Firing Line (horse)

Firing Line
Firing Line at the Preakness Stakes
Sire	Line of David
Grandsire	Lion Heart
Dam	Sister Girl Blues
Damsire	Hold For Gold
Sex	Colt
Foaled	January 19, 2012
Country	United States
Color	Bay
Breeder	Clearsky Farms
Owner	Arnold Zetcher
Trainer	Simon Callaghan
Record	7: 2-4-0
Earnings	$974,800
Major wins
Sunland Derby (2015)

Firing Line (foaled January 19, 2012) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse, best known as the runner-up to American Pharoah in the 2015 Kentucky Derby.

Firing Line is a bay horse bred in Kentucky by Clearsky Farms, a breeding organization founded by Eamon Cleary and later headed by Cleary's sons Eamonn and Bernard. He is from the first crop of foals sired by Line of David, the winner of the 2010 Arkansas Derby. Firing Line's dam, Sister Girl Blues never won a major race but finished second to Azeri in the 2003 Vanity Handicap. She was bought for $25,000 by Clearsky in January 2011.

Firing Line was sold three times before he appeared on a racetrack. As a foal in November 2012 he was consigned by Paramount Sales to the Keeneland Association sale and bought for $65,000 by GMEN Racing. In July 2014, the yearling was sent to the Fasig-Tipton sale and fetched $150,000, with Bradley Thoroughbreds being the winning bidder. As a two-year-old in training, Firing Line was offered for sale at Keeneland in April 2014. On this occasion the bidding reached $240,000 before he was sold to the bloodstock agent Ben McElroy. The colt entered the ownership of Arnold Zetcher and has been trained throughout his career by the British-born Simon Callaghan.

Firing Line began his racing career in a six-furlong maiden race at Santa Anita Park on October 25, 2014. Ridden by Mike Smith, he started favorite but despite finishing strongly he was beaten half a length by Alright Alright. Five weeks later he started 1/2 favorite for a similar event at Del Mar and won by more than four lengths after taking the lead a furlong from the finish. On his final appearance of the year, Firing Line was moved up sharply in class to contest the Grade I Los Alamitos Futurity on December 20. After racing in second place he overtook Mr Z to gain the advantage in the straight but was caught in the final strides and beaten a head by the favored Dortmund.