A colt by 2022 Horse of the Year Flightline drew the spotlight during the early afternoon hours of the third day of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, selling for $1.85 million to Winchell Thoroughbreds Sept. 16. His price topped the ongoing third session, the first day of Book 2, through 2:45 p.m. ET.
The sale of Hip 487 represented a banner return for the husband-and-wife team of Aidan and Hannah Jennings of Killora, who consigned the colt and bred him out of the Uncle Mo mare Velvet Sky. The colt's second dam is Grace Hall, a daughter of Empire Maker who won six races, including the 2011 Spinaway Stakes (G1) as a juvenile.
After congratulating Ron Winchell of Winchell Thoroughbreds, Aidan and Hannah Jennings exchanged hugs and backslaps with friends and supporters, all overjoyed at the rewarding sale for the duo.
"We were very reasonable with expectations," Aidan Jennings said. "We were hoping for the best, but that was way beyond our reserve, never really expecting that."
He called the colt a "bit of a character," praising his athleticism and physical appearance but also noting some childlike youthful exuberance.
Though Velvet Sky was unraced, her sharp looks—which resulted in Mathiesen Racing buying her at the 2020 Keeneland September Yearling Sale for $350,000—were passed on to her first foal after a mating with Flightline.
Hannah Jennings has managed her family's racing stable, Mathiesen Racing, since its inception in 2015.
"We bought this mare at Keeneland in Book 1 back in 2020," she said. "It's been a very long road to get here. This is the first foal out of the mare, so we're excited for the future."
The couple began Killora Stud near Paris, Ky., in 2020, expanded the farm to 300 acres in 2024, and launched Killora Sales as a boutique operation in 2025.
Flightline, the seventh-leading first-crop sire in North America, stood earlier this year for $125,000 at Lane's End near Versailles, Ky. His progeny have been popular at auction and are expected to excel when they gain the opportunity to race over longer distances.
Winchell Thoroughbreds is one of the leading owners in North America. Winchell Thoroughbreds currently has one of the leading contenders for the Oct. 31 Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) in Magnitude, and previously campaigned Tapit and, in partnership with Three Chimneys Farm, Gun Runner , both of whom became massively successful stallions.
