By Emma Berry
It's probably now just about safe for the TDN team to leave our desks briefly without fear of another stallion fee announcement dropping into the inbox. So, now that the numbers are in, here is a little further investigation as to who's going where and for how much.
There were cautionary notes among last year's stallion fee announcements, just as there have been again this time around, which is no surprise given that the foal crop in Britain and Ireland has dropped again, this time by six per cent, to 12,578 foals born in 2024, according to the returns up to September 30.
Shadwell's press release spoke of the “unpredictable climate” facing breeders, while Joe Foley of Ballyhane Stud said that he was standing in solidarity with breeders in uncertain times by limiting his new recruit Sakheer to 140 mares.
Class of 2025
Ireland appears to be the greatest beneficiary of the new recruits to the stallion ranks, with currently 10 new names signed up to Flat studs.
Britain has only three Flat newcomers – Bradsell (GB) at the National Stud, Vandeek (GB) at Cheveley Park Stud and Isaac Shelby (GB) at Newsells Park Stud. Interestingly, all three of these stallions were bred in Britain by female small breeders: Deborah O'Brien, Kelly Thomas and Elaine Chivers respectively.
In France, which still has a vast regional spread of stallions farms with Normandy as the acknowledged Flat heartland, there are six new recruits, while Classic winner Fantastic Moon (Ger) will join Gestut Ebbesloh back in his native Germany after his run in the Japan Cup.
The Elite
Of the nine stallions who command six-figure fees, the world's joint-most expensive stallions, Dubawi (Ire) and Frankel (GB) will remain at their 2024 price of €350,000, but there has been plenty of upward movement in this elite bracket.
Wootton Bassett (GB) and Sea The Stars (Ire) were both €200,000 last year and will be €300,000 and €250,000 respectively in 2025. Lope De Vega (Ire) has moved up to €175,000 from €125,000 and Night Of Thunder (Ire) has also taken a €50,000 hike to €150,000.
What is almost certain is that all these horses are already full with waiting lists. At this level it is practically a case of name your price.
Movers
Switching farms for next year are Twilight Son (GB), who has spent eight years at Cheveley Park Stud and heads to Ireland's Annshoon Stud, while Dubai Mile (GB) leaves the UK after one season at Manton Park to join Davey Stack's Coolagown Stud.
Making the reverse trip across the Irish Sea is Magna Grecia (Ire), who joins March Hare Stud in England from Coolmore, and Waldgeist (GB) leaves Ballylinch Stud for Germany, where he will stand at Gestut Lunzen.
A longer journey yet is in store for Territories (Ire), who has been sold by Darley to Poonawalla Stud Farms in India, the country which is also now home to one-term National Stud resident Mutasaabeq (GB), Bradsell's sire Tasleet (GB) and Prince Of Lir (Ire). You can read more about the Indian stallion scene in this recent piece by Adam Houghton.
The 2020 Arc winner Sottsass (Fr) has left Coolmore for the JBBA Stallion Station in Japan.
Shakers
This really has to be Amo Racing, which is launching three new stallions this year: the Wootton Bassett (GB) horses King Of Steel and Bucanero Fuerte (Fr) have retired to Tally-Ho Stud and Go Bears Go (Ire) becomes the first son of Kodi Bear (Ire) to join the stallions ranks at Springfield House Stud. Tally-Ho also welcomes Big Evs (Ire), who will become the first son of Blue Point (Ire) at stud.
It was confirmed this week that Amo Racing's Kia Joorabchian has made an offer to buy Freemason Lodge from Sir Michael Stoute. Don't bet against him buying a stallion stud to go with it eventually.
Coolmore 3 – Darley 0
Coolmore has three new additions to its roster for 2025. Henry Longfellow (GB) becomes the first son of Dubawi (Ire) to stand in Tipperary, where he will be alongside the last two Derby winners, Auguste Rodin (Ire) and City Of Troy.
For the first time in a long time, Darley will have no new name on the list, with the likes of Notable Speech (GB) and Rosallion (Ire) remaining in training.
Live Foal Terms
When Stradivarius (Ire) retired to the National Stud in 2023, he was introduced on Live Foal terms, and the stud has followed suit this year with Bradsell. General manager Joe Bradley said that it was “just [to] help breeders that little bit more”, and this arrangement, which is fairly standard in France, has also been adopted by Joe Foley at Ballyhane Stud, who is offering Live Foal terms and the above-mentioned limited first book for Sakheer (Ire).
It is easy to see how these terms could help breeders who may well have sold yearlings or foals by the time the next crop is born in the spring, which would not always be the case for October 1 terms.
Limiting Books
Ah, that thorny topic. We all know that it will never be made mandatory to cover only a set number of mares, but good on those studs that do impose a limit. Goodness knows how hard it must be to stick to your guns when faced with endless telephone calls from imploring breeders. To a degree, the only thing harder than having an unpopular stallion is having a really popular one, as it's a surefire way to make oneself unpopular with clients whose mares don't make the cut.
But surely such a policy reaps rewards in the long run by driving up prices at the foal and yearling sales for youngsters with a rarity value? However, with a far higher proportion of sires failing rather than making it at stud, the temptation to cover all-comers and be 'out' of a stallion in a few years makes business sense, if not horse sense.
A Tall Order
We don't know what the fee for Havana Grey (GB) is this year as it is listed as private, but we do know that for the first time ever a height restriction warning was made public knowledge for the Whitsbury Manor Stud stallion. No mare taller than 16hh will be covered by Havana Grey, who himself measures just over 15.2hh.
Joe Callan, head of bloodstock and sales at Whitsbury Manor, said that though the stallion is still open for business “for a restricted number of outside mares” his fee being switched to private from last year's £55,000 was in order to ensure he covered mares “of a suitable height…for his own welfare and continued good fertility.”
Where's the Value?
Nathaniel (Ire) has produced the winners of the Oaks in England, Ireland and France – one of the those being the brilliant Enable – and a Derby winner to boot. He's gone back up to £20,000 for next year (from £17,500) but he is still (and has always been) terrific value.
Champion sire-elect Dark Angel (Ire) remains at his fee of the last four years of €60,000, even though he could legitimately have been raised to somewhere closer to his previous high of €85,000.
Study Of Man (Ire) has doubled in price at Lanwades, to £25,000, but he is the stallion on many people's lips, and his results on the track from limited books to date back up the chat. It is surely now a case of breeders forming an orderly queue.
At €10,000, the regally-bred Derby winner Australia (GB) stands out as a sound choice, for owner-breeders in particular, as does Ballylinch's Make Believe (GB) at €8,000.
Of the new boys, Bradsell and Auguste Rodin have both been fairly priced for their considerable achievements, and the latter has a particularly strong pedigree.
Last Word: Luxembourg
We could probably argue all day about whether he deserves to be at a Flat stud. If you agree that he should, there is absolutely no reason not to send him a Flat mare simply because he is standing on a National Hunt roster. We don't know what his fee will be yet but you can be damn sure that it will be an awful lot less than some other stallions who have achieved an awful lot less. Let's not forget that he's a Group 1 winner in the last four seasons who just happens to be by a sire who provided this year's Arc winner.
New Flat Stallions for 2025
Al Hakeem – Haras de Bouquetot – €5,000
Auguste Rodin – Coolmore, Ireland – €30,000
Big Evs – Tally-Ho Stud, Ireland – €17,500
Big Rock – Haras de Grandcamp, France – €12,000
Bradsell – National Stud, Britain – £10,000
Bucanero Fuerte – Tally-Ho Stud, Ireland – €12,500
Charyn – Sumbe, France – €35,000
City Of Troy – Coolmore, Ireland – €75,000
Fantastic Moon – Gestut Ebbesloh, Germany – €9,000
Feed The Flame – Haras de la Hetraie, France – €4,500
Go Bears Go – Springfield House Stud, Ireland – €8,000
Henry Longfellow – Coolmore, Ireland – €15,000
Isaac Shelby – Newsells Park Stud, Britain – £7,000
King Of Steel – Tally-Ho Stud, Ireland – €20,000
Metropolitan – Haras d'Etreham, France – €15,000
Mill Stream – Yeomanstown Stud, Ireland – €12,500
Puchkine – Haras de Beaumont, France – €8,500
Sakheer – Ballyhane Stud, Ireland – €6,500
Shouldvebeenaring – Irish National Stud, Ireland – €6,500
Vandeek – Cheveley Park Stud, Britain – £15,000
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