As with this time, last year's stallion fee announcements had cautionary tales, which is no surprise given that the foal crop in Great Britain and Ireland has fallen again, this time by six percent to 12,578 foals born in 2024, according to feedback until September 30th.
Shadwell's press release spoke of the “unpredictable climate” facing breeders, while Ballyhane Stud's Joe Foley said he was showing solidarity with breeders in uncertain times by limiting his recent recruit Sakheer to 140 mares.
Vintage 2025
Ireland appears to be the biggest beneficiary of the recent additions to the stallion ranks, with 10 recent names currently registered at Flat studs.
The UK 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 the UK by miniature breeders: Deborah O 'Brien, Kelly Thomas and Elaine Chivers.
In France, where there is still a enormous regional distribution of stallion farms and Normandy is the recognized heartland of the Flat, there are six recent recruits, while Classic winner Fantastic Moon (Ger) returns to Gestut Ebbesloh after his run in Japan his home country Germany comes across cup.
The elite
Of the nine stallions to command six-figure prices, the world's most pricey stallions, Dubawi (Ire) and Frankel (GB), remain at their €350,000 price for 2024, but there has been plenty of upside in this elite class.
Wootton Bassett (GB) and Sea The Stars (Ireland) were both €200,000 last year and will be €300,000 and €250,000 respectively in 2025. Lope De Vega (Ire) has risen from €125,000 and Night Of Thunder to €175,000 (Ire) has also seen an enhance of €50,000 to €150,000.
What is almost certain is that all of these horses are already filled with waiting lists. At this level, it's practically a matter of naming your price.
Moving company
For next year, Twilight Son (GB), who spent eight years at Cheveley Park Stud, is moving to Annshoon Stud in Ireland, while Dubai Mile (GB) is leaving the UK after a season at Manton Park to join Coolagown Stud Connect Davey Stack.
Magna Grecia (Ire) is taking the opposite route across the Irish Sea, moving from Coolmore to the March Hare Stud in England, and Waldgeist (GB) is leaving Ballylinch Stud for Germany, where he will be at Gestut Lunzen.
A longer journey lies ahead for Territories (Ire), who was sold by Darley to Poonawalla Stud Farms in India, the country now also home to Mutasaabeq (GB), a former national stud, and Bradsell's father Tasleet (GB) and Prince of Lir (Irish). You can read more about the Indian stallion scene in this recent article by Adam Houghton.
2020 Arc winner Sottsass (Fr) has left Coolmore and headed to the JBBA Stallion Station in Japan.
shaker
It really has to be Amo Racing, who are launching three recent stallions this year: 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 of Springfield House Stud. Tally-Ho also welcomes Huge Evs (Ire), who becomes 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 purchase Sir Michael Stoute's Freemason Lodge. Don't bet against him buying a stud at some point.
Coolmore 3 – Darley 0
Coolmore has three recent additions to its squad for 2025. Henry Longfellow (GB) is the first son of Dubawi (Irish) to compete in Tipperary, where he will line up alongside the last two Derby winners Auguste Rodin (Irish) and City Of Troy.
For the first time in a long time, Darley will not have a recent name on the list, with players such as Notable Speech (GB) and Rosallion (Irish) still in training.
Conditions for live foals
When Stradivarius (Ire) retired to the National Stud in 2023 he was presented on live foal conditions and the Stud has followed suit this year with Bradsell. General manager Joe Bradley said it was “fair [to] Facilitate the breeders a little more,” and this arrangement, which is fairly standard in France, has also been adopted by Joe Foley at Ballyhane Stud, who offers live foal conditions and the aforementioned circumscribed edition first book for Sakheer (Irish).
It is straightforward to see how these conditions could aid breeders who may have already sold yearlings or foals by the time the next crop is born in the spring, which would not always be the case under October 1st conditions.
Limit books
Ah, the sensitive topic. We all know that it will never be mandatory to cover only a certain number of mares, but it will be mandatory for stud farms that impose a limit. God knows how demanding it must be to stay focused when faced with endless phone calls from pleading breeders. To some extent, the only thing harder than having an unpopular stallion is having a truly popular stallion, because that's a surefire way to become unpopular with clients whose mares don't make it.
But will such a policy be worth it in the long run by driving up prices for foals and yearling sales for sporadic adolescent horses? However, since a far greater proportion of sires fail than make it at stud, the temptation to cover all bases and be “out of stud” in a few years makes business sense, if not equine sense.
A massive challenge
We don't know what Havana Gray (GB)'s fee is this year as it is listed as private, but we do know that for the first time ever a size limit warning has been publicly announced for the Whitsbury Manor Stud stallion. No mare taller than 16cm will be covered by Havana Grey, who himself measures just over 15.2cm.
Joe Callan, head of blood breeding and sales at Whitsbury Manor, said that while the stallion was still open for sale “to a circumscribed number of external mares”, his fee had been switched to private from £55,000 last year ensuring he covers mares “of appropriate size…for his own welfare and continued good fertility.”
Where is the value?
Nathaniel (Irish) has produced Oaks winners in England, Ireland and France – one of which is the brilliant Enable – and a Derby winner to boot. It's gone back up to £20,000 for next year (from £17,500), but it's still (and always has been) excellent value for money.
Designated champion sire Dim Angel (Irish) remains at his four-year fee of €60,000, although it could rightly have been increased to a value closer to his previous high of €85,000.
The price for Study Of Man (Ire) has doubled at Lanwades, to £25,000, but he is the talk of the town and his results on the racetrack from a few books so far back that up. It is now certainly the case that the breeders are forming an systematic queue.
Royal-bred Derby winner Australia (GB) is a good choice at €10,000, particularly for owner breeders, as is Ballylinch's Make Believe (GB) at €8,000.
Of the recent boys, Bradsell and Auguste Rodin were both rated quite well for their notable achievements, with the latter boasting a particularly sturdy pedigree.
Last word: Luxembourg
We could probably argue all day about whether he deserves to be in a flat stud. If you're okay with that, there's absolutely no reason not to send him a Flat mare just because he's on a national hunting list. We don't yet know what his fee will be, but you can be damn sure it will be a lot less than some other stallions who have achieved a lot less. Let's not forget that he is a Group 1 winner for the last four seasons, who happens to come from a sire who provided this year's Arc winner.
Modern flat stallions for 2025
Al Hakeem – Haras de Bouquetot – €5,000
Auguste Rodin – Coolmore, Ireland – €30,000
Huge Evs – Tally-Ho Stud, Ireland – €17,500
Huge Rock – Haras de Grandcamp, France – €12,000
Bradsell – National Stud, UK – £10,000
Sturdy Buccaneer – 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, UK – £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, UK – £15,000
