Following breeding farm trends in this depressed economic climate, Coolmore America’s Ashford Stud lowered its fees on the majority of its roster, including Triple Crown winners American Pharoah and Justify.
American Pharoah, the 2015 Triple Crown champion, will stand for $100,000. That’s a 42.8% reduction from his $175,000 fee in 2020. His offspring are beginning to show up on tote boards and winner’s circles, headlined by Harvey’s Lil Goil. She won the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Keeneland earlier this month.
His fellow Triple Crown club member, 2018 champion Justify, had his fee reduced from $150,000 to $125,000. Justify’s first foals were born this year, with one in-foal mare selling for $3.2 million.
Ashford raised fees on only two stallions: Uncle Mo and Munnings. Uncle Mo, the venerable 12-year-old stallion, stands for $175,000 – a $50,000 bump from his $125,000 fee in 2020. One of the most accomplished stallions of his generation, Uncle Mo sired seven individual Grade 1 winners, including 2016 Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist.
Uncle Mo Remains a Special Sire at Coolmore
Uncle Mo led his North American freshman sire class in 2015. He led all second-crop sires in 2016 while finishing third in the general sire listing. That, despite producing only two crops of racing age that year.
The other fee increase involves Munnings, who went from $25,000 to $40,000. Mendelssohn’s fee remained $35,000.
“Our established sires have enjoyed great success on the racetrack this year, but in recognition of the challenging times we find ourselves in, we have reduced the fees of all of our sires yet to have runners, with the one exception of Mendelssohn, who we probably underpriced all along,†said Charlie O’Connor, Ashford’s director of sales in a statement.
Maximum Security and Echo Town Join the Roster in 2021
Ashford is Coolmore America’s US headquarters. The Irish racing giant adds three stallions to its 2021 roster: multiple-Grade 1 winner Maximum Security, Grade 1 winning sprinter Echo Town, and two-time Royal Ascot champion Caravaggio.
“We have three exciting new additions to our roster and we look forward to watching Echo Town and Maximum Security continue to show their brilliance on the racecourse before they retire,†O’Connor said.
Both Maximum Security (Classic) and Echo Town (Sprint) will head to stud for fees to be determined after next month’s Breeders’ Cup. Circa Sports makes Maximum Security the fourth favorite at +575, while Echo Town is anywhere from 16/1 to 20/1 on Oddschecker.
