http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/95817/american-pharoahs-fee-set-at-200000
What most predicted
That is quite the fee.
I was just a pup when Secretariat won and didn’t follow racing closely enough to notice stud fees until a while after Affirmed won the TC.
Were the fees of other TC winners compare to AP’s? (adjusting for inflation of course).
Probably the only valid comparison would be Secretariat (like AP, he was the only living Triple Crown winner his first few seasons at stud) and I can’t find an accurate reference for his first season anywhere. The only reference I can find is for $125,000. If we assume that was for the last years of Secretariat’s life, rather than initially, then it’s about $235,000 in today’s dollars. If it was in 1975, say, then it’s more like $500,000 (which is why I’m assuming that’s for later in his stud career, even though at that point just based on results he probably wasn’t worth that much compared to Slew.)
The real question is where will AP slot onto the rankings by offspring’s earnings someday–per a DRF article the winner there was Seattle Slew, total earnings of just under $85 million for 782 starters of just over 1000 foals, of which 536 were winners (including 8 champions, and group/graded wins.) Then War Admiral, with $7.7 million (and an impressive 320 starters of 370 foals), Count Fleet ($7 million from 351 starters of almost 500 foals), Affirmed ($55 million from 686 starters). Secretariat comes in fifth with what the DRF’s writer terms a “perfectly fine” record, $30 million from 498 starters out of 663 foals, and 3 champions to Affirmed’s nine and Slew’s eight. (Bottom of the list is Sir Barton, with $909,000 in earnings, with one champion, Easter Stockings, and Assault, who doesn’t really count as he never produced any thoroughbred offspring and the few Quarter Horses he bred didn’t race.)
Now, I would bet money as a BROODMARE sire Secretariat is either one or two…
Secretariat was syndicated for about $190,000 a share, thirty-two shares, I think, which gave each of the thirty-two purchasers the chance to breed one mare each year. I suppose he made fifteen or seasons, so divide $190,000 by fifteen for the annual cost. Then factor in inflation.
Although Storm Cat stood for a walloping 500k and didn’t win the TC!
At one point Northern Dancer was a million no guarantee.
SC and ND stood for those fees after establishing a record at stud. New sires are purely speculative and buyers/breeders are looking to capitalize on the excitement when the foals/yearlings from the first crop hit the sales.
It is very hard to draw a comparison to the 70’s when most of the investors in Secretariat were looking to race (rather than sell) the offspring. In fact there was some bashing of a couple of breeders who indicated that they were buying shares with the intent to sell the foals! Most investors envisioned winning classics and returning the royal son or daughter to the lush pastures of home to continue the prosperity of the heritage.
Despite his demonstrations of guts and talent, Seattle Slew’s iffy female family and low sale price as a youngster made him less a darling of the breeders. His sire Bold reasoning was a grandson of Bold Ruler but only sired 2 crops and at that point there was so much Bold Ruler out there that moderately bred, somewhat homely colt owned by “outsiders” seemed like a freak who outran his pedigree but who could never replicate himself at stud. His owners got “stuck” with shares and made out like bandits .
Affirmed was never thought to have the sire quality of his rival Alydar and while he was a better race horse, he did outrun his pedigree somewhat. He got a bump when his sire sent out another Derby winner in 1980. He was a solid sire, particularly of fillies.
Of the TC winners, I’d guess that War Admiral was the best broodmare sire, Secretariat next, maybe.
As for AP’s fee, the market will speak. For right now, it’s all based on hope. He has a makings of a very strong book with several key mares listed as in his court. Once the foals hit the ground and breeders start making comparisons of what they have and when buyers start appraising them with cold hard dollars his fee will be reviewed.
Considering what American Pharaoh yearlings from the good mares who will go to him are likely to fetch at auction, $200k may not be bad, at all. The fee may be much higher in time! It might end up being rather nice to have one of his from an early crop. Time will tell. 
Seattle Slew had champions in his first crop, so that helped a great deal. Landaluce and Slew O’Gold. Link to an article in Nov. 1982, and quote
His first crop of offspring are 2-year-olds this year. Only eight of them have raced, but they have earned more than $650,000, getting Seattle Slew off to the richest start of any first-crop sire in thoroughbed history. Three of them - Landaluce, Slewpy and Slew o’ Gold -have prompted these early comparisons to Bold Ruler.
As far as whose bloodlines are the most lustrous … beauty is as beauty does, as far as I’m concerned. :winkgrin:
[QUOTE=halo;8393347]
At one point Northern Dancer was a million no guarantee.[/QUOTE]
I believe that was when he past 20 yo and breeding fewer mares, and it was never certain he would still be breeding the following year. By then his yearlings would fetch well over a million at auction, and many of his offspring also had powerful offspring of their own, with ND sons that also fetched impressive fees. At that time ND was practically an industry unto himself and it was well worth it to have one of his last offspring. ND was the head of a mighty and prolific dynasty, and the people who could pay to get one more piece of it seemed happy to do so! 
[QUOTE=Linny;8393376]
As for AP’s fee, the market will speak. For right now, it’s all based on hope. He has a makings of a very strong book with several key mares listed as in his court. Once the foals hit the ground and breeders start making comparisons of what they have and when buyers start appraising them with cold hard dollars his fee will be reviewed.[/QUOTE]
The only people who really stand to lose are the potential buyers. By the time it’s determine if he’s “worth it” or not, a lot of people will have already made a lot of money.
^ Most likely correct, Tex. Unless a given foal is substandard or the whole crop looks weak, which is unlikely.
I still have a dog eared copy of the book,The Secretariat Factor about the syndication and 1st crop of Secretariat. It provides a look behind the curtain at the reality that many breeders were not especially thrilled with their 1st crop foals.of course, today, the crooked ones are surgically corrected.
I would go to Honor Code ($35k) or Take Charge Indy ($17,500) before I would go to AP or PoTN.
Both HC and TCI come from incredible families with major winners and producers on their bottom line, as well as having a great sire. Many more top, proven genes being passed down to the foal to give it a chance of being a good horse.
If you are breeding to sell in 2018 and you get a perfect yearling out of a top mare, then you can hit it big. But breeding to race? Not so much.
[QUOTE=Linny;8393376]
Of the TC winners, I’d guess that War Admiral was the best broodmare sire, Secretariat next, maybe.
.[/QUOTE]
I guess it depends…I’m kind of torn there as in terms of number of mares who became important producers, War Admiral has more (with more seasons at stud, though fewer mares covered.) OTOH, Secretariat’s most important female offspring produced Storm Cat and A.P. Indy. Which is pretty darned important recently.
