The 2009 stud fees for WinStar and Taylor Made/WinStar Venture stallions standing at WinStar Farm, near Verailles, Ky., were announced Nov. 6. In a departure from the general trend of declining stud fees, the fee for Tiznow will rise from $30,000 to $75,000 for 2009.
“It takes a special stallion nowadays to merit an increase in fee, but Tiznow has always been pretty special,” said Doug Cauthen, president of WinStar Farm. “Tiznow is the only horse in the history of the Breeders’ Cup to win the Classic (gr. I) twice, which is an extremely difficult feat to accomplish. As a sire, he was the leading freshman sire in 2005.”
Tiznow currently ranks third on the leading North American sires list, with progeny earnings of $8,175,692 through Nov. 2.
Also on the roster for WinStar, which is owned by Bill Casner and Kenny Troutt, is Speightstown , who ranks among the leaders on the first-crop sires list and will stand the 2009 season for $35,000, down slightly from $40,000 last year; Bluegrass Cat, priced at $40,000, a dip from $50,000 last year; leading sire Distorted Humor , who will stand for $225,000, down from 2008’s $300,000; Sharp Humor, whose fee remains the same at $12,500; and Spring At Last, who begins his stud career in 2009 at WinStar, standing for $15,000.
Tiznow's fee will rise from $30,000 to $75,000 for 2009.
Lee Thomas