Firing Line , who finished a close second to eventual Triple Crown winner American Pharoah in the 2015 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1), has been represented by his first two reported foals.
The first was a colt foaled Feb. 1 at Crestwood Farm near Lexington. The colt is out of Honorville, a daughter of Petionville who won or placed in 13 of 18 starts while earning $108,040.
"He's a nice size, very correct. He is going to be a classy colt," said Crestwood's Marc McLean.
Firing Line's second foal was a colt born Feb. 17 at Flying H Stables in Central Kentucky. He is out of Alexandria J, a multiple-winning Forest Camp mare who earned $133,425 and who is out of the stakes-placed Diamond Affair ($104,488).
"I plan to bring Alexandria J back to Firing Line," Kent Hersman of Flying H Stables said. "It would be hard to beat the physical I see on this colt."
Firing Line won a maiden special weight at Del Mar by 4 1/2 lengths, and then ran second by a head to Dortmund in the $500,000 Los Alamitos Futurity (G1) as a 2-year-old. Second in the Robert B. Lewis Stakes (G3) to begin his sophomore campaign, Firing Line stamped his ticket to the Kentucky Derby with a 14 1/4-length romp in the $800,000 Sunland Derby (G3), in a final time of 1:47.39 for 1 1/8 miles, just two one-hundredths of a second off the track record.
In the 1 1/4-mile Kentucky Derby, Firing Line tracked Dortmund in second throughout most of the race, but could not hold off a closing American Pharoah, who hit the wire a length in front.
With two wins and four runner-up efforts from eight career starts, and earnings of $976,000, Firing Line retired to Crestwood in 2017, where his 2018 fee is $5,000 live foal stands and nurses.
Firing Line is out of the grade 1-placed winner Sister Girl Blues, a half sister to grade 2 winner and Australian sire Mint Lane (by Maria's Mon). Included among the grade 1 winners in the extended female family is Sharp Azteca, winner of the 2017 Cigar Mile Handicap Presented by NYRA Bets (G1).
