Coolmore fees for new stallions
 

George Washington - 60k euro
Hurricane Run - 30k euro
Ad Valorem / Aussie Rules - 15k euro

the top two look quite competitively priced!

I hate the Sheikhs and Coolmre equally but why is there such backlash against the Darley retirements but hardly a mention of the completey ludicrous retirement of 3yo Aussie Rules?

I agree wiht you about Aussie. Though I am flat out sick and tired of good, sound 3 y/o being retired to stud. It is KILLING racing. AND........THEY DON'T EXACTLY NEED THE MONEY.

They actually announced it before the BC. I just saw the $15,000 though. Why would you retire a sound 3yo for a $15,000 stud fee?

Beats the **** out of me. I don't know why you would retire a sound horse who is that good period. Especially if money is no obstacle. Take a page from Greg Gilchrist and Art Sherman, they didn't sell because Fog was a once in a lifetime horse.

Though I agree that the bloodstock business is choking off the racing business, I think that you have to seperate Coolmore and the arabs. Coolmore is strictly a business whereas Shiekh Mo and the boys have a rather large hobby

I agree about the Shieks's treating things as a hobby. At least, some of their actions support it. But, I can't, as a racing fan, imagine retiring 2 of the best 3 y/o in the country to stud. They have very litle (repsectably speaking) to loose, and the world to win.

But why?
They don't need the money, and why not race the few great horses you have? It boggles the mind.

Looking over the coolmore stallion roster it does seem that Aussie Rules would not really be missed too much if they ran him another year.

They are in it for the ego part. They have failed miserably in producing an American stallion base and they now feel that they have 2 big pieces of the puzzle. Look up the stallions that they are currently standing in America Gainesborough/Shadwell/Darley and compare them with their chief rival Coolmores American stallion division.

Brock,
what do you think HRun would have stood for had he been retired after last year's Arc?

Im more than happy they brought him back, but I think this son of Montjeu would have stood for more if he had not raced a step in 2006.


Repent

Totally agree...this is about cementing Darley @ Jonabell as a superior Stud farm in KY. They just completed renovations on the farm last year and now need a marquis stallion (or 2) to draw interest...They are running their operation as a business only to furthur the goal of being the biggest/most influential/most sought after (add your own phrase) lineup of stallions in the bluegrass.

why is giants causway private? usually when i see a horse go private, they're much older, having health or fertility problems and such. is this a way to deal on a mare by mare basis? what is the benefit(s) of having a horse like this guy go private?
also, do stud fees ever actively pursue a mare, or do they just accept or reject what comes their way?

From what I've read I think it means they dropped his fee but don't want to publicize that so made it private instead.

I know of some instances whree farms have approached a mare owner (that they have had other previous dealings with) and offered them a very reduced rate on a top stallion that the fasrm owned shares in (the stud was not on said farm) with the deal being that that mare would go to one of their other studs (on the farm) the following year. i don't know how often this sort of thing goes on but i would expect it is not all that uncommon.

I agree that Aussie Rules should continue running. I think he can pick up a few more major wins, especially in the US. But with that said, out of all the retiring stallions, his pedigree is head and shoulders above the rest. His family is probably the best family in Europe. They're produced top stallions, top producers, and multiple classic winners all tracing back to major bluehen Mumtaz Mahal.

That just makes it even more baffling that they retired him to stand for $15,000. Wouldn't a good campaign next year have doubled or tripled that?