WILLISTON, FL (352today.com) – A man who has spent nearly seven decades as a thoroughbred owner and breeder, and who bred the 1985 Preakness winner Tank’s Prospect, found himself watching the livestream of the Ocala Breeders Sales Spring Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale on Friday, April 17, 2026.
Edward Seltzer is no stranger to breeding thoroughbred racehorses that have gone on to do great things at the racetrack, but he could’ve never imagined what was about to take place.
Seltzer co-bred the horse with Beverly Seltzer and William S. Farish and was aware that the colt by the 2022 Horse of the Year Flightline was going to bring a substantial price, based on his work during the breeze show, that suggested the horse may establish a new sales record, but no one could have anticipated as to what was about to happen.
“You’re hoping that it could bring $4 million,” said Edward Seltzer, who owns Solera Farm with his daughter Dr. Krista Seltzer, marvels at the colt’s professionalism. “There was an enormous amount of hype (prior to the horse selling during the sale’s fourth session). The bids just kept on increasing. I couldn’t believe it, and when it got up $10 million, it’s beyond your comprehension. And it was so far beyond any record that they (OBS) ever had.”
However, it was a sale of epic proportions, and one of a historical nature for the Ocala-based sales company. Williston-based 2-year-old consignors Randy Hartley and Dean DeRenzo sold the horse to Zedan Racing Stables for the second highest price ever paid for a 2-year-old thoroughbred at auction. Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert will train the highly regarded thoroughbred racing prospect.
“We had seen him work, we knew who he was, and we were prepared for something good,” said Seltzer, who is a nonagenarian.
Seltzer nicked Flightline to Lucrezia, nicking is a concept in thoroughbred breeding referring to the compatibility of bloodlines when breeding a stallion with a mare, and he has bred his mare back to the 2022 Horse of the Year, having done so before the record setting sale took place.
“We bought the (stallion) season well before that (the sale),” said Seltzer, who said when he made the decision to breed his broodmare back to Flightline, he had no idea that the colt he co-bred would sell for a record setting price. “We just loved the horse. It’s a proud moment. I’ve had so many lovely things happen in my life.”
Lucrezia, a two-time stakes winner trained by Arnaud Delacour, won the 2019 Sandpiper Stakes, as a 2-year-old and the 2020 Suncoast Stakes at age three, with both victories coming in successive starts at Tampa Bay Downs. Lucrezia is the dam or mother of the $10,500,000 colt, and the bay mare by Into Mischief was bred by Edward A. Seltzer, Beverly Anderson and Dr. Krista Seltzer. Lucrezia earned $219,640. The stallion Rogueish, who the Seltzer’s stand at their farm and also bred, is a full brother to Lucrezia.
However, Lucrezia wasn’t the only Seltzer homebred to enjoy success at the races, as Seltzer had also bred Lucrezia’s dam, Verdana Bold, a graded stakes winning chestnut mare by the stallion Rahy, out of the mare True Legacy, who was by the 1992 Horse of the Year and Belmont Stakes winner A.P. Indy. Danny Vella trained Verdana Bold, who went onto win $331,297.
Verdana Bold was also the dam of the Ghalia, the winner of the 2017 Sunland Park Oaks who was trained by Todd Pletcher. Ghalia was bred by Seltzer, Anderson and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum’s Darley Stud.
“We still have the whole family,” said Seltzer. “We ran a filly, Lyudmilla (who was bred by Seltzer, and was a $1 million yearling sales purchase, who is by the 2017 Horse of the Year Gun Runner, and is a half-sister to the Flightline colt) on Nov. 21 and Justin Nixon trains her. I loved her from the day she was born.”