You’ve read endless stories over the past week on the million dollar yearlings sold at the Gold Coast last week and the vendors, buyers and sires responsible, but the story of sire profitability is often a little less clear, so let’s take a closer look at the sires that made money for their supporters.
Most Profitable MM Book 1 Sires by Multiple of Fee
Kiwi based sires filled three of the top four spots on the sire profitability by multiple of fee which traditionally highlights the sires standing at lesser fees and in this case the Kiwis are flattered by having small numbers of hand picked yearlings selected with intent to make a mark in this elite Australian marketplace.
First season sires Noverre and Sword of State did more than enough to ensure Australian buyers will get to Karaka with a good idea of what to expect from them and it’s also good news for Satono Aladdin (Jpn), who has 57 for K1 and 2, so there will be more than enough of them to go around.
Newgate Farm’s Tassort continued his commercial rise and has come a long way in a short time. This grand-son of I Am Invincible had an outstanding Magic Millions achieving a new benchmark for his highest priced yearling when Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott Racing/Kestrel Thoroughbreds purchased a colt for $500,000.
Consigned and bred by Emirates Park, the colt is the third foal of Group II winner Shumookh, who was trained by Waterhouse and Bott as was her multiple Group I winning dam Shamekha. Emirates Park have been great supporters of Tassort, who they stand in conjunction with Newgate Farm and have bred and raced his Group I winner Manaal and Group II winner Ameena.
Shumookh missed in 2023 so had no foal last year, but is now back in foal to Tassort, who covered 213 mares last year in his first season at an increased fee of $38,500.
Tassort finished Book 1 with 12 yearlings selling at an average $205,833 which represents nearly 20 times service fee and continues his impressive upward trajectory. Tassort had four yearlings sell in Book 1 in 2023 at an average $108,000 and then six averaged $184,164 in 2024.
Tassort still has one more crop to come bred at $11,000 and those people that own them might be looking at life changing money if his second crop to race deliver in a similar way to the first.
Yarraman Park’s Hellbent is never going to be as good sire as his father I Am Invincible, but he has found a very good niche as a solid and reliable source of quality winners and while his fee has increased the last two years to $38,500, it’s still good value and accurately reflects what he can deliver on the track and in the sale ring. Buyers are liking what they are seeing and all bar one of his Book 1 yearlings changed hands.
Most Profitable MM Book 1 Sires by Straight Profit
This is the list that highlights the best of the best and invariably demonstrates why a big service fee can still be value as not only are you increasing your chances of breeding a stakes-winner, but you are also in the picture to hit that home run of a million dollar yearling in the sale ring.
Arrowfield legend Snitzel turns 23 this year and is at an age when stallions are usually past their commercial zenith, but he has come roaring back into vogue off the back of Group I winning colts Shinzo and Switzerland in the past two years and his average of $765,556 was the best he has ever delivered at this sale and in fact any sale.
It bettered his previous best sale average of $717,708 set at Inglis Easter in 2022 when he had five individual yearlings sell for upwards of $1million and at the Gold Coast this year he had four.
Written Tycoon is also turning 23 and his twilight years have the potential to deliver the best results of his career given he has the privilege of covering the Yulong mares, which is a massive advantage. His average of $538,214 was also the best he has ever achieved at a sale with his two $1.8million yearlings, a filly from Away Game and colt from In Her Time, both bred and sold by Yulong and now his highest priced yearlings.
Coolmore shuttler Wootton Bassett is no spring chicken either being 17, but we are new to the party with him as his oldest progeny here are just two year-olds, but we are liking what we are seeing so far and fingers crossed he’s going to be an important stallion for Australia. He had a big increase in fee last year up to $192,500, which is going to cut into the profit of his supporters, but at the end of the day elite stallions are expensive for good reason.
Turning 21 this year, I Am Invincible had three yearlings sell for $1million or more, but his average of $580,395 was down on his phenomenal 2023 sales season when he averaged over $700,000 at both Magic Millions and Inglis Easter. The waxing and waning of commercial favour swung away from him and back to Snitzel at this sale, but could just as easily swing back next year.
Aged 15, Widden Stud’s flagship sire Zoustar has been the man on the march over the past 12 months in racetrack terms, but with no million dollar yearlings by him sold at the Gold Coast it was blatantly obvious that Inglis have gotten the cream of that crop. The transition from being a Magic Millions sire to an Inglis Easter one is all about service fee and the pedigrees of the mares covered.
When you have yearlings with pages covered in Black Type you go to Inglis Easter, that’s just the way it is.
Zoustar was making the transition last year. His MM average in 2024 was $472,879 and at Inglis Easter he carded $693,333 and that is likely to go higher again in 2025.
