Darley to hold online stallion season auctions

The American operation of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum’s Darley will hold a series of online auctions for nominations to sires Medaglia d’Oro, Hard Spun, and Lonhro for the 2013 breeding season.

One season for each of the three stallions will be offered at 9 a.m. Eastern on January 22 through 5 p.m. January 25. Additional auctions will commence on January 28 and February 4, with one season for each horse up for bids each session, bringing the grand total to nine available nominations. The seasons will sell with Darley’s standard live foal terms and no reserves.

“We are extremely excited about this new initiative,” said Olly Tait, Darley’s chief operating officer. “We have been able to make three additional seasons available to several of our fully-subscribed stallions and offering the seasons online via an auction allows our clients guaranteed access at prices that will be determined by them.”

Tait added that if a client that that already holds an existing 2013 contract to one of the aforementioned stallions wins one of the auctions, Darley will amend the existing contract if they obtain a lower price.

All three sires stand at Darley’s Jonabell Farm in Lexington, Ky. Medaglia d’Oro’s fee for 2013 is $100,000, while 2012 leading second-crop sire Hard Spun stands for $60,000 and Australian import Lonhro stands for $30,000.

The dates of the auctions are as follows. All auctions will be held from 9 a.m. Eastern on the opening date to 5 p.m. Eastern on the closing date:

- Tuesday, January 22–Friday, January 25
- Monday, January 28–Friday, February 1
- Monday, February 4–Friday, February 8

To register for the online auctions, visit www.darleyamerica.com/bidforglory