Yulong fees: Panthalassa adds international appeal, fee rises for Pierata and Alabama Express

Cover image courtesy of Yulong

Highly accomplished Group-1 winner Pierata has commenced his stud career impressively, with nearly 30 per cent of his initial crop of runners achieving black-type status. This achievement has validated the decision to increase his stud fee from $44,000 (inc GST) to $66,000 (inc GST).

Among the Group-1 winning son of Pierro’s first-crop offspring are two notable Group 3-winning 2-year-olds, Tobeornottobe and Coleman, with the latter also securing a close second in the G1 Golden Slipper to be the first colt home in this year's edition.

Additionally, Pierata's reputation as a sire with remarkable potential is highlighted by G1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce S. runner-up Red Sea, along with stakes-performers Fearless and Wave Breaker.

Yulong's General Manager, Vin Cox, is particularly excited about the prospects of Yulong's well-credentialed young sires.

“Pierata and Alabama Express are among the top three stallions fighting out the Champion First-Season Sire honours.

“Pierata has sired five stakes performers in his first crop which is quite extraordinary and he has arguably the best 2-year-old colt in the country, in Coleman.”

Off the back of a solid start to stud, fellow first-season sire Alabama Express has earned a fee increase from $22,000 (inc GST) to $55,000 (inc GST).

Covering 78 mares in 2022, popularity for Alabama Express soared last season when covering almost three times as many mares (206). Cox credits this significant increase in demand to the stallion's reception at the previous year's yearling sales, which, bolstered by the performance of his first-crop of runners, is anticipated to rise even further.

“It started to get out that he was going somewhere and hence he got a big lift in support last season, which looks set only to improve again off the back of the season that he's had.”

During this year's sales season, Alabama Express’ second-crop yearlings continued to be popular, selling for up to $400,000 and averaging 10 times his service fee.

That trend is set to continue this season with the first-season sire represented by six black-type 2-year-olds and is currently sixth on the 2-year-old Sires Premiership by earnings and third by winners. The Group 1-winning son of Redoute’s Choice is represented by impressive $1 million Inglis Golden Gift victor Shangri La Express and G3 Ottawa S. winner Karavas.

Panthalassa adds new international flavour

The new addition to the Yulong banner is the two-time international Group 1 winner Panthalassa (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) who will join the team at an introductory fee of $16,500 (inc GST). With career earnings exceeding $21 million, the son of Lord Kanaloa (Jpn) holds the distinction of being the highest-earning horse ever to stand in Australia.

A seven-time winner across three countries, Panthalassa's career that spanned five seasons kicked off as a winner as a 2-year-old in Japan. Panthalassa took on the world when scoring the G1 Dubai Turf alongside Lord North (Dubawi), while beating global stars Saffron Beach (GB) (New Bay {GB), Colonel Liam (USA) (Liam’s Map {USA}), and Alfareeq (Dark Angel {Ire}). He backed that up with an impressive all-the-way victory in the US$20 million G1 Saudi Cup. In between these victories, the high-class son of Lord Kanaloa was runner-up in the 2022 G1 Tenno Sho, narrowly beaten by Japanese superstar Equinox (Jpn).

Shuttling from Arrow Stud in Japan where he served upwards of 100 mares in his debut season, Cox is particularly excited about the well-credential Japanese sire’s future at Yulong.

“He was an exciting racehorse with a dynamic racing style, something that we saw last Saturday with Pride Of Jenni dominatating from the front.

“The potency of the bloodlines from the Japanese Stud Book are hugely significant, we are very fond of the breed and we think he's got a lot of upside."

Grunt, Lucky Vega & Diatonic hold steady

Albeit represented by a maiden Group 1 winner, after 3-year-old son Veight scored a tenacious victory against older horses in the G1 George Ryder S., Grunt's (NZ) fee remains unchanged at $22,000 (inc GST).

Outside of Veight, Grunt is represented by Listed Twilight Glow S.-winning filly Miraval Rose and exciting 3-year-olds Rhythm Of Love and Siberian Siren. For a horse that offers over six per cent stakes horses to runners, Grunt offers breeders access to a Group 1-producing sire at exceptional value.

“I think he's huge value. A horse that’s sired a weight-for-age Group 1 winner in his first crop at three, would be the envy of a lot of stallion owners around the country.

“At the price he is, he gets lots of winners, he’s got a lot of good stakes performers and gets good looking, attractive sales horses.”

A Group 1-winning son of Champion sire O’Reilly (NZ), Grunt matured over the course of his racing career, winning the G1 Australian Guineas as a 3-year-old before taking out the G1 Makybe Diva S. at four, so the best appears yet to come.

Group 1-winning 2-year-old Lucky Vega (Ire) was represented by his first yearlings this season, with progeny commanding prices up to seven times his service fee and has subsequently seen his fee unchanged from $16,500 (inc GST).

Lucky Vega continues to stand out as the sole offspring of the renowned international stallion, Lope De Vega {Ire}, available for stud duties in Australia. With his first-crop of runners set to hit the track next season, Lucky Vega’s progeny will get every chance with the likes of Annabel Neasham, Tony Gollan and Bjorn Baker.

“We're very pleased with how the Lucky Vega’s were received in the market and we've got a good cross section through different trainers. We're racing a bunch ourselves and like Tagaloa and Diatonic he has had huge support from some of our very elite broodmares, so we are hoping to get their progeny on the track and in the thicker end of the black type races.”

The third son of Lord Kanaloa on the Yulong roster is the three-time G2 winner Diatonic (Jpn) who will remain at an unchanged fee of $13,750 (inc GST) for his second-season of covering at Yulong.

Serving an impressive book of 131 mares in his first-season at stud in the Southern Hemisphere, Diatonic has been heavily supported with some of Australia’s elite young mares including 13-time Group 1 winner Melody Belle (NZ) (Commands), and dual Group 1 winners In Her Time (Time Thief), Snapdancer (Choisir) and Viddora (I Am Invincible).

“If you go through the mares that he's covered, you'll see some of the most high profile race mares we’ve seen in the last decade race in this part of the world. So we've given him massive support and we look forward to what he can produce on the ground this year.”

Meeting the market

Tagaloa is another young sire on the Yulong roster whose first-crop of yearlings were well-received at yearling sales with his progeny fetching up to seven times his service fee. The G1 Blue Diamond S. winner has had his fee reduced slightly from $27,500 (inc GST) to $22,000 (inc GST).

With his first-crop of yearlings joining the stables of Chris Waller, Peter Moody & Catherine Coleman and his own-trainers Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young, the young sire is set to get every chance to make an impact on the track come next season.

While the son of Lord Kanaloa received a slight decrease from last season, Cox emphasised the importance of listening to the market around such decisions.

“He was an outstanding 2-year-old and probably the opposite of Lucky Vega, as in his first crop were a little harder to sell, so we acknowledged that and hope we’re going to get the commercial support going forward.”

Written Tycoon remains private

The esteemed 22-year-old Champion sire, Written Tycoon, will again be serving a private book this upcoming breeding season off the back of another year of remarkable results.

Headlined by a second G1 Golden Slipper winner in Lady Of Camelot, Written Tycoon is poised to take out another Australian 2-year-old Sire Premiership and add the New Zealand equivalent to his record thanks to boom filly Velocious taking out the G1 Sistema S. earlier in the year.

The veteran sire has not only dominated the 2-year-old ranks, he is also commanding attention by his 3-year-olds, headlined by G1 Australian Guineas winner Southport Tycoon who shoots for further top-flight success in this weekend’s G1 All Aged S. at Randwick.

While Written Tycoon’s services won’t be available to outside clients, Cox emphasised the remarkable feats as the Champion Sire enters the twilight years of his career.

“He's obviously had the most incredible season, and in the twilight of his career for a stallion to be doing what he's doing is quite astounding”.

Serving a reduced book of mares last season (88 down from 172 in 2022), Written Tycoon attracted some of the country’s most-highly credentialed mares including Away Game (Snitzel), Hungry Heart (Frankel) and Baggy Green (Galileo {Ire}).

Table: Yulong's stallion roster for 2024