Weatherbys Stallion Scene: Stallion Fees 2025

DESPITE SOME HUGE returns at the Tattersalls October Sale resulting from the unexpected surge in trade at the top which filtered into the middle market, there is still a lot of uncertainty surrounding the yearling market; the early-season sales certainly saw trade curtailed at the top, while the lower levels struggled all year – correspondingly the stallion farms have resisted the temptation to increase fees on a whole-scale basis.

For the past two years there have been eight British and Irish stallions standing at six-figure fees, for 2025 there will now be nine with Darley’s Blue Point thrusting himself into this elite group on the strength of his Classic-winning son Rosallion and Kind Of Blue’s Group 1 Champion Sprint success.

The top two of recent years, Dubawi and Frankel, remain unchanged and both will stand at £350,000 again next year. However, that could soon change.

Should Wootton Bassett build upon the exploits of his first Irish-bred crop, which contained the record-breaking four individual Group 1-winning two-year-olds, then their position at the top could well be under threat as Coolmore’s son of Iffraaj earned himself a €100,000 increase to €300,000 for 2025.

Amo Racing will be hoping the sire has at least one Group 1-winning two-year-old of 2025, especially the son of Park Bloom, who cost the owner 4,300,000gns at Tattersalls and the highest-priced yearling colt sold at public auction in Europe.

Wootton Bassett: after the amazing progress made this year could he take himself to the top next season?

Next highest-priced horse is Sea The Stars, who himself has a 25 per cent increase to €250,000 for next season with exciting unbeaten two-year-old The Lion In Winter looking a true Classic prospect for next year.

Other group winners in 2024 include Sea The Fire, Sweet William, Ottoman Fleet, Al Aasy, Bellum Justum, Hanalia and Legend Of Time.

Ballylinch's Lope De Vega had yet again had another outstanding year with a clutch of Group 1 performers, namely the Prix du Jockey-Club winner Look De Vega, the Caulfield Cup winner Duke De Sessa, the dual Grade 1 victor Carl Spackler, Godolphin’s crack two-year-old Shadow Of Light, successful in both the Dewhurst and Middle Park Stakes (G1), the Churchill Downs’ Turf Classic hero Naval Power, and the Aga Khan’s Pouliches scorer Rouhiya. His fee will rise from €125,000 to €175,000.

Juddmonte’s Kingman holds steady at £125,000 and he had a successful year with notable winners Sparkling Plenty (Prix de Diane (G1)), the Prix de l’Opera winner on Arc weekend Friendly Soul, and Roger Varian’s 1,000 Guineas queen Elmalka the headlines.

Study Of Man: has had the largest fee increase for 2025 in percentage terms

He’s joined on a €125,000 fee (reduced from €150,000) by Coolmore’s No Nay Never whose chesnut colt out of Lady Aquitaine Lake Forest picked up the not inconsiderable sum of £2,807,486.63 when winning Rosehill’s Golden Eagle Stakes and Prix Morny (G1) two-yearold winner Whistlejacket.

Darley’s Night Of Thunder has an increase of €50,000 to €150,000. His notable horses in 2024 include Economics, who improved all season to Group 1 Irish Champion Stakes glory, and Godolphin’s unbeaten Desert Flower.

Study Of Man has had the biggest percentage increase on his fee of 2024 – Lanwades Stud’s son of Deep Impact going from £12,500 to £25,000, a 100 per cent increase.

Kirsten Rausing said: “Study Of Man was already showing great promise with his first-crop two-year-old’s in 2023, which numbered nine individual winners, including the Group 2 Beresford Stakes winner Deepone.

“His progress has strongly continued, he now has five stakes winners from his first crop, including the Group 2 winner Birthe and the exciting Juddmonte homebred Group 1 winner Kalpana, already favourite for the 2025 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

“His second crop, two-year-olds of 2024, include the 2025 Classic hopes Almeric and Alla Stella amongst nine individual winners so far.

“He is now the leading second-crop sire of the northernhemisphere by percentage of Group horses to runners.

“He is now, of course, attracting larger books of higher quality mares, and we look forward to his future with confidence and excitement.”

New sires

Some farms wait a lifetime to stand a Derby winner yet Coolmore is retiring two at the same time – City Of Troy (€75,000) and last year’s Epsom Derby winner Auguste Rodin (€30,000) head the list of new sires for 2025.

They’ll be joined at Fethard by Dubawi’s Henry Longfellow (€15,000), unbeaten at two including the National Stakes (G1) and, although without a win at three, he only ran in Group 1 company placing three times.

Unusually, Darley is not adding to its roster but other notable new sires for 2025 include the Tally-Ho trio of King Of Steel (€20,000), Big Evs (€17,500) and Bucanero Fuerte (€12,500).

The Irish National Stud will be hoping Shouldvebeenaring (Havana Grey, €6,000) could fill some of the void left by the recently retired Invincible Spirit.

The National Stud (Bradsell £10,000), Cheveley Park Stud (Vandeek, £15,000) and Yeomanstown (Mill Stream, €12,500) all introduce crack sprinters and Newsells Park Stud will be standing unbeaten two-year-old and Greenham winner Isaac Shelby (Night Of Thunder) at £7,000.