Fees for New Ashford Stallions Waiting on Breeders' Cup

The excitement typically accompanying the Breeders' Cup World Championships will be felt at a much higher level this year by the team at Coolmore America's Ashford Stud, which will have three new stallion candidates making their final career starts. Two of its stallion roster's new stars—Sierra Leone and Fierceness—will face off again in the $7 million Breeders' Cup Classic (G1), in which they ran 1-2, respectively, last year. Sierra Leone, a 4-year-old son of leading sire Gun Runner, passed Fierceness in the stretch to win by 1 1/2 lengths. The gritty competitors are both returning in top form. Sierra Leone comes into the World Championships with a win in the Whitney Stakes (G1) and runner-up efforts in the Stephen Foster Stakes (G1) and Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes (G1) for the year. Fierceness, a 4-year-old son of City of Light, comes into the Breeders' Cup off a win in the Pacific Classic Stakes (G1) and earlier won the Alysheba Stakes (G2) and was runner-up in the Metropolitan Handicap (G1). "With the three new stallion prospects set to retire for 2026 all lining up at the Breeders' Cup, there is a great sense of anticipation here," said Coolmore America's director of sales Charlie O'Connor. Also in the Classic will be Journalism, a 3-year-old son of Curlin who won the Preakness Stakes (G1) and the Haskell Stakes (G1) and was runner-up in the Kentucky Derby (G1) and Belmont Stakes (G1). Journalism also will stand at Ashford when his racing career is done. A decision on whether he continues racing at 4 will be made with Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners' Aron Wellman and the other partners after the Breeders' Cup. "Last year's 1-2 Sierra Leone and Fierceness renew rivalry in the Classic, and we, along with all our partners, will also be watching 'iron horse' Journalism with great interest. We believe Citizen Bull has been working very well in the lead-up to the Dirt Mile." Citizen Bull, a 3-year-old son of multiple leading sire Into Mischief, is the champion 2-year-old male of 2024 and has wins so far this year in the Robert B. Lewis Stakes (G3) and Shared Belief Stakes, a mile race he captured by 5 1/2 lengths on the main track at Del Mar where the Breeders' Cup will be run Oct. 31-Nov. 1. Ashford will wait on the Breeders' Cup results before setting the fees for these three, but in the meantime has kept 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify at the top of the roster at $200,000. The 10-year-old son of Scat Daddy is a top 10 sire on the leading general sires list with more than $12 million in progeny earnings and five graded/group winners. Justify's top runners this year include Ruling Court, who won the Two Thousand Guineas (G1), and Scandinavia, who won the St Leger Stakes (G1). "All three new horses are Eclipse Award winners, following in the footsteps of Ashford stalwarts like Thunder Gulch, Uncle Mo, American Pharoah, and our flagship sire Justify, who completed a clean sweep of the colts' classics in Britain this year, with Ruling Court and Scandinavia adding to City of Troy's Epsom Derby triumph in 2024," O'Connor said. O'Connor added the farm was pleased with the reception in the marketplace for the first-crop yearlings of Corniche, Epicenter, Jack Christopher, and Golden Pal. After Books 1 and 2 of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Corniche had the second-highest average in his class at $526,667 behind leading first-crop sire Flightline at $762,973. For the sale overall, Corniche averaged $203,651 and among the sale's top 10 first-crop yearling sires by average were Golden Pal ($139,184), Epicenter ($136,640), and Jack Christopher ($109,669). "All things considered, we feel our combination of established sires and emerging talent represent excellent value in today's marketplace," O'Connor said. Not on the Kentucky roster this year is American Pharoah, who will be standing at Shizunai Stallion Station in Japan next year and Mendelssohn who is remaining in Chile, where he has been represented by five group stakes winners this year including group 1 winners Created and Lucky Magic. The rest of Ashford's roster and fees for next year are as follows: