Tuesday, 18 September 2007: Kentucky's Overbrook Farm has signalled a reduction in the service fee of the world's most expensive stallion Storm Cat in 2008.
Overbrook spokesman Ric Waldman also indicated Storm Cat, now rising 25, would be covering fewer mares next season as a result of the tightening of the top end yearling market at the current Keeneland September Sale.
The first four days of the September sale are used as the barometer by major studs to determine their service fees for the following year.
For the second year in succession Storm Cat, who stands at an advertised fee of $US500,000 has failed to top the sire averages at the premier sessions of the sale.
A.P. Indy was leading sire with 23 lots sold for an average of $US858,043 after the first four major days.
Storm Cat averaged $559,773 for 22 sold, followed by Distorted Humor ($507,115), Unbridled's Song ($494,333) and Dynaformer ($492,941).
“We have to continue to price the horse attractively enough to fit in the big breeders' plans," Waldman said.
"We have been fortunate in that over the last 15 or more years we have stood this horse at a stud fee popular enough that demand has always outstripped supply."
Waldman said the stud fee and the number of mares bred to the stallion are among the variables that the syndicate manager can control.
“He will be bred to a smaller book in 2008," Waldman said.
In 2006, the latest breeding season for which statistics are available, Storm Cat was bred to 111 mares.
The Jockey Club has released the 2006 US breeding statistics from returns compiled to September 6.
A reported 3881 stallions covered 63,629 mares in North America during 2006, resulting in 36,317 live foal reports received to September 6 which the Jockey Club believes is approximately 90 percent of the total.
Giant's Causeway, a son of Storm Cat, accounted for the biggest number of foals with 168, 13 more than first crop sire Roman Ruler.
The number of stallions declined 2.8 percent from the 3,992 reported for 2005.
Kentucky-based stallions accounted for 33.7 percent of the mares reported bred in 2006 and 40.8 percent of the reported live foals reported.
The 21,455 mares reported bred to 372 Kentucky stallions in 2006 have produced 14,801 live foals.
