At the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-year-olds in training sale this week, much is riding on how buyers respond to a new-look under-tack preview show, with no officially timed works and consignors taking a variety of approaches to presenting their prospects. But there was no question about the continued response to the first crop of champion Flightline. A colt by the stallion went for $2.1 million to top a solid opening session of the auction on Monday. Fasig-Tipton reported 176 juveniles sold during the first of two overall sessions at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium, for gross receipts of $26,410,500. That number represents horses sold through the ring, prior to any private sales. The session average was $150,060 and the median was $75,000. The buyback rate was 23 percent. There are not comparable session-to-session figures for this sale, and true apples-to-apples comparisons will not be possible until this auction concludes Tuesday night. Last year's Midlantic sale was held in a marathon single session due to the reorganizing of part of that sale's under-tack show. However, it is an encouraging sign that the sale's average and median figures, to this point, are trending ahead of what were record figures in those respective categories in 2025, with Fasig-Tipton president Boyd Browning Jr. calling Monday a “tremendous start.” The 2025 sale’s average was $135,560 prior to any private sales, while the median was $60,000. :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. “I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was very, very relieved and pleased with the opening session,” Browning said to the media in videotaped remarks released on Fasig’s social-media channels. “You could feel the energy and the activity that took place in the pavilion today. We’re very appreciative of the cooperation and support we’ve received from our consignors.” Undefeated 2022 Horse of the Year Flightline bred a stellar book of mares in his first season, and both his own performance and the families backing him have resulted in strong sale results. Last year, he was represented by 10 seven-figure yearlings across the nation's elite sales. Last month, he again made headlines when a colt from his first crop brought a record $10.5 million at the Ocala Breeders' Sales Co.'s spring sale of 2-year-olds in training.   Hip 54, the Flightline colt who took the spotlight Monday in Maryland, was purchased by bloodstock agent Pedro Lanz on behalf of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz and sons’ KAS Racing. The New York-bred colt, who was consigned by Sequel Sales as agent for breeder Chester Broman, is out of the millionaire Bar of Gold, whose multiple stakes victories included the 2017 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint. The Medaglia d'Oro mare, a full sister to multiple Grade 1 winner Spirit of St Louis, is already the dam of Grade 3 winner Coinage by Flightline's sire, Tapit. “The first thing that impressed me about this horse is his father,” Lanz said in videotaped remarks on Fasig’s social media channels, adding that the colt is intended for the KAS American division. “His father is maybe one of the best horses of all time. When you see a horse like this in the catalog, you know who he’s by and what can happen with that horse.” As poor weather affected the 2025 under-tack show for the Midlantic sale, less than half of the juveniles entered in that sale got to turn in officially timed workouts, with the final session of the show designated for untimed gallops only. The sale proceeded to finish with record results despite controversy, with four seven-figure horses, including one from the gallop session. :: Subscribe to the DRF Post Time Email Newsletter: Get the news you need to play today's races!  Last summer, Fasig-Tipton announced that it would proceed with an officially untimed under-tack show for this Midlantic sale, although to label it a gallop-only show would eliminate some detail of the actual proceedings. While Fasig-Tipton did not time works or publish times, there were no restrictions on how consignors chose to present their horses, and there was no restriction on private clocking on the grounds. Watching the two-day under-tack show, it was obvious that consignors took a variety of approaches to how quickly their horses moved. Becky Thomas of Sequel, which consigned the session topper, said in a pre-sale video on Fasig’s social media that while she did plan to breeze horses from her consignment, the new format presented less pressure than usual. "This year, coming in, I believe that we're going to have lots of beautiful breezes with no stick and no clock," Thomas said. "Our horses will be breezing, but they will be breezing in-hand. So that is the biggest change for us. It's less stressful on us as consignors, as well as less stress for the horses." Sequel's session-topping Flightline colt got his turn for the under-tack show on a fast track on Tuesday morning, and in reviewing official video, he did, as Thomas said, move as though he would have in a timed breeze. With the rider's elbows out, the colt was encouraged to pick up speed around the turn to the pole, continued to run at that pace through the stretch without the rider pushing him, and was allowed to continue galloping out strongly after the wire. Fasig-Tipton also updated crop restrictions for this year’s sale. Unless there was a safety issue, riders were not permitted to remove their hands from the reins to strike a horse at any point before a breeze, during a breeze, or while galloping out. A tap on the shoulder while both hands remained on the reins to keep the horse focused was permitted.  The Fasig-Tipton Midlantic sale concludes with Tuesday's session. For hip-by-hip results from Monday, click here. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.