Spendthrift Farm's freshman stallion Flat Out is batting 1.000 after his first starter, aptly named filly Flat Drunk, became his first winner April 13 in the first race on the card at Keeneland, a $60,000 maiden special weight for 2-year-old fillies.
Trained by John Hancock and owned by Donna Hancock along with the filly's co-breeders Gray and Bryan Lyster, Flat Drunk is the first foal out of the unraced Lion Heart mare Feline Flatline, who is out of the multiple graded stakes-placed mare Jinny's Gold. Though Feline Flatline never had the chance to prove herself on the track, she is a half sister to grade 1 winner Sharla Rae and five other winners.
Feline Flatline foaled a Cairo Prince colt last season and has been bred back to Summer Front .
Sent off at 2-1 with Corey Lanerie in the irons, Flat Drunk rated fourth in the eight-horse field through fractions of :22.57 and :46.33 before coming with a four-wide surge in the lane to prevail by a half-length over Shape of You. Final time for the 4 1/2-furlong race was :52.75 over a fast main track. The dark bay filly was bred by Gray, Bryan, and Wayne Lyster and paid $6.20, $4.40, and $3.20 across the board.
Flat Out retired to Spendthrift for 2014 after a career that saw him notch grade 1 wins at ages 5, 6, and 7. Previously trained by Scooter Dickey before being transferred to the barn of Hall of Fame conditioner Bill Mott, the son of Flatter took the Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes (G1) in 2011 and 2012 and concluded his racing days with a victory in the 2013 Cigar Mile Handicap (G1)—besting a field that included grade 1 winners Private Zone, Verrazano , Groupie Doll, and Goldencents .
He retired with nine wins from 29 starts and earnings of $3,645,38. Flat Out currently stands at Spendthrift for $7,000 stands and nurses, and is participating in the farm's popular "Breed Secure" program in 2017 for a fee of $8,500.
At this year's 2-year-olds in training sales, the six of Flat Out progeny offered so far have been largely well received. He's had three colts bring six-figure prices, topped by a $400,000 John Oxley purchase at the Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream sale. The high-priced colt, out of Story Untold (by Old Fashioned), was bred in Kentucky by Machmer Hall and sold for $50,000 as a yearling to Q Bar J Thoroughbreds.
A Flat Out colt named United Patriot, out of Kim D. (With Approval) was sold by Wavertree Stables as agent for $155,000 at the Barretts March sale to Dennis O'Neill, the brother of California trainer Doug O'Neill. United Patriot was bred in Oklahoma by Center Hills Farm.
The third six-figure horse, now named I'm the Main Man, also sold at the Gulfstream sale for $105,000 to agent Scott Lake on behalf of Richard Malouf. Crupi's New Castle Farm consigned the colt out of Miss Accord (A.P. Jet), who was bred in New York by Patricia Calandro and Angela Colyard.