty As Can Be. "It’s just been a family I’ve been very lucky with. Theycallmeladyluck has been very good to me. I’ve been very fortunate to have her."

Salty As Can Be boasts the same breeders as her esteemed sister, Salty, Seclusive Farm and Chester and Anne Prince. Salty, an earner of nearly $700,000 on the track, scored her biggest victory in the 2018 La Troienne Stakes presented by Twinspires.com (G1) on Kentucky Oaks (G1) day. Later that season, she sold for $3 million at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Mixed Sale to Don Alberto Corporation.