Darley keeps Bernardini's stud fee at $150,000

Darley announced the 2013 fees for its American roster of stallions on Tuesday, led by Bernardini, whose fee remains unchanged at $150,000, the highest of any stallion in North America.

Bernardini, who stands at Darley at Jonabell Farm in Lexington, Ky., has been represented by the winner of the Grade 1 Travers Stakes in his first two crops, with Stay Thirsty winning the event in 2011 and Alpha finishing in a dead heat for the win this year. The 9-year-old A.P. Indy horse was also represented on the track in 2012 by Grade 1 winner To Honor and Serve and graded stakes winners Algorithms, Via Villaggio, Le Bernardin, and Buffum.

Classic-producing sires Street Cry and Medaglia d’Oro will each stand for $100,000 in 2013. Street Cry’s fee represents a drop from $150,000 in 2012, and Medaglia d’Oro’s fee is unchanged.

Hard Spun, who has sired two Grade 1-winning fillies in his first crop, saw his fee increase from $40,000 to $60,000. The 8-year-old Danzig horse was represented by Zo Impressive, winner of the Grade 1 Mother Goose Stakes at Belmont Park, and Questing, who won both the Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks and Alabama Stakes at Saratoga Race Course.

The majority of Darley’s Kentucky roster saw their fees unchanged, as Elusive Quality remains at $50,000; Lonhro, whose first U.S. crop arrives next year, at $30,000; Quiet American at $15,000; Discreet Cat at $12,500; and Regal Ransom at $7,500.

Three other stallions had their fees cut, as Any Given Saturday dropped from $15,000 to $7,500; Street Boss dropped from $15,000 to $10,000; and Midshipman dropped from $12,500 to $10,000.

“We were confident that 2012 was going to be a big year for our sires and we feel the same way about 2013,” said Charlie Boden, Darley’s head of sales. “Medaglia d’Oro, Bernardini and Street Cry remain in high demand, but they’ve had to make some room for Hard Spun, whose achievements thus far are simply incredible. Add to that Lonhro’s first U.S. crop arriving in just a few months, and we couldn’t be more enthusiastic about the new year.”

Young stallions Girolamo and Desert Party, who will stand for Darley at Sequel Stallions in New York, were given fees of $15,000 and $7,500, respectively. The fee for Girolamo, who entered stud at Sequel in 2012, is unchanged; Desert Party, whose first foals will be yearlings in 2013, stood for $10,000 at Jonabell in 2012.

All fees are payable when the foal stands and nurses.