Value is relative. Each crossbred raised by a lowly stallion continues to reap rich rewards on the track, or one by a more trendy expensive name offers large profits in the sales round. can all be considered to have brought ‘value’ to their breeders.
Slightly different from the norm for this annual series, we will be looking at the profitability of stallions in the four main price brackets by their annual sales profit in 2022 compared to their fees at including, in this case, 2020.
The average return has been determined by the stall fee plus the £20,000 figure for the holding fee. Profitable stallions introduced must have at least five foals sold by 2022 to be shortlisted and the price has been converted to pounds from euros at the conversion rate on the date of sale.
If we start anywhere, it could well be at the top, with rare specimens often winning representation for the equivalent of £50,000 or more.
Unless you’ve been asleep for the past few years in sales, it won’t come as breaking news that if you have an exacting Dubawi (Ire) or Frankel (GB) then it is likely that you will be well paid. And you deserve it: after all, they are the two most expensive stallions in Europe, including only the glitter stallions of the equine world. At the Tattersalls Book 1 October sale last year, nine of the ten most expensive perennials were from one side or the other (the top four by Frankel).
Dubawi is now king of the hill, newly crowned champion in 2022 and his ring sales results reflect his excellence on the track with an average annual price from 28 pieces sold last year was £796,481, giving him an average excess profit of £500,000 factoring in his 2020 fee and keeping for the mare and aspiration. Of the elite stallions listed here, Dubawi has the fewest numbers for sale, and that is likely to decrease even further in the coming years with his book being severely limited by Darley. wise as he enters his 18th season at the school.
For stallion-watchers, one of the most interesting factors over the next few years will be to see how many times the champion stud’s baton is passed between Dubawi and Frankel. It happened once so far, and with FrankelAs both racehorse and stallion, it will be difficult to keep him out of the lead. His forty-three ponies make him the only other stallion with an average price of half a million up north of £584,192, 3.3 times his 2020 fee of £175,000 ( has now grown to £275,0000).
Breeders supported Siyouni (Older brother), King (GB) and Lope De Vega (Ire) are generally well rewarded for the one-year saplings sold last year. Siyouni never faltered but his popularity extends to both hemispheres and the demand for his annuals is stronger than ever last season. With a whopping 63 units sold, he made an average profit of £173,792 and his €100,000 2020 fee has since grown to €150,000.
King already at £150,000 in 2020 but he’s still showing significant profits, with an average selling price of £328,787 translating to an average profit of £158,787. Lope De Vega is another that has won over a lot of international buyers with a top reputation from the Atlantic down. That true global appeal benefits greatly as elite UK, Irish and French sales boast increasingly diverse buying benches and Shamardal’s swagger son has racked up the highs. The average expected price was £245,561 last year, 2.7 times his fee and gave him an average profit figure of £134,439.
Of course it is difficult to determine the exact profit margin. Horse-keeping fees vary from farm to farm, as are the shipper’s fees and any subsequent vet bills that are not known beyond the horse’s owner at the time. The latter could also change, with some horses having previously gone through the pony sale and some young to be bred under a pony sharing agreement. However, the basis of this exercise is based on the assumption that each one year old pup is being sold by its breeder and is of a nomination sold for the advertised fee.
star sea (Ire) doesn’t have as many marks attached to him as some of his rivals, which is still surprising and disappointing as he is definitely a top drawer stallion. Now 17 years old, he had a significant number of cubs in last season’s sale. Of his 91 offered for sale, 79 have been sold and in terms of an average value of £237,965 equates to an average profit of £81,282.
The only new boy on this list is Too Darn Hot (GB) son of Dubawi, who started at exactly £50,000 with an average price of £118,304, often leaving breeders to support give him credit, with his average profit being £48,304.
No Now Never probably had the biggest breakout year for any stallion in 2022. He topped the Orby Sale with a 2.6 million euro, although as we know, she is one in the horses still not paid by her buyer. However, as the younger sister of his Group 1 double winner black beard (Ire), she is unlikely to fall below that much if and when she is re-evaluated by interested parties.
These chicks were formed in the year that No Now NeverHis fees have risen to €175,000 from as low as €17,500 three years earlier, so the Coolmore team has a lot of faith in him, and that certainly seems reasonable. The average price of £226,671 gave him an average profit of £47,207, and one of his biggest problems in the coming years could be the competition he will face from his own sons. black beard joined him at Coolmore this season, and Ten Sovereigns (Ire) will have its first underage athlete in 2023, while Little Big Bear (Ire), Mediitate (Ire) and Trillium (GB) are among them No Now Neverattractive prospect of three years old.
Then came the brothers. What a pair of Invincible Spirit (Ire) and Kodiac (GB) cards for Irish National Stud and Tally-Ho Stud respectively. Now 26, Invincible Spirit’s fee is listed as private this year, and he stands at 100,000 euros when his current two-year-olds are conceived, with an annual average in 2022 was £124,293, while Kodiac, a proper blue-collar stallion, collected his dues. increased from a starting fee of 5,000 euros to a four-year high of 65,000 euros, which has been reduced for this season. The second is now 22 years old and both horses have helped numerous breeders along the way. The number of their sons and grandsons in school is testament to both their popularity and their success.
With some exciting ponies in development, like Night Of Thunder (Ire), Baaeed (GB), New Bay (GB) St Mark’s Basilica (Fr), Mehmas (Ire), Zarak (Fr) and Palace Pier (GB) will feature in this bracket in the coming years, some already straight ahead at this level after a stellar racing career, others are slowly moving forward as a result of their descendants.
They say that getting to the top is hard and getting there is even harder, which is why my pick in this popular group is Ballylinch Stud’s Lope De Vega. It’s easy to be wise in hindsight, but a Classic double winner retiring for a fee of €15,000 is actually very good value. After dropping to €12,500 in the third and fourth seasons, he started to increase the price tag and has claimed six-figure fees over the past four seasons. That puts the 16-year-old dog out of reach for many, but for those who could take advantage of his services then, as this table shows, Lope De Vega remains a breeder’s friend, just like he did during his course. career, and especially for those who are smart enough to immediately purchase a breed in the first place.
