With the seemingly hundreds of million dollar babies selling at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale in Sydney this week, it’s a great time to reflect on the values of Aussie horses.
Many people of course caught up with the wave of emotion surrounding the champion mare, will have her placed as the most valuable bit of horse flesh in Australia.
And she will no doubt have babies that will fetch initially around $2million each if sold.
But….and this is not sexist in any way, her being a her, holds her real time market value back. Considerably.
On the open market Winx, the greatest the world has seen would fetch around $6.5million. Naturally her owners would not sell her for that but other than an eccentric billionaire coming along, anything north of that price would be hard to find and difficult to justify.
Mainly because she can only produce one foal a year and even if she is as prolific in the breeding barn as she was in the race track, she will have at best about 8 babies in her life.
Price on yearlings is governed by type and pedigree so making $2million a yearling is a lot to ask also. I hope she does have superstar babies but the record of champion racetrack mares in the barn is not very flattering. And how do you improve on perfection anyway?
So saying that, let’s look at some of the real expensive bits of horseflesh in Australia at the moment and some Champion mares of the past.
WINX (Street Cry x Vegas Showgirl): we ran through the details above. But in a nutshell despite being the best horse Australia has ever seen and probably will ever see she will never be worth anywhere near some of the best colts going around.
Value: $6.5 million
THE AUTUMN SUN (Redoute’s Choice x Azmiyna): as a stallion prospect he has no peer. He is big, athletic, built like a superman, has unlimited racetrack potential and talent, has already accrued a record of 5 x Gr 1 wins that guarantees him a spot at the top of the pedigree pile and he has a lineage that is non pareil. Also, sadly, in his favour is that his father just died. He is the anointed heir apparent and will stand at the same property, Arrowfield as his dad.
Value: $46 million
TRAPEZE ARTIST (Snitzel x Treppes): is another hulking specimen. Good pedigree, his mother is a sister to a Gr 1 winner in Crawl, and he himself has won 4 x Gr 1 races. Just a great option for breeders as he will throw anything from sprinters to stayers. He was probably worth more before his preparation this year with a value of $30ish million but that has fallen with a few defeats.
Value: $24 million
BRUTAL (O’Reilly x Alberton Princess): the colt won $1.8m by taking out the Doncaster on the weekend but that is nothing to what it added to the horses overall value. Prior to the win he was borderline a stallion prospect with an approx value of $2-3m at most but since winning the coveted mile event his value has sky rocketed to what i think would be around $18m.
Value: $18 million
MAKYBE DIVA (Desert King x Tugela): prior to Winx coming along you could comfortably say she was the best staying mare the country had ever seen but she may have lost her title a little. However she is by far the best horse we have seen over 2400m+ and with three Melbourne Cup wins you’d think should would be worth a mint. She once was, but multiple foals who couldn’t run has seen her price decline. Her latest Divanation has put a little spark back in her price though.
Value: $2 million
BLACK CAVIAR (Bel Esprit x Helsinge): she has been the best sprinter we have ever seen winning 25 out of 25 and before Winx was in talks as the best mare with Makybe Diva. The three definitely share the top spots but everyone will have their own order. No point deciding who was best. When she was retired she was worth around what Winx would be $6-$7 million although she has failed to produce any stars so that has dropped a bit.
Value: $3 million
MYSTIC JOURNEY (Needs Further x White Gold): her price is also held back by the fact she is a girl. As a ongoing racing proposition, she looks like being anything. Probably not Winx like earning $25million, but certainly if she comes back and improves on her stunning 10 win record which includes Gr 1 against her own age and the All Star Mile, she could make a few more million. Her immediate pedigree is only average but further down in her lineage she is very well bred with names like Danewin, Commands, Verry Elleegant, Mouawad and Kaapstad – all Gr 1 winners appearing.
Value: $3 million
MICROPHONE (Exceed And Excel x Sung): he is owned by Godolphin so is a Darley stallion – meaning he wont be sold. But we can speculate. Already a Gr 1 winner and has the potential to go on and win many more – and over various distances. He has a pedigree that is restrictive though. Too many crosses of Danzig mean he can’t really have any of the Danehill-line mares around. But he boasts lots of Gr 1 winners in his immediate lineage.
Value: $17 million
ZOUSAIN (Zoustar x Pasar Silbano): is already a 3 x Gr 1 placegetter and a Gr 2 winner. Has a strong English female line. And he is a fast, well-built stallion prospect who could very well win a Gr 1 one day soon. But at the moment he is held back by NOT being a Gr 1 winner yet.
Value: $7 million
TERBIUM (Terango x Serene Lass): his mother is by Not A Single Doubt and his father has sired just one winner – him! So pedigree is not strong and doesn’t matter anyway because he is a gelding. But a gelding that is just 3 years of age and unbeaten in 4 starts. He is extremely exciting however, racing is the only place he’ll make money which holds his value back.
Value: $1.75 million
PIERATA (Pierro x November Flight): Is a Gr 2 winner and just needs a Gr 1 to make his value soar. The pedigree is good and one that will be wanted by breeders. His mum was a Gr 3 winner and he is a half to a Gr 1 placed, Gr 3 winner. Crowd favourite too as he tries so hard every start.
Value: $5.5 million
REDZEL (Snitzel x Millrich): you’d think the winner of $15 million would be worth a King’s ransom wouldn’t you – but nope. Because he’s a gelding on the back end of his career, his past record counts for little if priced according to the market.
Value: $500,000
GRAFF (Star Witness x Dinkum Diamond): highly gifted and ready for his value to skyrocket. Trouble is he is only a Gr 3 winner and a Gr 1 placegetter thus far with a pedigree that would be attractive. Is likely to win a Gr 1 so his value will rise but right now he is a bargain.
Value: $3.5million
*All prices are based on our judgement and not a professionals valuation