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Arrowfield Stud has released its stallion fees for the 2022 breeding season.
Snitzel's return to his pre-Covid fee and Maurice's reward for a brilliant second season headline Arrowfield Stud's 2022 stallion fees announcement.
Maurice, who is leading the Australian Second Season Sires' table, will stand for $82,500 off the back of the deeds of dual Derby and Australian Guineas winner Hitotsu and exciting sprinter Mazu.
The son of Screen Hero stood for $33,000 in his first two seasons in Australia, 2017 and 2018, was $27,500 in 2019 and $44,000 last year.
Arrowfield's bloodstock manager Jon Freyer said the Japanese star was of immense appeal to Australian breeders and expects his 2022 fee to look cheap in coming years.
"He's had a brilliant year with Hitotsu and Mazu, amongst others, he's a spectacular outcross for virtually every mare in the country and we're seeing that he's working so well," Freyer said.
"We've been inundated with enquiries for him and we feel that it's a pretty reasonable fee for him to stand at and I suspect that, with the trajectory that he is on, he's likely to be a much greater fee next year."
Maurice is now the second most expensive stallion on the Arrowfield roster behind Snitzel (Redoute's Choice), who is back up to his 2018 and 2019 fee of $220,000 after standing for $165,000 the previous two seasons.
The four-time Australian Champion Sire's rise comes a fortnight after he had yearlings average $717,708 at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale.
"We dropped his fee when Covid hit not knowing what the market would do and, of course, the market's been very strong and he's continued so brilliantly both in the sale ring and on the racetrack," Freyer said.
"We just felt that he was deserving of that place, so he's back to his pre-Covid service fee and he will serve a somewhat limited but elite group of mares this year."
Demand for Maurice, who will again shuttle from Japan, and rising 20-year-old Snitzel is expected to be high with both to be on lighter duties than some of Arrowfield's other stallions.
"Their book will be somewhat limited because of circumstances, Snitzel's getting on a little bit and Maurice will be restricted because he's a shuttle horse," Freyer said.
Arrowfield's other shuttle stallions this year are Shalaa, who will stand for $33,000, and Admire Mars, who returns for a second season at $22,000.
Dundeel and The Autumn Sun remain unchanged at $66,000, Castelvecchio is down slightly from $33,000 to $27,500, while Pariah and Showtime remain unchanged at $16,500 and $11,000 respectively.
