COSTS continue to rise for both breeders and end users, while prize money fails to keep pace, making the sales ring an increasingly challenging environment for both buyers and vendors. Stallion fees are one of the few areas that breeders can cut costs, as the essential bills of feed, veterinary care, staff and general overheads are almost set in stone.
Those ‘shopping’ under the €20,000 bracket often opt for first season sires, who can’t turn cold until they have runners, but without a proven record, you risk the chance of breeding a horse of undesirable looks or lack of talent. Then there are those standing in their second to fourth seasons, often at reduced fees, with the potential of being the next star, or dud.
For value, I’d rather opt for a proven sire whose fee has dropped due to a lack of fashion – perhaps they’re getting on in years, or lack a Group 1 flagbearer. I’ve sifted through statistics, choosing those sires who have proven their ability of producing talented racehorses, if not a regular supply of sales horses.
They all have the ability of a healthy return at the sales, and it should be remembered that their progeny’s appeal is also down to the mare. The selective nature of last year’s yearling sales should have weeded out the mares who don’t warrant covering, or that the market has deemed surplus to requirement.
Plus, if you aim to breed a racehorse, rather than a sales horse, you improve the value of your mare and her future foals. Just look at the £350,000 Paul Giles received for his Tasleet colt, after his half-brother Cool Hoof Luke (Advertise) landed the Gimcrack Stakes.
I have selected stallions standing in Ireland, focussing on older stallions, with two exceptions that had their second crop of runners in 2024. While the majority stand for €15,000 or less, I’ve include two more expensive options.
Statistics in the table are based on Northern Hemisphere runners and European sales figures in 2024.
€25,000
Kodiac (Tally Ho Stud)
The evergreen Kodiac was second only to stud mate Mehmas by two-year-old winners in 2024, sharing the second spot with Wootton Bassett at 34 each. At €25,000, the 24-year-old stands for considerably less than either of them, and we may not have many more chances to use him.
His 2024 juveniles included 11 blacktype horses, the fourth highest of any stallion last year. The top three stand for between €70,000 and €300,000, while you have to go down to number 11 to find a cheaper option than Kodiac.
Group 1 Phoenix Stakes heroine Babouche was the best of Kodiac’s runners in 2024, while three-year-old Star Of Mystery landed a Group 2 and placed in three Group/Grade 1s, including when runner-up to her elder California Spangle in the Al Quoz Sprint.
He’s the most expensive of my choices, but considering his yearling average, you’re likely to be well-paid.
€20,000
Gleneagles (Castlehyde Stud)
Gleneagles had already sired a Group 1 winner when his fee dropped to a career-low of €15,000 in 2022. Coolmore’s move got people talking, as many discussed what good value it represented, given that he was responsible for 19 stakes horses the previous year.
Gleneagles’ profile, and fee, has steadily risen since, aided by two new Group 1 winners in 2024. What was most notable about those top-flight successes was that they came over six furlongs and a mile and a half, the respective trips over which his dam and sire excelled.
Another impressive figure to note is that 10% of Gleneagles runners in 2024 achieved blacktype. They included multiple group winner and twice Group 1-placed Calandagan and Epsom Derby runner-up Ambiente Friendly.
€15,000
Saxon Warrior (Coolmore Stud)
Saxon Warrior made an impressive start at stud, with 63 two-year-old runners featuring six group performers. It saw his fee and expectations rise, and the problem with that is that it often leads to disappointment.
His first crop Group 1 winner Victoria Road failed to follow up, and his two Group 1 horses last year placed at the highest level in Germany and New Zealand, meaning that his otherwise smart statistics have flown under the radar. In 2024, he boasted a 40% strike rate and sired 14 stakes horses.
The average prices paid for his yearlings and foals make his fee look a safe investment, and he is capable of returning a substantial sum – six yearlings sold for €100,000 or more last year. The sizeable book of mares he covered off the back of his impressive start will result in an increase in two-year-olds in 2026, so now may be the time to take your chance.
Cotai Glory (Tally Ho Stud)
Of the stallions I profiled, Cotai Glory has the second-highest percentage of runners who earned blacktype. This is particularly impressive considering it was achieved by his first four crops, which were bred from fees ranging from €5,000 to €6,000.
The Platinum Queen’s Group 1 victory in the Prix de l’Abbaye saw Cotai Glory’s fee rise to €12,500. The resulting foals were well-received, and will race as two-year-olds in 2026, so supporting him this season could see you ride the crest of a wave.
While his best performer was an out-and-out two-year-old, and last year’s Group 2 scorer was unbeaten juvenile Powerful Glory, Cotai Glory is more than just a sire of two-year-olds.
Of his 15 stakes horses in 2024, 12 were aged three and above, including the four-year-old Excellent Truth, who posted a career-best when finishing second in the Group 1 Prix Rothschild, before selling for €1.6million.
Kodi Bear (Rathbarry Stud)
Kodi Bear has been something of an overachiever so far - his first juveniles of 54 runners included five blacktype horses, while his next batch of 46 produced four stakes performers.
His 2024 juveniles included Queen Mary Stakes heroine Leovanni and French Group 3 winner Cowardofthecountry, but 2025 could be even more fruitful for the son of Kodiac.
He has 148 juveniles to run this year, five of which sold for six-figure sums as yearlings, bred off the career-high fee of €15,000 which he still commands.
The presumed upgrade in mare he’s received is also notable, considering the 11 stakes winners he’s sired to date are each the sole stakes winner out of their dam, and 10 are the only blacktype flat performers.
€10,000
Australia (Coolmore Stud)
You don’t need me to tell you that dual Derby winner Australia is excellent value at his reduced fee.
The fact that his fifth and most recent Group 1 winner won in 2022 may be a contributing factor, or maybe it’s the market’s preference for precocity.
While Australia’s number of two-year-old winners is lower than some at nine, they included two blacktype horses rated above 100.
He was responsible for eight stakes winners worldwide last year, but it’s his career total of 22 group winners that really puts his fee in bargain territory.
Then there’s the 11 six-figure yearlings last year to consider...
€8,000
Holy Roman Emperor
(Castlehyde Stud)
Group 2 Coventry Stakes victor and twice Group 1-placed Rashabar provided a reminder of what Holy Roman Emperor is capable of, should we need it.
It may surprise you that Holy Roman Emperor’s single group-winning two-year-old matches the 2024 tally of four stallions standing for six-figure sums (I’ll leave it to you to figure out who).
Rock Emperor became his 14th individual Group 1 winner in 2021 and races on as an eight-year-old. He was one of 11 stakes horses by his sire worldwide in 2024, six of them stakes winners.
Holy Roman Emperor’s 2024 sales were disappointing, but his colts averaged a healthy €39,000. Breeders needn’t mourn a filly foal, as his daughters produced 13 group performers in 2024 alone, and five Group 1 winners to date.
Make Believe (Ballylinch Stud)
Unfortunately for Make Believe, his two Group 2 juvenile winners last year both largely went under the radar of Irish breeders, as both ran in Italy, while his two three-year-old Group 3 winners scored in France.
There should be more to come in 2025, as the multiple group-placed Royal Supremacy has moved to Ciaron Maher, who also purchased Make Believe’s Jareth in October for 140,000gns.
Australia is also home to Makram, a listed winner at Flemington in February, and Annabel Neasham’s Group 2 performer Double Cherry.
While the sire of Mishriff doesn’t impress with his sales averages, he is capable of providing a big result in the ring. Thady Gosden gave 125,000gns for a yearling colt at Tattersalls, while five of his previous crop sold for €70,000 or more in 2023.
€7,500
Awtaad (Derrinstown Stud)
Awtaad quietly made a name for himself with smaller numbers, but the secret was out in 2024, when he covered 128 mares and sired two top-flight winners. Anisette had become his first top-level winner when landing the Del Mar Oaks in 2023, and after two more Grade 1 wins, sold for $1.8million at Keeneland last November.
It’s unknown whether purchaser Zhang Yuesheng plans to race or breed from the now five-year-old, but there should be more to come from Awtaad’s dual Group 1 winner Anmaat, as he is a gelding. The same could apply to Al Qareem, who recorded his fifth stakes success in October.
Tazima is another to look forward to, having sold to Chris Waller for 210,000gns in October. Waller has previously enjoyed success with Awtaad, training Waterford to place in multiple Group 2s.
Bungle Inthejungle (Rathasker Stud)
Bungle Inthejungle had his largest representation at the yearling sales in 2024, with 74 offered, seven of which sold for between €60,000 and 150,000gns. They were bred off the back of a season that produced Bungle Inthejungle’s first Group 1 winner Winter Power.
The Nunthorpe Stakes heroine had won a listed and Group 3 as a juvenile, when she was one of just 13 two-year-old runners for her sire. Other talented juveniles by Bungle Inthejungle include Rumble Inthejungle, Living In The Past, and Givemethebeatboys, who trained on to win two more stakes races, and has now joined Michael Freedman in Australia.
Three stakes performers in 2024 may not read well against some of the others, but Bungle Inthejungle was responsible for 12 individuals rated 90 and above in the UK and Ireland last year.
€5,500
Coulsty (Rathasker Stud)
Three-time stakes winner Coulsty faced an uphill battle in his early seasons at stud. He had just 23 runners in his first season, but they made a strong impression, featuring five stakes horses. His nine winners included Shantisara, who went on to score at Grade 1 level as a three-year-old.
It brought about a significant increase in mares - 104 in 2021 and 158 2022, to be exact. The first effects were seen on the track in 2024, his career-best tally of 15 juvenile winners featuring Bolo Neighs, who bolted up in the Goffs 500. Both of those large crops were conceived for a fee of €4,000, which reflects well on the nine yearlings that sold for €40,000 and upwards last year.
€5,000
Advertise (Knockmullen House Stud)
Advertise moves to Ireland following a season which saw him sire three group winners, and of the second crop sires, only Blue Point and Too Darn Hot bettered his tally.
Cool Hoof Luke won the Gimcrack Stakes after finishing third in the Vintage Stakes and was only beaten three parts of a length in the Coventry Stakes. Al Shabab Storm beat subsequent Group 2 winner Breege when landing a listed race at Chester, and himself went on to capture a Group 3 in Germany.
Stablemate Secret Satire took the Group 3 Musidora Stakes at York, so it’s little wonder that Andrew Balding was among those buying Advertise’s latest yearlings. His yearling average wasn’t overly impressive, but his colts averaged €34,116.
Twilight Son (Anshoon Stud)
Twilight Son is a regular source of stakes performers and highly-rated horses, but with the lack of a Group 1 winner, he has failed to make headlines.
He does, however, have the ability to reward you in the sales ring – Peter Nolan gained an impressive return with a €100,000 filly at last year’s Orby – and his current fee looks a safe investment against his 2024 yearling average of €24,842.
His appeal for me, though, is his strong chance of siring a good racehorse. He boasted a 41% strike rate in 2024 and sired five stakes performers in the UK, Ireland and France. Six of his runners in the UK and Ireland were rated 100 plus, with another four rated over 90. Some notable performers that didn’t achieve blacktype last year included Weatherbys Super Sprint winner Caburn, Stewards Cup victor Get It and Golden Mile winner Toimy Son.