Bobby Flay Purchases Pizza Bianca from Resolute Bloodstock

LEXINGTON, KY–International owner and breeder Bobby Flay has re-purchased his homebred Breeders' Cup champion Pizza Bianca (Fastnet Rock {Aus}–White Hot {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire}) from Resolute Bloodstock's John Stewart. Flay and Stewart finalized the private sale of Pizza Bianca and her first foal by Into Mischief on Saturday morning at Resolute Farm.

Pizza Bianca claimed the 2021 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. Also a stakes winner at three, she was offered at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Night of the Stars Sale, but Flay ultimately decided to retain her. She made one start at four before she retired and was bred to Into Mischief. At last year's Fasig-Tipton November Sale, she sold for $3 million to John Stewart. Pizza Bianca's Into Mischief filly arrived on April 8 at Resolute Farm and the mare was bred back to Justify.

Flay said the conversation about potentially buying back his star homebred started earlier this year at the Keeneland September Sale.

Flay greets Pizza Bianca at Resolute Farm | Katie Petrunyak

“I certainly had some seller's remorse after I sold her in terms of just emotionally, you don't breed Breeders' Cup winners every single day,” he explained. “I'd been thinking about Pizza Bianca for the past year and then when John said that he might be interested in selling her back to me, I started having conversations with him.”

Flay acquired Pizza Bianca's dam White Hot for 1.25 million guineas at the 2014 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale. The daughter of Galileo is out of Gwynn (Ire) (Darshaan {GB}), also the dam of 2011 Epsom Derby winner Pour Moi (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}) and other graded stakes winners. While White Hot never raced, her first foal was Pizza Bianca.

At last year's Keeneland November Sale, Flay sold White Hot to BBA Ireland for $2.1 million. Also at last year's fall breeding stock sales, he sold many of his other top broodmares like graded stakes winner and producer Dame Dorothy (Bernardini); Veronique (Mizzen Mast), the dam of stakes winner and sire Nashville (Speightstown); and Ruby Lips (Hard Spun), the dam of MGSWs Lone Rock (Majestic Warrior) and Gerrymander (Into Mischief), sparking rumors that the celebrity chef and restaurateur was getting out of the horse business.

Flay acknowledged that he did take a temporary step back from racing in 2023, but was quick to note that he was still active as an owner and breeder both in the U.S. and abroad.

“I was in a place in my horse business life where I wasn't sure what I was going to do in terms of the future,” Flay explained. “I wanted to take a pause in racing in the U.S. because I wanted to see how the industry was going to react to some of the not-so-great news and events that we had. I have to say that the industry, with HISA at the helm, has done a lot of great work in a very short period of time. As somebody who cares about the horses first and foremost, I want to have the confidence that we're doing everything we can to ensure the best possible results that we can get. Nothing is 100% and never will be, but I want everybody on the same page.”

Flay said that he did not know Stewart prior to their conversations surrounding Pizza Bianca.

Flay and Pizza Bianca's Into Mischief filly | Katie Petrunyak

“I don't know what his business plan is in terms of the horse business–obviously he's making a lot of noise buying all kinds of horses–but my sense of it is that his desire to sell her back to me is not all business. It's more like a 'I think Bobby should have her' kind of thing and I really appreciate that. From where I sit, I feel like he thinks it's a good thing to do for everybody involved.”

Prior to Saturday's sale for an undisclosed sum, Pizza Bianca was slated to go through the ring at Fasig-Tipton's upcoming Night of the Stars Sale on Nov. 4.

“I can totally understand Bobby's point of view,” said John Stewart. “She was a Breeders' Cup winner for him and you sell them and get a good price but then you're having reservations, especially when the foals come out looking like this. So when we were approached about this opportunity I thought this was the right thing to do at the end of the day. I'd want someone to do that for me if I made that decision. It was the right thing to do.”

Flay said that Pizza Bianca's Into Mischief filly will likely join his racing stable in the future.

“In my conventional business model, which there is really no such thing when it comes to this business but especially with these big pedigrees that I own, it's to sell the colts and race the fillies,” he said. “If you ask me today what I'm going to do with the Into Mischief, it's to race her. It's the first foal and she's beautiful. If she does something good, she could really solidify the mare's place in the world.”