Firing Line

Second in his debut to Alright Alright, Firing Line fired in his second start. Running at Del Mar, the colt pulled away to win by 4 1/4 with Mike Smith aboard. His first stakes attempt proved to be somewhat successful when he was part of a three-way battle for the win, finishing second by a head to early Kentucky Derby favorite Dortmund in the Los Alamitos Futurity.

Firing Line again finished second to Dortmund in his 2015 debut when that familiar rival battled back to win a stretch duel in the Robert B. Lewis Stakes. He then scored a runaway victory in the Sunland Derby to punch his ticket to Louisville.

Firing Line bounced out to a great start in the Kentucky Derby and settled into a tracking position just behind Dortmund. He battled for the lead in the stretch but could not fend off the closing power of champion American Pharoah and had to settle for second. After finishing seventh in the Preakness Stakes, Firing Line did not race again in 2015 but is on target to return for his 4-year-old season in 2016.

Purchased for $65,000 as a weanling, a year and a half later, Firing Line was a $240,000 2-year-old for Arnold Zetcher. He is out of grade 1 placed Sister Girl Blues, a half sister to Grade 2 Dwyer Stakes winner Mint Lane.