Success lives here

The stallion market, and its concomitant pricing of sire fees, is a fascinating subject, and one that warrants an in-depth thesis. In the same way that consumer goods have distinct product life cycles, stallions move through phases that include Freshman, 1st crop weanlings, 1st crop yearlings, 1st crop 2YOs, 3YOs etc. At certain points along that trajectory the market place forms opinions, not necessarily always correct, which are reflected by a multitude of inputs like performance on the track, prices in the ring, who buys a sire's stock etc.

It's a fluid dynamic at work which can see big name debutants go, Icarus-like, from dizzy heights to unwanted territory; conversely, there are sires that sky-rocket off a low base and expectation to become king-pins.

If the idea is to make the most from the least, then it's never been truer that breeders are still able to find exceptional value for $10,000 + GST or even less. This year's compote of stallions included in the 2018 annual feature include a plethora of horses responsible for both high-priced yearlings and significant Gr1 winners. Standing for these lower echelon fees are also exciting young horses on the cusp of proving themselves whose stud fees in coming years are likely to be a lot higher than they are now. Some great recent examples are I Am Invincible, Written Tycoon and Spirit of Boom.

As always, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and fortune favours the brave!