I Am Invincible (Aus) and Snitzel (Aus) have been confirmed as the two most expensive stallions standing in Australia in 2024 after their covering fees for the Southern Hemisphere breeding season were announced on Tuesday.
The sire of multiple Group 1-winning sprinters such as Imperatriz (Aus), Brazen Beau (Aus) and Home Affairs (Aus), Yarraman Park Stud resident I Am Invincible remains the most expensive stallion standing in Australia, despite having had his fee reduced from A$302,500 (around €183,000) to A$275,000 (€167,000).
I Am Invincible is on course to be crowned Australia's champion sire for the third year in succession following another excellent season in 2023/24, with the likes of the now-retired Imperatriz and the two-year-old Move To Strike (Aus), who recently won the G1 Manawatu Sires Produce S. at Trentham, leading the way.
A third champion sire crown would still leave I Am Invincible one behind Snitzel, who become just the sixth stallion in the history of the Australian Sires' Premiership to earn four or more consecutive champion sire titles when last successful during the 2019/20 season. Preparing to embark on his 19th season at Arrowfield Stud, Snitzel's fee remains at A$247,500 (€150,000) following another stellar campaign, both on the track and in the sales ring.
For the fifth time in the last eight years, Snitzel's yearlings have combined to sell for more than A$40 million at the sales, while he too has an outstanding juvenile in the shape of the A$1.5 million colt Switzerland (Aus), who won three of his first four starts, including the G2 Todman S. at Randwick.
Incidentally, the fees announced for I Am Invincible and Snitzel remain some way below those commanded by the most expensive stallions standing in Europe and the US. In Europe, Dubawi (Ire) and Frankel (GB) both stood for £350,000 (€409,000) in 2024–making them the joint-highest-priced stallions in the world–while Curlin, Gun Runner and Into Mischief shared top billing in the US at $250,000 (€234,000), with Justify currently standing at a private fee.
In Japan, Kitasan Black (Jpn) and his son Equinox (Jpn), who is standing his first season at Shadai Stallion Station in 2024, were the most expensive stallions at a fee of ¥20,000,000 (€119,000).
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