Coolmore Announces 2020 Australia Stallion Fees

Yes Yes Yes, the first Everest winner to retire to stud after three years of the rich slot race, has had his service fee set by Coolmore where he will stand alongside his own young sire Rubick in a 16-stallion roster featuring Australian-performed as well as sought after international bloodlines.

The group 2 winner and group 1-placed colt Yes Yes Yes, a pre-Christmas juvenile winner who was swooped upon by Coolmore after his UNSW Todman Stakes (G2) victory in March last year, will stand at an introductory fee of AU$38,500 (all fees inclusive of GST).

Yes Yes Yes was assured of his place as Coolmore's number one first season recruit when the colt downed a star field of sprinters to land the $14 million The Tab Everest last October, backing up his narrow second in the De Bortoli Wines Golden Rose Stakes (G1) weeks earlier.

The 3-year-old, whose biggest achievements came under trainer Chris Waller, will be joined by Coolmore's first season shuttlers, QIPCO Two Thousand Guineas (G1) winner Magna Grecia and Kingman's lightly raced Coventry Stakes (G2)-winning son Calyx. They will stand for AU$22,000 and AU$17,600 respectively.

"Our three new sires—Calyx, Magna Grecia, and Yes Yes Yes—are outstanding prospects who all demonstrated brilliant speed in their biggest wins and are very competitively priced," Coolmore Australia principal Tom Magnier said. 

"We are major players as both buyers and sellers in the Australian yearling market, so we understand the importance of 'type' for commercial breeders. 

"Importantly, each of our three new horses are outstanding physical specimens and we look forward to showing them to breeders in advance of the 2020 season." 

Coolmore's southern hemisphere stallion line-up will once again be headlined by champion sire Fastnet Rock and AAMI Golden Slipper (G1) winner Pierro, who has continued his rise up the Australian sire ranks in the past 12 months. 

Pierro is challenging for the champion sire title and will command a fee of AU$137,500 this year, up from AU$88,000, while Fastnet Rock, whose consistent son Dreamforce claimed the Agency George Ryder Stakes (G1) in March, will remain at an unchanged fee of AU$165,000.  

Among Pierro's successes as a sire this season include Kirin-Railway Stakes (G1) and All-Star Mile winner Regal Power, and Mostyn Copper Randwick Guineas (G1) and Moet & Chandon Spring Champion Stakes (G1) conqueror Shadow Hero.

U.S. Triple Crown winners Justify  (AU$66,000) and American Pharoah  (AU$55,000), European champion 2-year-old and dual English and Irish Guineas (G1) winner Churchill (AU$19,250), and Saxon Warrior (AU$17,600) will all return for the southern hemisphere breeding season later this year.

"It's a privilege to bring two of the greatest ever American racehorses back to Australia in American Pharoah and Justify. They have been supported with exceptional mare quality in their first seasons, with astute Australian breeders taking advantage of this elite quality for a fraction of their northern hemisphere fees," said Magnier.

"We are dedicated to offering the best shuttle stallions to Australian breeders and understand that continuity is important for the stallions and the breeders who use them."

American Pharoah's U.S. stud fee is currently private while Justify stands for US$150,000 (approximately AU$230,000) in the northern hemisphere. 

Fastnet Rock's dual hemisphere Coolmore Stud Stakes (registered as the Ascot Vale Stakes, G1) and Diamond Jubilee Stakes (G1)-winning son Merchant Navy stands for AU$44,000 ahead of his first crop yearlings hitting the market next year.

So You Think, the sire of recent Bentley Australian Derby (G1) victor Quick Thinker, had his fee held at AU$38,500.

Rubick is the leading second season and 3-year-old sire (by earnings) and will stand at a slightly reduced fee of AU$33,000, down from AU$38,500 in 2019, having started his stud career at AU$17,600 before Yes Yes Yes and his first crop peers emerged on the scene.

Magnier, who demonstrated his family's commitment to the Australian industry with a large-scale investment as the leading buyer at the recent Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, was mindful of the effect of the coronavirus pandemic on breeders when determining service fees for their stallions.

"The Coolmore roster for 2020 provides a great balance of proven sires, highly promising young sires, and an assortment of international superstars that we believe are particularly well suited to the Australian breeding landscape," he said. 

"We have been delighted with how well the progeny of our stallions have performed on the track and in the sales ring this season, however we remain aware that these are challenging times for everyone. 

"As such, we have priced our stallions with the view to offering value to breeders."

The fee for this season's current leading first season stallion (by earnings) Pride Of Dubai, who has sired six individual winners including stakes winner Tanker, will be at his 2019 figure of AU$38,500 while fellow young barnmate Vancouver will stand for AU$30,250. 

Vancouver has sired three individual winners so far this season including Postcode and his Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained Heineken 3 Percy Sykes Stakes (G2)-placed stablemate Vangelic. Adelaide, whose daughter Funstar took out the Darley Flight Stakes (G1) last October, will stand for AU$8,800.

Stallions not returning to Coolmore's Jerrys Plains property this year are shuttlers Mendelssohn  and No Nay Never.