Horse racing is a sport that has been around for generations, and its popularity will only continue for years to come. One of the key parts of the sport is the breeding process, as this helps breeders to join together two talented horses with qualities that an owner or trainer would be looking for in order to challenge for some of the biggest prices.
Breeding is by no means a cheap avenue into the sport, as stud fees can often be extremely expensive if you’re looking to get a potential superstar that will be able to compete for lucrative Grade 1 prizes at events such as the Breeders’ Cup. So before you learn more about box bet in horse racing, you should know how much it costs to invest in a stud horse.
But, which horses are among the most expensive when it comes to stud costs?
Dubawi
The list for stud costs in 2022 took a reshaping earlier in the year after it was announced that Galileo had passed away. The horse that commands the top prize in terms of stud costs nowadays is Dubawi, as the fee stands at £250,000. Dubawi has been standing at stud for the previous five seasons, but he is now the top-ranked stallion available to breeders.
The horse only competed on eight occasions during his career, claiming five victories. The biggest wins of his career came in the National Stakes and Irish 2,000 Guineas, which came in 2004 and 2005, respectively. His stud price is vindicated based on the form of his offspring over recent years, which includes the 2000 Guineas winner in 2022 Coroebus. He also had a winner at the Breeders’ Cup in 2022, with Yibir winning the Turf and Modern Games winning the Juvenile Turf.
Frankel
The top-priced British-based sire is Frankel, as his stud costs currently stand at £200,000. Frankel stands at Banstead Manor Stud in Newmarket, and is currently the leading European sire in the world, having taken more than £7.5 million in prize money. Frankel’s fee rose ahead of the 2022 season, and there is potentially no better horse to fill the void left by Galileo than his best-performing offspring.
This horse is widely regarded as one of the best that we have seen in this modern era, as he won on all 14 career starts. Among his big wins included the 2000 Guineas, St James’s Palace Stakes and the Queen Elizabeth Stakes. He was also the European Horse of the Year in both 2011 and 2012. A number of Classic winners over the past couple of years have been sired by Frankel, including the Derby winner Adayar and St Leger winner Hurricane Lane from 2021. Frankel has also achieved success abroad, with Hungry Heart winning the Australian Oaks, and Soul Stirring claiming the spoils in the Japanese Oaks.
Into Mischief
The leading American sire in terms of stud prices is Into Mischief. His story is widely regarded, as he achieved immediate success in the United States with his offspring. Many needed tempting to purchase the stud at first, as only won a handful of stakes races as a two-year-old, including the Damascus Stakes and CashCall Futurity. However, his success as a sire is clear for all to see nowadays, as he was named the leading North American Sire in 2019, 2020 and 2021. His most successful offspring at present is Authentic, who won the Breeders’ Cup Classic and Kentucky Derby in 2020.
But, he still has more notable progeny that has achieved success on the track. Mandaloun delivered a second Kentucky Derby win, while Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile and Pegasus World Cup winner Life Is Good is also out of Into Mischief. Other notable names that have become familiar to American fans include Gamine, Mischevious Alex and Goldencents.
